Cinderella (La Cenerentola) opened Saturday, April 23 at the Four Seasons Centre for the performing arts and will continue for eight more performances through May 25.
Director's Notes
Synopsis
Acclaim for Cinderella:
"Well sung and a candy-coloured feast for the eyes . . . [DeShong's] mezzo voice is gloriously acrobatic; she handles the demanding final aria with skilful precision. She’s well partnered by Brownlee . . . the tenor’s singing is so fine and his honeyed voice so entrancing that you wish Rossini had given the prince more arias." - NOW Magazine
"Here the production is blessed with a superb cast. In the title role Elizabeth DeShong is outstanding . . . As Don Ramiro (the Prince Charming equivalent), Lawrence Brownlee is simply amazing. Here is an ideal Rossini tenor with an agile voice, breath-taking precision in the music’s leaps and runs, ringing high notes and a winning stage presence." - Eye Weekly
"Cenerentola is a demanding score, and the COC has cast it well. Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong made a powerful showing in the title role, from the darkly coloured simplicity of the folk-like song of the first scene to the effortless, gleaming coloratura of her final aria. Tenor Lawrence Brownlee, who spent most of the show masquerading as his own valet, brought a compact warm sound and intelligent phrasing to the role of Don Ramiro, especially in his ardent showpiece number in Act 2." - The Globe and Mail
"Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong as Angelina has a gorgeous voice, warm and woody with precision coloratura. Lawrence Brownlee as the Prince has a perfect light lyric tenor with ease of high notes." - Classical 96.3 FM
Twitter buzz:
@JoyceDiDonato: Congratulations to @CanadianOpera for a THRILLING opening night of Cenerentola! "Trionfa la bonta" indeed!!! Bravi TUTTI!
@RosemarieUmetsu: Loved the Deliciously Whimsical prod of Cenerentola by @Canadianopera Outstanding voices &Ratatouille eat your heart out, Opera Rats Rule!
@EnyawUstemu: Palindrome word of the day. RATS = STAR @CanadianOpera Cenerentola
@nattghan: Dancing rats and a confetti gun? Yes please! La Cenerentola was spectacular!!
Photos
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Lawrence Brownlee as Don Ramiro and Elizabeth DeShong as Angelina in the Canadian Opera Company production of Cinderella (La Cenerentola), 2011. Conductor Leonardo Vordoni, director Joan Font, set and costume designer Joan Guillén, choreographer Xevi Dorca and lighting designer Albert Faura.
Photo: Michael Cooper
Elizabeth DeShong as Angelina and Lawrence Brownlee as Don Ramiro in the Canadian Opera Company production of Cinderella (La Cenerentola), 2011. Conductor Leonardo Vordoni, director Joan Font, set and costume designer Joan Guillén, choreographer Xevi Dorca and lighting designer Albert Faura.
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Posted by Cecily Carver / in Cinderella / comments (0) / permalink
The fate of the top five finalists of the Canadian Opera Company’s Cinderella Outfit Challenge is now in the hands of the contest’s celebrity judges: Jeanne Beker (host of CTV’s Fashion Television), Steven Sabados and Chris Hyndman (hosts of Steven & Chris on CBC TV), David McCaffrey (creative director and designer of McCaffrey Haute Couture) and COC General Director Alexander Neef.
Public voting on the 60 submitted Cinderella-inspired hand-crafted costumes closed at the stroke of midnight on April 6, 2011, with 3,888 votes having been cast via the COC’s Facebook page. The top five designs, entitled “Golden Cinderella,” “Fashionably Late,” “Paperella,” “A Classic Fairytale” and “Made from Magic,” were the most popular, earning a combined total of 1,205 votes (see below for downloadable photos of the top five entries). Five very unique designs are represented in the final selection, featuring gowns classic in style to dresses with a distinctly fashion-forward look. Materials used in the creation of these designs range from traditional cloths and ribbon to multi-coloured slips of cupcake wrappers.
Links
Statistics
The Five Finalists
The Canadian Opera Company’s spring 2010/2011 season opens with Gioacchino Rossini’s Cinderella (La Cenerentola), a sparkling rendition of the cherished fairytale. This timeless story of the triumph of love comes to life in a colourful storybook production ideal for all ages, created by the Spanish artist collective Els Comediants led by director Joan Font. Leading the COC Orchestra and Chorus is rising young Italian conductor Leonardo Vordoni, recognized across the United States and abroad for his musicality and interpretation of the Italian repertoire. Sung in Italian with English SURTITLES™, Cinderella runs for nine performances at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on April 23, 28, May 1, 7, 10, 13, 19, 22 and 25, 2011.
About the Production
About the Cast and Creative Team