On 11 June, at 19:00 h at the Sofia Opera and Ballet will be performed the conquering fairy-tale story about the little poor girl, who turned into a princess. Here this fact is slightly modified – the character lives with her stepfather and his daughters. There is no good fairy, who drives the fairy-tale transformations in the plot, familiar to many generations of children. Instead by her, the action is led by Alidoro – the tutor of Prince Ramiro. There is no pumpkin, no magic, apparently there are no magical transformations. Everything takes place between the serious and the comical – where openly, where half-hidden, where only with a light wink.

The elegant direction of Vera Petrova provokes smiles and good humour even there, where according to the libretto we should feel a little sad. “I like very much namely this treatment, by which my character is active, merry and cheerful. I have performed also versions, in which Cinderella is an embodiment of the suffering, but I prefer Vera Petrova’s reading”, shared one of the three performers of the leading role, the guest-performing soprano Oana Andra. Having made her debut in the role still as a student, she continues to enjoy Rossini’s music and specially this opera of his. What the audience of the Sofia “La Cenerentola” could only guess, is that for some 40 seconds the main character changes before her final very beautiful aria.

Besides Andra, the Sofia audience will see the scenery of the young, but gaining speed with each spectacle Boryana Angelova. Her set design is unusual and in full harmony with the director’s reading of the opera.

Huge colourful eggs hold the characters now as rooms, now as carriage, now they turn into a flower garden. The fresh and bright sensation coming from these original decisions is completed by the gorgeous, deliberately decided at the edge between the beautiful and the kitsch costumes by Hristiana Mihaleva-Zorbalieva.

True in the reading of Rossini, the conductor Zhorzh Dimitrov is also fascinated by the entire highly positive atmosphere from the stage.

Even if advised beforehand, the happy end doesn’t come by itself. Rossini has borrowed from Charles Perrault fairy-tale only the happier denouement, by which Cinderella nobly intercedes for her evil and envious sisters.

The interweaving of the subjects of forgiveness and love, humbleness and hopes, which come true, makes so interesting and loved the end product on the stage of Sofia Opera and Ballet. Behind the curtain remains the work of many months of the whole team, the torments and the doubts, the discovering of the true decisions for all multiple challenges, which it faced, in order to “take over” Rossini’s work into the 21 century.

Besides the many other merits, the opera “La Cerenerola” inspires courage and optimism in the too troubled times, in which we are living. Now, in this production – two whole centuries after its writing and first performance, it is as if we are seeing Rossini to give us encouragingly a wink with a smile.   

In “La Cenerentola” besides the Romanian Oana Andra participate: Martin Tsonev, Hrisimir Damyanov, Alek Avedisyan, Nikolay Petrov, Milena Gyurova, Blagovesta Mekki-Tsvetkova.

The spectacle begins at 19 h.