#nicolas isouard

[princesssarisa]

Nicolas Isouard's "Cendrillon": a semi-forgotten "Cinderella" opera

My latest project related to both opera and fairy tales has been an interesting one: I've introduced myself to the 1810 French opera Cendrillon, with music by Nicolas Isouard and a libretto by Charles-Guillaume Éttienne.

Without this obscure opéra-comique, Gioacchino Rossini's more famous Cinderella opera, La Cenerentola, wouldn't exist. In 1814, its libretto was adapted for an Italian opera, Stefano Pavesi's Agatina, o la virtù premiata ("Agatina, or virtue rewarded"), which was staged at La Scala. Two years later, when Rossini and librettist Jacopo Feretti were commissioned to write a new opera for the Teatro Valle in Rome, and they chose Cinderella as the subject, Feretti evidently used Agatina's libretto as the springboard for his own, and the quickly-produced result was La Cenerentola.

I haven't read the full libretto of Agatina yet, just skimmed over it, but it looks like a faithful adaptation of Isouard's Cendrillon, while La Cenerentola makes some creative departures from both. So for now, I'll just focus on discussing the Isouard/Éttienne version.

@tuttocenere, @ariel-seagull-wings, @adarkrainbow

*The plot's basic outline is very much the same as in Rossini's more familiar opera, as are the characters' names, albeit in French forms rather than Italian. The setting is Italy, and Cinderella's love interest, Prince Ramir, is the Prince of Salerno. The traditional wicked stepmother is replaced by a stepfather, the impoverished yet arrogant Baron of Montefiascone (although he's not named Don Magnifico in this version, but just called "the Baron"), and her stepsisters are named Clorinde and Tisbé. As in Rossini's version, the Prince spends most of the opera disguised as a squire, while his servant, Dandini, masquerades as the Prince. And the traditional Fairy Godmother is replaced by Alidor, a wise gentleman scholar who serves as the Prince's tutor. He disguises himself as a beggar at the beginning, and is turned away by Clorinde and Tisbé but shown kindness by Cinderella, and so he resolves to wed her to the Prince.

*Unlike Rossini and Feretti's "realistic" comedy of manners, however, this version is still a fairy tale. Alidor is a magician as well as a scholar and tutor, and he dresses Cinderella in finery and transports her to the ball by magic. He also gives her a magic rose to wear, which makes her unrecognizable to anyone who knows her (so all the confusion in La Cenerentola about the mystery lady's "resemblance" to Cinderella is a Feretti/Rossini invention) and which gives her new confidence and ladylike grace. I find the last detail interesting, because La Cenerentola also has a striking difference, in both the text and the music, between Cinderella's demeanor in her rags (so innocent, awkward, and vulnerable) and as a well-dressed lady (dignified, confident, sweetly commanding). In Isouard and Éttienne's version, this change has a magical explanation; in La Cenerentola, without any magic, it becomes psychological.

*This version also includes the traditional lost slipper, not the bracelet of La Cenerentola, because the French were less squeamish than the Italians about letting women show their ankles onstage. It's described as a green slipper, not a glass slipper, however. I assume they made this change because no one can wear glass shoes safely and comfortably onstage, but the word "vert" (green) is similar enough to the word "verre" (glass).

*In La Cenerentola, I've never been sure if the setting is meant to be the medieval principality of Salerno, meaning that Prince Ramiro is already the reigning monarch (which would make sense, since his father is dead), or if he's the crown prince of the Kingdom of Naples (whose crown princes were titled "Prince of Salerno" much like the British crown prince is titled "Prince of Wales") and just hasn't been crowned king yet because his father's will requires him to marry first. Most Cenerentola productions seem to take the latter interpretation, since they set the action around Rossini's own time, in the late 18th or early 19th century. Isouard's Cendrillon more clearly takes place in the medieval principality of Salerno, however. Prince Ramir is explicitly the monarch already, and referred to interchangeably as "the prince" and "the king" by the other characters. Another medieval touch, which La Cenerentola omits, is that the ball includes a jousting tournament: there, the disguised Prince champions Cinderella as the most beautiful of all the ladies, fighting several opponents who champion Clorinde and Tisbé on behalf of Dandini, and defeating them all.

*Cinderella also shares a scene at the ball with her stepfamily, who don't recognize her. She gives Clorinde and Tisbé gifts of her own jewelry, much like the gifts of citrus fruits in Perrault's version, and gives the Baron a jewel as well to take home "for his stepdaughter" (which of course he doesn't).

*As in La Cenerentola, the Prince and Cinderella first meet at her house before the ball, when he comes in his squire disguise. Unlike in La Cenerentola, however, Alidor is present and immediately tells the Prince that Cinderella is a member of the family, and Cinderella then articulately tells the story of her mother's marriage to the Baron and subsequent death. Nor, unlike Rossini's Don Magnifico, does the Baron ever lie that Cinderella is just a servant or that his stepdaughter died: both he and his daughters freely acknowledge her as their stepdaughter/stepsister. It seems to have been a Feretti/Rossini invention to have the Prince not know that Cinderella is of high birth. Which leads to the next point...

