About "La Cenerentola"

La Cenerentola tells the story of Angelina, called “Cenerentola” by her stepfather Don Magnifico and her vain stepsisters, Clorinda and Tisbe. In her own home she is treated like a servant. While they dream of marrying a prince, she quietly sings of a king who chose a bride not for beauty, but for kindness (“Una volta c’era un rè”). From the beginning, the opera makes clear that goodness, not appearance, is what truly matters.

When a beggar arrives, the stepsisters try to drive him away, but Cenerentola gives him food. The beggar is actually Alidoro, tutor to Prince Ramiro, who is searching for a bride worthy of him. Ramiro himself soon enters in disguise as a valet. He and Cenerentola meet and are immediately drawn to each other in a gentle duet (“Un soave non-so che”), but she runs away, shy and overwhelmed.

The real comedy begins when Ramiro’s valet, Dandini, appears pretending to be the prince. Magnifico and his daughters compete foolishly for his attention, hoping for wealth and status. Cenerentola asks to attend the prince’s ball, but her stepfather cruelly refuses. Left alone with her, Alidoro promises that her kindness will not go unrewarded and arranges for her to go to the ball in secret.

At the palace, confusion grows. The stepsisters reject the idea of marrying a “servant,” not knowing the servant is the real prince. Then a mysterious, beautifully dressed lady arrives - it is Cenerentola, transformed not by magic, but by Alidoro’s help. No one recognizes her, though they sense something familiar. Ramiro is captivated.

In the second act, Cenerentola makes it clear she loves the “valet,” not the prince. She gives Ramiro one of her bracelets and tells him that if he truly loves her, he will find her. When his carriage breaks down in a storm outside Magnifico’s house, the truth is revealed. Ramiro recognizes her bracelet and understands who she is. Even as her family trembles, fearing punishment, Cenerentola asks the prince to forgive them.

The opera ends not with revenge, but with mercy. Now a princess, Cenerentola asks only to be acknowledged as Magnifico’s daughter. In her final aria (“Nacqui all’affanno… Non più mesta”), she reflects on her past suffering and celebrates her new happiness. Her joy is bright and energetic, but her greatest triumph is her generosity.

Rossini fills the opera with lively ensembles, sparkling rhythms, and expressive melodies. The humor is sharp, especially in the scenes with Magnifico and Dandini, yet the heart of the story remains sincere. La Cenerentola is ultimately about dignity, love, and forgiveness - a reminder that true nobility comes from kindness.

About the Director

John Upperton

John returns to Brent Opera having directed Mary Stuart in 2016 and Il Trovatore in 2024. As well as an active career as a tenor, nationally and internationally, singing the dramatic tenor repertoire, he has directed opera since his school and university days. Productions for Midsummer Opera, Belcanto Opera, Morley College, and other companies include Dido and Aeneas, The Marriage of Figaro, Così fan Tutte, La clemenza di Tito, Fidelio, Werther, Otello, La Fanciulla del West, Tosca, and Dialogues des Carmélites. As well as fully staged productions, he has directed several performances ‘in concert’. His recent production of La Rondine for Midsummer Opera was described in Opera magazine as ‘a concert performance with attitude’.

www.johnupperton.com

About the Musical Director

Giannis Giannopoulos

Giannis Giannopoulos is a London-based Greek pianist/conductor. Giannis holds a degree from the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in Piano Performance and Orchestral Conducting respectively.

Giannis has been working for Brent Opera since 2024. He has also worked as a musical director in the Greek National Opera, Berlin Opera Group, Passaggio Oper, Opera Diaspora, and Opera Kipling, taking part in the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, The Camden Fringe, and other venues. Through his opera group "Corpus Animae", he staged Teleman's "Il Pimpinone" for the Aegina International Music Festival and runs opera repertoire workshops in London.

Upcoming performances include the Brahms Requiem with Brent Opera and shows in the Camden Fringe and Theatre Basse Passiere with Opera Kipling in the summer.

Giannis teaches orchestral conducting at Morley College and Queen Elizabeth’s School for Boys.

Our cast

Chorus

Andrew Tucker, Anna Towsend, Anne Wiel, Bethany Shordon, Bob Luder, Christine Fahy, Christian Sawyer, Colin Davis, Crystobelle Mathew Rosacorde, Dai Noble, David Lowick, David Padua, Doreen Morgans, Georgios Vagionis, Guido Smeets, Helena Goldie, Jaymes Aaron, Kevin Rogers, Lucy Myers, Lucy Woods, Paddy Cockshutt, Regina Roszczynska, Rogelio Aguilar, Ros Tatham, Sara Meadows, Sharon Brandelli, Suzanna Perry

Angelina -

8th & 10th of July

Don Ramiro

8th & 10th of July

Dandini

8th & 10th of July

Tisbe

8th & 10th of July

Clorinda

8th & 10th of July

Tisbe

9th & 11th of July

Angelina

9th & 11th of July

Don Ramiro

9th & 11th of July

Dandini

9th & 11th of July

Alidoro

8th & 10th of July

Clorinda

9th & 11th of July

Magnifico

9th & 11th of July

Magnifico

8th & 10th of July

Alidoro

9th & 11th of July