The composer Jules Massenet called his opera “a fairy tale”. The French version of “Cendrillon” will be presented for the first time in the history of the Met under the direction of two Frenchmen – conductor Bertrand de Billy and the director and costume designer Laurent Pelly. Pelly is joined by the Belgian set designer Barbara de Limburg with whom he had worked on the same production at several other prestigious venues.

Laurent Pelly remembers the old and beautifully illustrated book with the tales of Charles Perrault which his grandmother used to read him. He transfers the charm of the illustrations onto the stage, where the audience could see written, even on the walls, the story of the lonely and abandoned girl, grieving for her lost mother. But Cendrillon soon will put on a fancy dress, get on a big carriage and go to a ball to find her Prince Charming.

The big, sparkling gem of this production is mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, whom the critics have been praising ever since she appeared in the role of Cendrillon in Barcelona, London and Santa Fe. The production now comes to New York and among the performers starring are also Alice Coote, Stephanie Blythe and Laurent Nauri.

„Glorious Joyce DiDonato! Her performance was thoroughly enchanting.”

New York Times

On the photo: Joyce DiDonato (Cendrillon)