*When the Prince meets Cinderella in her rags, he pities her and remarks on how pretty she is, but he doesn't seem to fall in love with her yet. They don't sing a duet at this point; Cinderella sings an aria telling him about herself. Nor does he get angry or try to defend her when her stepfamily refuses to take her to the ball. It's only when she's dressed in her finery at the palace that they they sing a duet and fall in love. This is another difference that stands out from the Feretti/Rossini version. In La Cenerentola, it's Cinderella in her rags whom Ramiro falls for; their great moment of connection is in their lengthy duet when they first meet, and their interactions at the ball are minimal. He only seems to fixate on "the beautiful unknown" because she looks like the "servant girl" he met earlier, whom he presumably thinks he can't marry because of her "low birth." This changes the essence of the Feretti/Rossini version almost as much as the decision to remove magic does.

*Dandini's portrayal is a bit more mean-spirited than it would be later in La Cenerentola. He's portrayed as stupider and more incompetent, and both the Prince (with whom he barely interacts) and Alidor emphasize that he's the crudest, most idiotic man at court. This is obviously meant as social commentary, since everyone overlooks his faults and fawns over him anyway when they think he's a prince. But considering his actual low status and the glorified portrayal of the real Prince, it does feel a little too harsh at his expense. I prefer his wittier and more cunning portrayal in La Cenerentola, and his rewritten dynamic with Prince Ramiro where they co-conspire and confide in each other like friends (even if Ramiro does still call him "idiot" now and then). Not to mention his hints of flirting with Don Magnifico that the original Dandini doesn't have with the Baron. :)

*Cinderella's departure from the ball is different from both the classic tale and the Feretti/Rossini version too. After the joust, in front of everyone, the Prince and Dandini offer Cinderella the crown and the Prince's hand in marriage together, but without yet revealing which of them is really the Prince. Cinderella still thinks Dandini is the Prince and doesn't want to marry him, so she runs away, accidentally losing her slipper. Again, Feretti/Rossini made a significant change by turning this into a private scene, having Cinderella openly admit that she loves the "squire," and then having her test his love by giving him her bracelet and urging him to search for her.

*Clorinde and Tisbé both have bigger roles than in Rossini's version – each one has her own aria to sing, as well as a few duets with each other – while the Baron's role is much smaller than Don Magnifico's. In keeping with this fact, the comic scene where Dandini finally reveals that he's not the Prince is a reveal to the sisters, not to the Baron as in La Cenerentola. In a "romantic" scene with Dandini, whom they still think is the Prince, the sisters both assure him that they love him for who he is, not for his status, and that they would still want to marry him if he were a poor peasant. But then the Baron bursts in, having learned Dandini's true identity offstage, and reveals everything to his daughters. Then the real Prince arrives too, and proclaims that since the sisters "love" Dandini so much, he commands one of them (the choice is theirs) to marry Dandini that very day. The sisters, of course, refuse to do such a thing.

*The climactic scene is also entirely different from La Cenerentola's version, and a creative twist on the fairy tale's ending too. The morning after the ball, instead of traveling in search of the "beautiful unknown," the Prince invites all ladies of noble birth back to his palace, without explaining why. (This supports my theory that many early stage adaptations of Cinderella had the slipper-fitting take place at the palace, as some early screen versions do too.) Cinderella hears the proclamation and comes to the palace without asking permission, surprising her stepfamily when they meet her there. In her, Clorinde and Tisbé see what they think is the solution to their Dandini problem: they tell her about the whole Prince identity deception, then order her to marry Dandini in their place, but Cinderella refuses. Next, she happens to meet the Prince, who recognizes her as the Baron's stepdaughter he met earlier, but not as the lady he loves. Cinderella pretends to have had a dream where she saw all the events of the ball, and she assures him that "the unknown lady" loved him and only fled because she thought she would have to marry Dandini. The Prince now bitterly regrets having disguised himself, while Cinderella privately laments that the Prince doesn't recognize her and only loves the lady she pretended to be. But then Alidor gathers all the visiting ladies together and announces the reason they were summoned: whoever fits the green slipper will be the Prince's bride. Cinderella then speaks up and insists on trying the slipper on, despite the scoffs and protests of the chorus. Of course the slipper fits, and then Alidor transforms her rags back into the ballgown in front of everyone.

