Cendrillon Is the April 28, 2018, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: The April 28, 2018, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is Cendrillon by French Romantic Era composer Jules Massenet.

Cendrillon's (Joyce DiDonato) life is forever changed by her fairy godmother's carriage and horses, which stylishly transport her to meet Prince Charming: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera via Facebook April 10, 2018

Cendrillon, a four-act fairy tale opera by French Romantic Era composer Jules Massenet (May 12, 1842-Aug. 13, 1912), is the April 28, 2018, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast.

Credit for the French libretto goes to French librettist Henri Caïn (Oct. 11, 1857-Nov. 21, 1937). Massenet-Caïn collaborations prior to Cendrillon comprise La Navarraise (premiere June 20, 1894) and Sapho (premiere Nov. 27, 1897). Their post-Cendrillon operatic collaborations include Chérubin (premiere Feb. 14, 1905) and Don Quichotte (premiere Feb. 19, 1910). The premiere of their last collaboration, Roma, marked the last Massenet opera premiered during the composer’s lifetime.

The literary source for Caïn’s libretto is the Cendrillon (Cinderella) story in Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passé, published at the beginning of 1697 by French fairy tale collector Charles Perrault (Jan. 12, 1628-May 16, 1703). Also appearing in the collection of eight fairy tales are La Belle au bois dormant (“Sleeping Beauty”) and Le Petit Chaperon rouge (“Little Red Riding Hood”).

Cendrillon premiered May 24, 1899, at Théâtre National de l’Opéra-Comique in Paris’s second arrondissement (2e arrondissement de Paris), on the Seine’s right bank (Rive Droite de la Seine). Cendrillon’s premiere took place in the third Salle Favart, built to replace the second destroyed by fire May 25, 1887.

Eight performances of Cendrillon are scheduled for the 2017-2018 Met Opera season. Five performances are offered in April. Opening night, Thursday, April 12, at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, marks the opera’s Metropolitan Opera premiere. The month’s four additional performances take place Tuesday, April 17, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, April 20, at 8 p.m.; Tuesday, April 24, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday matinee broadcast April 28 at 1 p.m.

Three performances are scheduled for May, beginning Thursday, May 3, at 8 p.m. The month’s two final performances take place Monday, May 7, at 7:30 p.m. and closing night, Friday, May 11, at 8 p.m.

Estimated run time for the four-act opera is 2 hours 47 minutes. Acts I and II are timed for 71 minutes. An intermission of 30 minutes follows the first two acts. Acts III and IV run for 66 minutes.

Bertrand de Billy conducts all eight performances, including the April 28 Saturday matinee broadcast. His birthplace is Paris, Île de France, north central France. The French conductor debuted March 16, 1998, in the opera company’s 294th performance of Roméo et Juliette by French composer Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893). In the 2017-2018 Met Opera season, Bertrand de Billy also conducts Tosca by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924) and Luisa Miller by 19th century Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

Kathleen Kim appears in all performances, including the April 28 Saturday matinee broadcast, as La Fée, Cendrillon’s Fairy Godmother, whose magic sends Cendrillon to the ball and wins the prince’s love for Cendrillon. Her birthplace is Seoul, South Korea. The Korean-American operatic coloratura soprano debuted Oct. 2, 2007, as Barbarina in the opera company’s 430th performance of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.

Joyce DiDonato appears in all performances, including the April 28 Saturday matinee broadcast, in the title role as a kindly dreamer whose happy ending brings happy endings to all. Her birthplace is Prairie Village, Johnson County, northeastern Kansas. The American lyric-coloratura mezzo-soprano debuted Nov. 2, 2005, in the trouser role of Cherubino in the opera company’s 419th performance of Le Nozze di Figaro by 18th century Classical Era composer Wolfgang Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791). In the 2017-2018 Met Opera season, Joyce DiDonato also appears as Adalgisa in Norma by Italian opera composer Vincenzo Bellini (Nov. 3, 1801-Sept. 23, 1835).

Alice Coote appears in all performances in the trouser role of Le Prince Charmant (Prince Charming), who never forgets a glass-slippered beauty at the palace’s find-a-wife-for-the-prince ball. Her birthplace is Frodsham, Cheshire, North West England. The British lyric mezzo-soprano debuted April 12, 2006, in the trouser role of Cherubino in the opera company’s 425th performance of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. In the 2017-2018 Met Opera season, Alice Coote also appears as Leonora Palma in The Exterminating Angel by British composer, conductor and pianist Thomas Adès.

Stephanie Blythe appears in all performances as Madame de la Haltière, Cendrillon’s stepmother, whose favored treatment of her own two daughters is dissolved by her stepdaughter’s graciousness. Her birthplace is Mongaup Valley, Sullivan County, southeastern New York. The American mezzo-soprano debuted April 14, 1995, as the Voice in the opera company’s 273rd performance of Parsifal by 19th century German composer and librettist Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883).

Laurent Naouri appears in all performances as Pandolfe, Cendrillon’s father, whose sad perplexity in his second marriage is transformed into happiness with Prince Charming’s ballroom reunion with Cendrillon. His birthplace is Paris, Île-de-France, north central France. The French bass-baritone debuted Feb. 17, 2012, as Sharpless in the opera company’s 838th performance of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. In the 2017-2018 Met Opera season, Laurent Naouri also appears as the Four Villains in Les Contes d’Hoffmann by German-born French composer Jacques Offenbach (June 20, 1819-Oct. 5, 1880).

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2017-2018 season premiere of Cendrillon also introduces the opera house’s audience to Laurent Pelly’s production. The world premiere of the French opera and theatre director’s production dates back to July 15, 2006, at the Santa Fe Opera.

