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Overview
Synopsis
Cendrillon is Massenet’s beautiful operatic retelling of the fairy tale of Cinderella. We meet all our favorite characters: the horrible step-mother Madame de la Haltière, and step-sisters Noémie and Dorothée, Cendrillon’s kind-hearted father Pandolfe, the Fairy Godmother (La Fée), and, of course, Le Prince Charmant.
When Cendrillon is left behind, again, by her step-mother and step-sisters, as they go off to a ball with the Prince, La Fée hears her sadness, and wants to make her happy. She brings spirits and elves and instructs them to weave a dress out of star-silk, and color it with moonlight so that Cendrillon can also go to the ball. The finishing touch is, of course, the enchanted glass slipper, which will protect Cendrillon’s identity should she run into her family at the ball. There is only one rule, she must be back for midnight.
This well-known fairy tale is set to Massenet’s sparklingly magical score, which aside from the beautiful vocal writing, includes ballets and French court dances, processional marches for the Princesses, and lullabies for the sleeping Cendrillon and Prince.
Show Information
- Music
- Jules Massenet
- Libretto
- Henri Cain
- Based on the Play/Book/Film
- Charles Perrault’s version of Cinderella
- Category
- Opera
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 4
- First Produced
- 1899
- Genres
- Fairy Tale/Fantasy
- Settings
- Period, Fantasy/Imaginary, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- fairy tale lane
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- Large
- Dancing
- Some Dance
- Licensor
- None/royalty-free
- Ideal For
- College/University, Mostly Female Cast, Professional Opera, Includes Young Adult, Mature Adult, Elderly, Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Perhaps because Jules Massenet thought that it would be the last opera he composed, or simply due to the fairy tale subject matter, there is no doubt that Cendrillon contains much more comedy and light-heartedness than many of his other operas. First performed May 24, 1899, at the Paris Opera Comique, the opera was written as a collaboration between Massenet and the librettist Henri Cain, who actually went on to marry Mademoiselle Julie Giraudon, the soprano who created the title role.
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to read the context for Cendrillon (Massenet) and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
Madame de le Haltière’s servants are already stressed. The bells will not stop ringing and no one knows where to start (‘On appelle, on sonne!’). They cannot stand Madame de la Haltière. Gentle Pandolfe finds a scene of chaos as he enters the room (‘Continuez … ce n’est que moi’). He does not want to disturb their work, but tries to understand what is going on. The servants like Pandolfe as he in kind to them, but they despair at ‘Madame’. Pandolfe tells them to go and answer the
to read the plot for Cendrillon (Massenet) and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone, Bass |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano, Contralto |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone, Bass |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone, Bass |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Ensemble |
Female |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Contralto |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Contralto |
Songs
Introduction
Act One - Madame de la Haltière’s house
Scene One
‘On appelle, on sonne!’ - Servants
‘Continuez … ce n’est que moi’ - Pandolfe
Scene Two
Aria: ‘Du côté de la barbe est la toute puissance’ - Pandolfe
Scene Three
‘Faites-vous tres belles, ce soir’ - Madame de la Haltière, Noémie, Dorothée
‘Prenez un maintien gracieux’ - Madame de la Haltière, Noémie, Dorothée
Scene Four