*A general observation, about more than just this opera: French adaptations of Cinderella seem especially prone to have Cinderella come out of her shell in the end, discard her submissiveness, and actively seek the slipper and the prince. We see it in this opera, where Cinderella goes back to the palace in her rags despite knowing her stepfamily will disapprove, flat-out refuses her stepsisters' command that she marry Dandini, and then openly insists on trying the slipper on in front of the court. We also see it in Massenet's later opera, where she calls on her fairy godmother to transport her back to the palace to try on the slipper. Maybe this is because Perrault's Cinderella openly asks to try on the slipper; maybe it also shows the influence of Madame d'Alunoy's bold Finette Cendron. But it's very different from La Cenerentola, where, when she realizes Ramiro is the Prince, she tries to hide her face and run out of the room, only for Ramiro to spot the bracelet on her wrist. Or, as another example, from Russian adaptations like Prokofiev's ballet or the 1947 film, where she not only hides her identity from the Prince, but even tries (under orders) to help one of the stepsisters fit the slipper, only for the truth to out when the other slipper is accidentally discovered in her possession. Not to stereotype different countries, but I somehow suspect this is a cultural difference, with the Italian and Russian writers more concerned about keeping Cinderella "modest" than the French writers were.

*Cinderella forgives her stepfamily in the end, but it's briefer and gets less dramatic emphasis than in La Cenerentola. I suppose several of the changes Feretti and Rossini made – their expanded role for Don Magnifico, for one thing, and their general framing of the story as a morality tale rather than a fairy tale – led to their choice to make Cinderella's forgiveness of her stepfamily a bigger emotional climax than her marriage to the Prince.

Unfortunately, the one complete recording of the opera is out of print, but bits and pieces of it have been uploaded onto YouTube. The musical score is very sweet, lyrical, elegant, and gentle – again, very different from the sparkling florid sound of Rossini. As I mentioned at the beginning, it's also an opéra-comique, meaning there's spoken dialogue between the musical numbers.

I've found it fascinating to explore this opera, both as the forerunner to the more familiar La Cenerentola and as an interesting and charming Cinderella opera in its own right. I think it would be nice to see it revived onstage more often.

[opera-ghosts]

  Constance-Caroline Lefebvre, sometimes spelled Lefèvre, (born 21 December 1828 in Paris, France; died 1905) was a French opera singer described as a mezzo-soprano and as a soprano. She started her career in 1849 and performed until her retirement in 1866, mostly playing "dugazon" roles. She married her stage partner, famous baritone and composer Jean-Baptiste Faure, in 1859.Lefebvre's early education took place in the Conservatoire de Paris under the guidance of David Banderali for her voice training and Théodore-François Moreau-Sainti for her opéra comique training, both in which she would win first prizes.  Lefebvre debuted at the Opéra-Comique on 12 October 1849 as Carlo Broschi in La part du diable by Daniel Auber.[1] Her following roles were often labeled as mezzo-soprano "dugazon" roles, including Le Toréador et Le Postillon de Lonjumeau by Adolphe Adam (Madeleine); Joconde and Jeannot et Colin by Nicolas Isouard (Jeannette); Joseph en Égypte by Étienne Méhul (Benjamin); Le Pré-aux-clercs by Ferdinand Hérold (Isabelle); Le Petit Chaperon rouge by François-Adrien Boieldieu (Rose d'amour); L'Épreuve villageoise (Denise) by André Grétry; Fra Diavolo (Zerline), La Sirène and Haydée by Daniel Auber; and especially Fromental Halévy's operas, Les Mousquetaires de la reine (Berthe de Simiane), La Dame de pique, Le Val d'Andorre, and La Fée aux roses.Throughout the 1850s, Lefebvre's career was marked by the creation of many roles. In 1850, she created Palomita in La Chanteuse voilée by Victor Massé and another role in Les Porcherons by Albert Grisar; in 1852, she created La Croix de Marie by Louis-Aimé Maillard and Madelon by François Bazin, followed by the titular role in Colette by Justin Cadaux in 1853. In 1854, she created Prascovia in L'Étoile du Nord by Giacomo Meyerbeer and then Massé's Miss Fauvette, Grisar's Le Chien du jardinier, and Rosette in Adam's Le Housard de Berchini in 1855. She created three roles in operas by Ambroise Thomas: Le Songe d'une nuit d'été in 1850, Stella in Raymond ou le Secret de la reine in 1851, and Psyché in 1857.

[unepommeverte]

Mon agenda de septembre

C’est la rentrée, et qui dit septembre dit Première bougie d’Une Pomme Verte ! Et je peux vous dire, vu la programmation de septembre, que je ne suis pas prête de m’arrêter. Découvrez le programme ci-dessous et osez me dire qu’un sourire n’a pas étiré vos lèvres face à tant de choix...

5 au 15 sept - Jazz au sommet De très beaux concerts avec vues, dans les paysages ruraux de la Loire, une belle manière d’apprécier la rentrée !

> 3 concerts : 42 euros / Tous les concerts : 60 euros > Divers lieux

7 sept - Soirée de projection Kino3000 Les courts-métrages réalisés durant la semaine de création Kino3000 (du 1er au 7 sept) sont projetés dès 19h au Méliès St François !

> 5 euros > 8 rue de la Valse

8 sept - 10ème médiévale de Saint-Victor Un voyage dans le temps : bataille, banquet, calligraphie ou encore tonnellerie et défilé au château.