“It was the first Massenet I had done and a big discovery,” Pelly explains in a June 2011 The Telegraph article by journalist Jasper Rees. “I love it because it has a very naïve quality, with a lot of humour and poetry and reverie. There’s a bit of kitsch in it. It’s very 18th-century with a slightly antique charm. It’s very French.”

In addition to directing, Pelly is the production's costume designer. His production team comprises Barbara de Limburg, set designer; Duane Schuler, lighting designer; Laura Scozzi, choreographer.

Cendrillon appears as the 22nd of the 2017-2018 Met Opera season’s 23 Saturday matinee broadcasts. Thomas Adès’s The Exterminating Angel was the season’s 21st Saturday matinee broadcast. The Exterminating Angel aired Saturday, April 21, at 1 p.m.

The season’s 23rd Saturday matinee broadcast is Roméo et Juliette by 19th century French composer Charles-François Gounod (June 17, 1818-Oct. 18, 1893). Gounod’s adaptation of Elizabethan playwright William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy of star-crossed lovers airs Saturday, May 5, at 1 p.m.

Cendrillon appears as the second of two Massenet operas included in the 2017-2018 Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcasts. The first Massenet opera, Thaïs, aired for the Jan. 20 Saturday matinee at 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Jules Massenet holds place 20 in online database Operabase’s worldwide ranking of 1,281 composers for the five seasons from 2011/2012 to 2015/2016. Places 19 and 21 are occupied by Italian opera composer and librettist Ruggero Leoncavallo (April 23, 1857-Aug. 9, 1919) and 19th century French composer Charles-François Gounod, respectively.

Cendrillon occupies place 196 in Operabase's worldwide list of 2,658 most popular operas. Places 195 and 197 are held by 19th century French Romantic composer Louis-Hector Berlioz’s Les Troyens and 18th century German Early Classical Era composer Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Alceste, respectively.

The takeaway for Cendrillon as the April 28, 2018, Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee broadcast is that the 2017-2018 Met Opera season’s 22nd Saturday matinee broadcast presents an opera that marks its Metropolitan Opera debut with the 2017-2018 Met Opera season's performances.

Cendrillon's fairy godmother (Kathleen Kim) makes sure that Cendrillon and Prince Charming will have a happily ever after, fairy tale love: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera via Facebook April 18, 2018

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Cendrillon's (Joyce DiDonato) life is forever changed by her fairy godmother's carriage and horses, which stylishly transport her to meet Prince Charming: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera via Facebook April 10, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10160402247610533/

Cendrillon's fairy godmother (Kathleen Kim) makes sure that Cendrillon and Prince Charming will have a happily ever after, fairy tale love: The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera via Facebook April 18, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10160433497135533/

For further information:

"Composers: Composers Ranked by the Number of Performances of Their Operas Over the Five Seasons 2011/2012 to 2015/16." Operabase > Opera Statistics.
Available @ http://operabase.com/top.cgi?lang=en

“Debut: Alice Coote.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351491 Le Nozze di Figaro {425} Metropolitan Opera House: 04/12/2006.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351491

“Debut: Laurent Naouri.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354365 Madama Butterfly {838} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/17/2012.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=354365

“Debuts: Alfred Walker, Bertrand de Billy.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 330528 Roméo et Juliette {294} Metropolitan Opera House: 03/16/1998.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=330528

“Debuts: Anke Vondung, Robin Leggate, Kathleen Kim, Ashley Emerson.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 352076 Le Nozze di Figaro {430} Metropolitan Opera House: 10-02-2007.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352076

“Debuts: Mark Wigglesworth, Maurizio Muraro, Joyce DiDonato . . .” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351338 Le Nozze di Figaro {419} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/02/2005.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351338

“Debuts: Stephanie Blythe, Anthony Dean Griffey.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 320010 Parsifal {273} Metropolitan Opera House: 04/14/1995.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=320010

Dugan, Gerald. “Santa Fe Opera 2006 Presents Massenet’s ‘Cendrillon.’” David Gregson’s Opera West. Aug. 18, 2006.
Available @ http://www.operawest.com/santa-fe-opera-2006-presents-massenet%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Ccendrillon%E2%80%9D/

Marriner, Derdriu. “2017-2018 Met Season Stages Three Rare Operas and Premieres Cendrillon.” Earth and Space News. Monday, July 17, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/07/2017-2018-met-season-stages-three-rare.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “2017-2018 Metropolitan Opera Season Offers Five New Productions.” Earth and Space News. Monday, June 26, 2017.
Available @ http://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/06/2017-2018-metropolitan-opera-season.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “The Exterminating Angel Is the April 21, 2018, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast.” Earth and Space News. Monday, April 16, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-exterminating-angel-is-april-21.html

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Cendrillon's magical protector, the fairy godmother, sung by Kathleen Kim, watches over her goddaughter and Prince Charming, helping them achieve their own happy ending. Massenet's Cendrillon is on stage through May 11. Photo by Ken Howard/Met Opera." Facebook. April 18, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10160433497135533/

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "Massenet’s whimsical operatic adaptation of the classic Cinderella story has its long-awaited Met premiere this Thursday, April 12, starring Joyce DiDonato in the title role of Cendrillon. Tickets start at $27. Photos by Ken Howard/Met Opera." Facebook. April 10, 2018.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532.229232.20807115532/10160402247610533/

"Performances Statistics Through October 31, 2016.” MetOpera Database > The Metropolitan Opera Archives > Repertory Report.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/Database%20Opera%20Statistics.xml

Rees, Jaspar. “Laurent Pelly on ‘Cendrillon’ at the Royal Opera House.” The Telegraph > Culture > Music > Opera. June 29, 2011.
Available @ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/opera/8606787/Laurent-Pelly-on-Cendrillon-at-the-Royal-Opera-House.html