‘Madame, ce sont le modistes! Ce sont les tailleurs!’ - Servants
‘De sa robe, il faut que les plis’ - Madame de la Haltière, Servants
‘Felicitez-moi donc de mon exactitude’ - Pandolfe
‘De la race, de la prestance, de l’audace!’ - Madame de la Haltière, Noémie, Dorothée, Pandolfe, Servants
Scene Five
Aria: ‘Ah! Que me soeurs sont heureuses!’ - Cendrillon
‘Reste au foyer, petit grillon’ - Cendrillon
‘Comme la nuit est claire!’ - Cendrillon
Le sommeil de Cendrillon
Scene Six
‘Douce enfant, ta plainte légère’ - La Fée, Spirits
‘Je veux que cette enfant charmante’ - La Fée
‘Pour en faire un tissu magiquement soyeux’ - La Fée
‘Tous les petits oiseaux nous prêteront leurs ailes’ - Spirits
‘Que vois-je? Ah! Suis-je folle!’ - Cendrillon
‘Écoute-bien … quand sonnera minuit’ - La Fée
‘Partez, Madame la Princesse’ - La Fée, Spirits
Act Two - The King’s Palace
Scene One
Luth, viole d’amour et flûte de cristal - Concert mystérieux
‘Que les doux pensers’ - Surintendant des plaisirs, Le Doyen de la Faculté, Le Premier Ministre, Ministers, Courtiers, Doctors
Scene Two
Aria: ‘Coeur sans amour, printemps sans roses’ - Le Prince Charmant
Scene Three
‘Mon fils, il vous faut m’obeir’ - Le Roi, Chorus
Ballet
‘Ah! Vous etes en sa presence!’ - Madame de la Haltière, Pandolphe, Noémie, Dorothée, Surintendant des plaisirs, Le Doyen de la Faculté, Le Premier Ministre
‘Voyez! L’adorable beaute!’ - Tutti
Scene Four
Duet: ‘Toi qui m’es apparve’ - Le Prince Charmant, Cendrillon
‘Vous êtes mon Prince Charmant’ - Cendrillon
‘Eh! Bien … laisse la main dans la mienne’ - Le Prince Charmant, Cendrillon
‘Suis-je fou? Qu’est-elle devenue?’ - Le Prince Charmant
Act Three
First Tableau - Returning from the Ball
Scene One
Aria: ‘Enfin, je suis ici’ - Cendrillon
Scene Two
‘C’est vrai! Vous etes, je vous le déclare’ - Madame de la Haltière, Noémie, Dorothée, Pandolfe
Aria: ‘Lorsqu’on a plus de vingt quartiers’ - Madame de la Haltière
‘Ah! Maman, que vous parlez bien!’ - Noémie, Dorothée, Cendrillon, Pandolfe, Madame de la Haltière
‘Une intrigante, une inconnue!’ - Madame de la Haltière, Noémie, Dorothée
‘Mais ma fille palit!’ - Pandolfe
Scene Three
‘Ma pauvre enfance chérie! Ah! Tu souffres donc bien?’ - Pandolfe
‘Viens! Nous quitterons cette ville’ - Pandolfe, Cendrillon
‘Maintenant, je suis mieux’ - Cendrillon, Pandolfe
Scene Four
Aria: ‘Seule, je partirai, mon pere’ - Cendrillon
‘Adieu, mes souvenirs de joie et de souffrance’ - Cendrillon
Second Tableau - At the fairy oaks
Scene One
Les Gouttes de rosée (The Dance of the Dewdrops)
‘Fugitives chimeres, o lueurs éphémères’ - La Fée, Spirits
Scene Two
‘A deux genoux, bonne marraine’ - Cendrillon, Le Prince Charmant
‘Vous qui pouvez tout voir et tout savoir’ - Le Prince Charmant
‘Une pauvre âme en grand émoi’ - Cendrillon
‘Tu me l’as dit, ce nom’ - Le Prince Charmant
‘Aimez-vous, l’heure est brève’ - La Fée
Act Four
First Tableau - Cendrillon’s Terrace
Scene One
Matinee de Printemps
‘O pauvre enfant!’ - Pandolfe
‘Je m'étais rendormie’ - Cendrillon
‘Tu viais … tu pleurais … sans motif et sans trêve’ - Pandolfe
‘Helas, j’ai donc rêvé!’ - Cendrillon
Scene Two
‘Ouvre ta porte et ta fenêtre’ - Voices of young girls, Cendrillon
‘Printemps revient’ - Cendrillon, Pandolfe
Scene Three
Aria: ‘Avancez! Reculez!’ - Madame de la Haltière
‘Bonnes gens, vous êtes avertis’ - La voix du Héraut
‘Mon rêve était donc vrai!’ - Cendrillon
Second Tableau - The King’s Palace, The Court of Honor
March of the Princesses
‘Salut aux Princesses! Salut aux Altesses!’ - The Crowd
‘Posez dans son écrin sur un coussin de fleurs’ - Le Prince Charmant, Le Roi
‘Prince Charmant, rouvrez les yeux’ - La Fée
‘Vous êtes mon Prince Charmant’ - Cendrillon
‘Ici tout finit, la piece est terminee’ - Tutti
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
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Guide Written By:
Wendy Silvester
Singer and vocal coach based in the UK.