> Gratuit > Saint-Victor-sur-Loire

8 sept - Verts de terre 1er salon de l’agriculture paysanne de la Loire, c’est au Puits Couriot que ça se passe. Des produits de notre région, des animaux de la ferme et plein d’autres activités sont prévues !

> Entrée libre > Puits Couriot, 3 bd Franchet d’Esperey

11 & 18 sept - Danse hip-hop dans les studios Dyptik Deux mercredis, les studios ouvrent leurs portent aux nouvelles recrues de la saison 2019-2020. 13h30 à 14h30 : 6-8 ans 14h30 à 15h30 : 9-12 ans

> Les studios Dyptik, 11 rue René Cassin

13 sept - Vernissage « Matières génératives » “Les œuvres de Mathias Isouard explorent l’hybridation entre le sculptural et le sonore, entre la partition spatiale et la composition générative, par l’expérimentation de dispositifs instruments.” Exposition jusqu’au 12 oct, en résonance avec la biennale de Lyon 2019.

> Entrée libre > L’Assaut de la menuiserie, 11 rue Bourgneuf

13 au 15 sept - Rentrée interdite Pour oublier la fin des vacances, la Laverie vous propose un week-end de cirque, musique et bons moments. De quoi oublier tous ces soucis !

> Tarifs en fonction des spectacles. Réservation conseillée > Puits Couriot, 3 bd Franchet d’Esperey

13 au 15 sept - Underground Hip Hop Festival, épisode 9 Plus d’une dizaine de concerts, des expositions et des performances pour ce festival monté par le UHH Crew (Univers Soul et Les Créations du Crâne).

> Tarifs : vend. 5 euros / sam. 7 euros / 2 jours : 10 euros > Vend. & sam. Ursa Minor / dim. Entre Pots

13 au 19 sept - Sarde’in Saint-Etienne Découvrez la culture de Sardaigne avec une exposition photographique du 13 au 20 sept, un atelier de fabrication d’instrument de musique, le launeddas, le 18 sept et un concert de clôture le 19 avec Roberto Tangianu et Peppino Bande.

> Exposition et atelier : gratuit / Concert : 5 euros (réduit) - 10 euros (prévente) - 15 euros > Université Jean Monnet

14 sept - Dernière track et Ollie - reborn Le mauvais temps avait empêché Illegal Imposture et les Schoolyardriders de sortir les planches, mais le contest de skate revient. Ride, bière et bonne musique sont au programme, alors enfilez vos baskets !

> Skate park de Saint-Etienne, 3 rue Raymond Sommet

17 au 19 sept - Faire commun Rendez-vous au Magasin pour assister aux performances des artistes Margaux Desailly (comédienne), Nicolas Diguet (danseur) et Mathieu Heyraud (chorégraphe). Du mardi au jeudi à 19h30, ils vous présenteront leur travaux du jour.

> Prix libre > Le Magasin, 20 rue Honoré de Balzac

20 sept - The Summer Rebellion + Cavalerie en concert Soirée blues/rock/folk au Remue-Méninges avec deux groupes qui vous feront voyager sans quitter votre chaise !

> Entrée libre > Le Remue-Méninges, 43 rue Michelet

21 sept - Sainté Dub Club VIII Dédiée à la culture Sound System, cette soirée, organisée par le fil et Face B, fera sonner vos oreilles ! Murs d’enceintes, artistes et publics réunis dans la fosse, on attend la programmation…

> Tarifs : 18 euros (réduit) / 20 euros (prévente) / 24 euros (sur place) > le fil, 20 boulevard Thiers.

21 & 22 sept - Journées Européennes du Patrimoine Deux jours pour partir à la découverte du patrimoine. Consultez le programme !

27 sept - Nuit européenne des chercheurs Rencontre avec une soixantaine de chercheurs de la région, murder party pour réveiller l’enquêteur qui sommeille en vous et spectacle pour découvrir le métier de scientifique, tel est le programme de cette nuit des chercheurs à Sainté.

> Entrée libre > Grande usine créative, 10 rue Marius Patinaud

28 sept au 7 dec - Exposition Autistude Dans le cadre de « la ville en partage » les membres de l’association Îlet Autiste exposent leurs travaux à la maison des associations de Tardy.

> Entrée libre tous les samedis > Tardy, 4 boulevard Robert Maurice

28 sept - Good Food Good Music Good Life De 14h à minuit, un moment de détente avec des producteurs.trices locaux, des musicien.nes et vous !

> Entrée libre > La FABuleuse Cantine, rue Claudius Ravachol

29 sept - Sainté Block Party Battle de break dance, contest de skate ou encore graffiti, les cultures urbaines seront à l’honneur de ce dernier dimanche de septembre !

