Does Massenet Outdo Disney?

Cendrillon [Cinderella]
by Jules Massenet
Grand Theatre of Geneva
Orchestre de la Suisse romande;
Valentin Reymond, conductor.
Performers listed below.

That Walt Disney really knew how to tell a fairy tale, didn’t he? For example, there's his classic animated film, CINDERELLA, with its timeless story, beautiful, fanciful visual effects, brilliantly appealing and evocative music -- complete with "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo." Surely, nobody has ever done it better.

Well, maybe not. But fifty years before Disney's CINDERELLA, the French composer Jules Massenet came up with his own version of the story, called CENDRILLON. Without knowing he was doing it, Massenet may just have out-Disneyed the great Walt Disney himself.

The story has been around forever, of course, but Massenet used the most popular version -- actually, it's the first version to feature the famous Glass Slipper. Visual effects? OK, so the composer didn’t have Disney’s technological resources. But French opera was famous for special effects long before there even was a Hollywood; there's even a photo of the premiere, with the Fairy Godmother appearing magically from inside an oak tree. And as far as the music goes, Massenet was one of history’s most successful theater composers. His shows packed houses and sold out at the box office for decades, and this opera may just be his best.

But, can a grand opera fairy tale really stack up to the modern-day enchantment of a Disney film? We think so! To find out for yourself, tune in to NPR WORLD OF OPERA. Check your local stations for broadacast times of Cendrillon by Jules Massenet, performed at the Grand Theatre of Geneva by the Orchestre de la Suisse romande; Valentin Reymond, conductor. And don't miss the NPR's pre- and post-performance show, At the Opera.

Performers:
Sveltla Vassileva, soprano (Cinderella); Sophie Koch, soprano (Prince Charming); Elizabeth Vidal, soprano (Fairy Godmother); Hanna Schaer, mezzo-soprano (Wicked Stepmother); Michel Trempont, bass (Pandolphe); Antoine Garcin, baritone (The King)


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