> Gratuit > La Cartonnerie, rue Etienne Boisson

[todayclassical]

April 26 in Music History

1567 Birth of composer Nicolas Forme.

1603 Birth of composer Francesco Nigetti.

1762 Birth of French tenor Pierre-Jean Garat in Bordeaux. 

1783 At 13 years of age Beethoven is appointed keyboard performer court orchestra in Bonn.

1783 FP of M. Arne's "Tristram Shandy" in London.

1784 FP of Salieri's "Les Danaïdes" in Paris.

1796 Birth of composer Auguste-Matthieu Panseron.

1802 FP of Isouard's "La Statue ou Femme avare" in Paris.

1806 Birth of composer Ludwig Friedrich Hetsch.

1821 Birth of American composer John Gordon McCurry. 

1822 Birth of composer Jan Albert van Eyken.

1824 FP of Carafa's "L'Auberge supposée" in Paris.

1829 Birth of Italian baritone Francesco Graziani in Fermo.

1834 Birth of composer Horatio Richmond Palmer.

1847 Birth of English composer Sir Alfred Scott Gatty.

1854 Birth of German bass Georg Sieglitz in Mainz. 

1856 FP of Halévy's "Valentine d'Aubigny" in Paris.

1860 FP of Campana's "Almina" in London.

1862 FP of Suppe's "Die Kartenaufschlägerin" in Vienna.

1863 Birth of French tenor Emile Scaremberg in Besançon. 

1865 Birth of Costa Rican composer Alejandro Monestel.

1875 Birth of American composer Natalie Curtis Burlin. 

1879 Birth of Danish baritone Albert Høeberg in Copenhagen. 

1881 Birth of Yugoslavian composer Alexander Savine in Belgrade.  1884 Birth of Norwegian soprano Eide Norena in Horten, nr Oslo. 

1891 Russian composer Peter Tchaikovsky arrives in New York City.

1894 Birth of Australian soprano Florence Austral.

1897 Death of Italian tenor Roberto Stagno in Genoa. 

1899 FP of original version of Jean Sibelius' First Symphony. Composer conducting in Helsinki. The final version was FP by the Helsinki Philharmonic in Stockholm.

1900 Birth of American violinist Joseph Fuchs in NYC. 

1901 Death of Russian mezzo-soprano Anna Yakovlevna Vorobyeva-Petrova.

1901 FP of Hüe's "Le Roi de Paris" in Paris.

1906 Birth of composer Leopold Spinner in Lwow Austria. 

1910 Birth of composer Erland von Koch. 1910 Birth of composer Ernst Tittel.

1914 Birth of British composer Professor Wilfrid Mellers. 1915 FP of Paul Hindemith's String Quartet No. 1 in C, Op. 2, at Hoch's Conservatory in Frankfurt.

1916 Birth of composer Arnoldus Christian Vlok van Wyk.

1920 Birth of composer Juan C Lampe, Aruba.

1921 Birth of German mezzo-soprano Marga Hoffgen in Mulheim. 

1922 Birth of composer Paul-Andre Gaillard.

1923 FP of Respighi's "Belfagor" in Milan. 

1925 Birth of Austrian soprano Wilma Lipp in Vienna.  1926 Birth of composer Oldrich Frantisek Korte.

1926 FP in USAmerica of Monteverdi's opera L'Incoronazione di Poppea (1642)'The Coronation of Poppea', at Smith College in Northampton, MA.

1930 FP of Vittadini's "La Sagredo" La Scala.

1934 Birth of Yugoslavian soprano Olivera Miljakovic.

1935 Birth of American composer Conrad Susa. 

1936 FP of Grisar's "Sarah" in Paris.

1943 Death of German soprano Else Gentner-Fischer. 

1950 Birth of Belgian composer Michel Bero in Melin.

1951 Death of American composer John Alden Carpenter in Chicago.

1951 FP of Ralph Vaughan Williams opera The Pilgrim's Progress Covent Garded, London.

1953 Birth of English soprano Patrizia Kwella.

1955 Birth of conductor Gisele Ben-Dor.

1959 Birth of Swedish baritone David Aler in Stockholm.

1961 Birth of Canadian baritone Mark Tinkler in Toronto. 

1965 Death of German bass-baritone Michael Bohnen. 

1965 FP of Charles Ives' 4th Symphony. Posthumously under conductors Leopold Stokowski, Jose Serebrier and David Katz, leading the American Symphony Orchestra and members of the Schola Cantorum.

1966 Birth of American composer Jerilyn Sykes.

1966 Final performance at MET Opera by soprano Licia Albanese.

1967 Death of American bass-baritone James Pease. 

1968 Birth of Polish-American composer Laura Andel.

1972 Birth of Russian pianist Nikolai Lugansky in Moscow.

1990 FP of John Harbison's Concerto for Double Brass Choir and Orchestra. Los Angeles Philharmonic, André Previn conducting in L.A., CA.

1991 Death of French-born American composer and arranger Leo Noël Arnaud.

2002 FP of Michael Hersch's Symphony No. 2. Pittsburgh Symphony, Mariss Jansons conducting.

2003 FP of Joan Tower's Incandescent. Emerson String Quartet, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY.

[princesssarisa]

Prince Avenant - an old-fashioned word for "good-looking", literaly means "looks pleasant and friendly"

No wonder Jean Cocteau used this name for Beauty's handsome but antagonistic suitor in the classic 1946 La Belle et la Bête! (The prototype character for Disney's Gaston.)

Prince Alidor - not an expert in etymology but a brief search tells me it comes from te Latin "aldo" which means "old" or "ancient". While very rare today it was a common fictional name in the 17th century of France.

Nicolas Isouard's opera Cendrillon uses this name for the counselor/magician who takes the place of the Fairy Godmother. The libretto for Rossini's later and now better-known Cinderella opera, La Cenerentola, is based on the libretto of Isouard's version, and Latinizes the name as Alidoro. Since "ali d'oro" means "wings of gold" in Italian, I've seen that meaning applied to the La Cenerentola character's name, because it suits his "guardian angel" role.

When @paexgo-rosa asked me about the meanings of the Disney Princes names, I wasn't able to give one for Cinderella's Prince, because the Disney version doesn't name him.

I don't like to call him Prince Charming: that's just a cultural nickname for all fairy tale princes.

Fortunately, there are plenty of other Cinderella adaptations that do give the prince a name, so I thought I'd share those names' meanings.

Christopher (his name in every version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical, and presumably Disney's 2015 film too, since "Kit" is usually short for Christopher): "Bearer of Christ."

Henry (his name in the Faerie Tale Theatre adaptation and the film Ever After: A Cinderella Story): "Home ruler."

Charles (the film The Glass Slipper and the anime Cinderella Monogatari): "Free man."

Charmont (Massenet's opera Cendrillon and the book and film Ella Enchanted): "Charming."

Ramiro (Rossini's opera La Cenerentola): "Renowned councilor" or "great judge."

Arthur (the Muppets' Hey, Cinderella!): "Bear" or "bear king."

Edward (the film The Slipper and the Rose): "Wealthy guard."

John (the anime My Favorite Fairy Tales): "God is gracious."

Felipe (the series Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child): "Horse lover."

Nicolo (the musical A Tale of Cinderella): "Victory of the people."

Leonhard (the Märchenperlen adaptation): "Brave as a lion."

Viktor (the Sechs auf einen Streich adaptation): "Victorious."

Theodore (Deutscher's opera): "Gift from God."

Sebastian (Lloyd Webber's musical): "Revered."

Robert (the Sony/Amazon movie musical): "Bright fame."

For that matter, let's look at the meanings of his full name in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical:

Christopher Rupert Windermere Vladimir Karl Alexander Francois Reginald Lancelot Herman Gregory James

Christopher: "Bearer of Christ."

Rupert: "Bright fame."

Windermere: "Winand's lake."

Vladimir: "Great ruler" or "peaceful ruler."

Karl: "Free man."

Alexander: "Defender of mankind."

Francois: "Frenchman."

Reginald: "Ruler's advisor."

Lancelot: "Javelin" or "servant."

Herman: "Army man."

Gregory: "Vigilant."

James: "Heel-grabber" or "supplanter."

[adarkrainbow]

Very interesting! It reminds me of this one article about Cinderella stage adaptations that was very informative... I do not recall if I posted about it or not, I need to check

Nicolas Isouard's "Cendrillon": a semi-forgotten "Cinderella" opera

My latest project related to both opera and fairy tales has been an interesting one: I've introduced myself to the 1810 French opera Cendrillon, with music by Nicolas Isouard and a libretto by Charles-Guillaume Éttienne.

Without this obscure opéra-comique, Gioacchino Rossini's more famous Cinderella opera, La Cenerentola, wouldn't exist. In 1814, its libretto was adapted for an Italian opera, Stefano Pavesi's Agatina, o la virtù premiata ("Agatina, or virtue rewarded"), which was staged at La Scala. Two years later, when Rossini and librettist Jacopo Feretti were commissioned to write a new opera for the Teatro Valle in Rome, and they chose Cinderella as the subject, Feretti evidently used Agatina's libretto as the springboard for his own, and the quickly-produced result was La Cenerentola.

I haven't read the full libretto of Agatina yet, just skimmed over it, but it looks like a faithful adaptation of Isouard's Cendrillon, while La Cenerentola makes some creative departures from both. So for now, I'll just focus on discussing the Isouard/Éttienne version.

@tuttocenere, @ariel-seagull-wings, @adarkrainbow

*The plot's basic outline is very much the same as in Rossini's more familiar opera, as are the characters' names, albeit in French forms rather than Italian. The setting is Italy, and Cinderella's love interest, Prince Ramir, is the Prince of Salerno. The traditional wicked stepmother is replaced by a stepfather, the impoverished yet arrogant Baron of Montefiascone (although he's not named Don Magnifico in this version, but just called "the Baron"), and her stepsisters are named Clorinde and Tisbé. As in Rossini's version, the Prince spends most of the opera disguised as a squire, while his servant, Dandini, masquerades as the Prince. And the traditional Fairy Godmother is replaced by Alidor, a wise gentleman scholar who serves as the Prince's tutor. He disguises himself as a beggar at the beginning, and is turned away by Clorinde and Tisbé but shown kindness by Cinderella, and so he resolves to wed her to the Prince.

*Unlike Rossini and Feretti's "realistic" comedy of manners, however, this version is still a fairy tale. Alidor is a magician as well as a scholar and tutor, and he dresses Cinderella in finery and transports her to the ball by magic. He also gives her a magic rose to wear, which makes her unrecognizable to anyone who knows her (so all the confusion in La Cenerentola about the mystery lady's "resemblance" to Cinderella is a Feretti/Rossini invention) and which gives her new confidence and ladylike grace. I find the last detail interesting, because La Cenerentola also has a striking difference, in both the text and the music, between Cinderella's demeanor in her rags (so innocent, awkward, and vulnerable) and as a well-dressed lady (dignified, confident, sweetly commanding). In Isouard and Éttienne's version, this change has a magical explanation; in La Cenerentola, without any magic, it becomes psychological.

*This version also includes the traditional lost slipper, not the bracelet of La Cenerentola, because the French were less squeamish than the Italians about letting women show their ankles onstage. It's described as a green slipper, not a glass slipper, however. I assume they made this change because no one can wear glass shoes safely and comfortably onstage, but the word "vert" (green) is similar enough to the word "verre" (glass).

*In La Cenerentola, I've never been sure if the setting is meant to be the medieval principality of Salerno, meaning that Prince Ramiro is already the reigning monarch (which would make sense, since his father is dead), or if he's the crown prince of the Kingdom of Naples (whose crown princes were titled "Prince of Salerno" much like the British crown prince is titled "Prince of Wales") and just hasn't been crowned king yet because his father's will requires him to marry first. Most Cenerentola productions seem to take the latter interpretation, since they set the action around Rossini's own time, in the late 18th or early 19th century. Isouard's Cendrillon more clearly takes place in the medieval principality of Salerno, however. Prince Ramir is explicitly the monarch already, and referred to interchangeably as "the prince" and "the king" by the other character Another medieval touch, which La Cenerentola omits, is that the ball includes a jousting tournament: there, the disguised Prince champions Cinderella as the most beautiful of all the ladies, fighting several opponents who champion Clorinde and Tisbé on behalf of Dandini, and defeating them all.

*Cinderella also shares a scene at the ball with her stepfamily, who don't recognize her. She gives Clorinde and Tisbé gifts of her own jewelry, much like the gifts of citrus fruits in Perrault's version, and gives the Baron a jewel as well to take home "for his stepdaughter" (which of course he doesn't).

*As in La Cenerentola, the Prince and Cinderella first meet at her house before the ball, when he comes in his squire disguise. Unlike in La Cenerentola, however, Alidor is present and immediately tells the Prince that Cinderella is a member of the family, and Cinderella then articulately tells the story of her mother's marriage to the Baron and subsequent death. Nor, unlike Rossini's Don Magnifico, does the Baron ever lie that Cinderella is just a servant or that his stepdaughter died: both he and his daughters freely acknowledge her as their stepdaughter/stepsister. It seems to have been a Feretti/Rossini invention to have the Prince not know that Cinderella is of high birth. Which leads to the next point...

*When the Prince meets Cinderella in her rags, he pities her and remarks on how pretty she is, but he doesn't seem to fall in love with her yet. They don't sing a duet at this point; Cinderella sings an aria telling him about herself. Nor does he get angry or try to defend her when her stepfamily refuses to take her to the ball. It's only when she's dressed in her finery at the palace that they they sing a duet and fall in love. This is another difference that stands out from the Feretti/Rossini version. In La Cenerentola, it's Cinderella in her rags whom Ramiro falls for; their great moment of connection is in their lengthy duet when they first meet, and their interactions at the ball are minimal. He only seems to fixate on "the beautiful unknown" because she looks like the "servant girl" he met earlier, whom he presumably thinks he can't marry because of her "low birth." This changes the essence of the Feretti/Rossini version almost as much as the decision to remove magic does.

*Dandini's portrayal is a bit more mean-spirited than it would be later in La Cenerentola. He's portrayed as stupider and more incompetent, and both the Prince (with whom he barely interacts) and Alidor emphasize that he's the crudest, most idiotic man at court. This is obviously meant as social commentary, since everyone overlooks his faults and fawns over him anyway when they think he's a prince. But considering his actual low status and the glorified portrayal of the real Prince, it does feel a little too harsh at his expense. I prefer his wittier and more cunning portrayal in La Cenerentola, and his rewritten dynamic with Prince Ramiro where they co-conspire and confide in each other like friends (even if Ramiro does still call him "idiot" now and then). Not to mention his hints of flirting with Don Magnifico that the original Dandini doesn't have with the Baron. :)

*Cinderella's departure from the ball is different from both the classic tale and the Feretti/Rossini version too. After the joust, in front of everyone, the Prince and Dandini offer Cinderella the crown and the Prince's hand in marriage together, but without yet revealing which of them is really the Prince. Cinderella still thinks Dandini is the Prince and doesn't want to marry him, so she runs away, accidentally losing her slipper. Again, Feretti/Rossini made a significant change by turning this into a private scene, having Cinderella openly admit that she loves the "squire," and then having her test his love by giving him her bracelet and urging him to search for her.

*Clorinde and Tisbé both have bigger roles than in Rossini's version – each one has her own aria to sing, as well as a few duets with each other – while the Baron's role is much smaller than Don Magnifico's. In keeping with this fact, the comic scene where Dandini finally reveals that he's not the Prince is a reveal to the sisters, not to the Baron as in La Cenerentola. In a "romantic" scene with Dandini, whom they still think is the Prince, the sisters both assure him that they love him for who he is, not for his status, and that they would still want to marry him if he were a poor peasant. But then the Baron bursts in, having learned Dandini's true identity offstage, and reveals everything to his daughters. Then the real Prince arrives too, and proclaims that since the sisters "love" Dandini so much, he commands one of them (the choice is theirs) to marry Dandini that very day. The sisters, of course, refuse to do such a thing.

*The climactic scene is also entirely different from La Cenerentola's version, and a creative twist on the fairy tale's ending too. The morning after the ball, instead of traveling in search of the "beautiful unknown," the Prince invites all ladies of noble birth back to his palace, without explaining why. (This supports my theory that many early stage adaptations of Cinderella had the slipper-fitting take place at the palace, as some early screen versions do too.) Cinderella hears the proclamation and comes to the palace without asking permission, surprising her stepfamily when they meet her there. In her, Clorinde and Tisbé see what they think is the solution to their Dandini problem: they tell her about the whole Prince identity deception, then order her to marry Dandini in their place, but Cinderella refuses. Next, she happens to meet the Prince, who recognizes her as the Baron's stepdaughter he met earlier, but not as the lady he loves. Cinderella pretends to have had a dream where she saw all the events of the ball, and she assures him that "the unknown lady" loved him and only fled because she thought she would have to marry Dandini. The Prince now bitterly regrets having disguised himself, while Cinderella privately laments that the Prince doesn't recognize her and only loves the lady she pretended to be. But then Alidor gathers all the visiting ladies together and announces the reason they were summoned: whoever fits the green slipper will be the Prince's bride. Cinderella then speaks up and insists on trying the slipper on, despite the scoffs and protests of the chorus. Of course the slipper fits, and then Alidor transforms her rags back into the ballgown in front of everyone.

*A general observation, about more than just this opera: French adaptations of Cinderella seem especially prone to have Cinderella come out of her shell in the end, discard her submissiveness, and actively seek the slipper and the prince. We see it in this opera, where Cinderella goes back to the palace in her rags despite knowing her stepfamily will disapprove, flat-out refuses her stepsisters' command that she marry Dandini, and then openly insists on trying the slipper on in front of the court. We also see it in Massenet's later opera, where she calls on her fairy godmother to transport her back to the palace to try on the slipper. Maybe this is because Perrault's Cinderella openly asks to try on the slipper; maybe it also shows the influence of Madame d'Alunoy's bold Finette Cendron. But it's very different from La Cenerentola, where, when she realizes Ramiro is the Prince, she tries to hide her face and run out of the room, only for Ramiro to spot the bracelet on her wrist. Or, as another example, from Russian adaptations like Prokofiev's ballet or the 1947 film, where she not only hides her identity from the Prince, but even tries (under orders) to help one of the stepsisters fit the slipper, only for the truth to out when the other slipper is accidentally discovered in her possession. Not to stereotype different countries, but I somehow suspect this is a cultural difference, with the Italian and Russian writers more concerned about keeping Cinderella "modest" than the French writers were.

*Cinderella forgives her stepfamily in the end, but it's briefer and gets less dramatic emphasis than in La Cenerentola. I suppose several of the changes Feretti and Rossini made – their expanded role for Don Magnifico, for one thing, and their general framing of the story as a morality tale rather than a fairy tale – led to their choice to make Cinderella's forgiveness of her stepfamily a bigger emotional climax than her marriage to the Prince.

Unfortunately, the one complete recording of the opera is out of print, but bits and pieces of it have been uploaded onto YouTube. The musical score is very sweet, lyrical, elegant, and gentle – again, very different from the sparkling florid sound of Rossini. As I mentioned at the beginning, it's also an opéra-comique, meaning there's spoken dialogue between the musical numbers.

I've found it fascinating to explore this opera, both as the forerunner to the more familiar La Cenerentola and as an interesting and charming Cinderella opera in its own right. I think it would be nice to see it revived onstage more often.