Frederica von Stade, Julius Rudel - Massenet: Cendrillon (2005)

Massenet’s Cendrillon, a fairy tale opera sometimes flirting with operetta, was an immediate and lasting success from its premiere in Paris in 1899 at the Opera Comique before fading away in provincial theatres and then being resurrected at the end of the twentieth century. It was then shown, first in Washington, San Francisco and then, in 1984, at the New York City Opera under the direction of Julius Rudel who had already revived it and brought it back to life with the present 1978 recording. It was seen again recently in France and, in 2018, at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in a crazy and charming production directed by Laurent Pelly.

With its subtle and sophisticated instrumentation, its strong lyricism and its script which is fairly faithful to Perrault’s tale, the work combines Massenet’s best qualities. Recorded in the generous and pleasant acoustics of All Saints' Church, Tooting, on the outskirts of London, this version features an excellent cast: Frederica von Stade, Jane Berbié, Jules Bastin, and, sadly, some might say, the tenor Nicolaï Gedda, not that he's bad, but simply out of place in a role that was originally given to an in disguise soprano which is what made it so attractive.

But let us not deny ourselves the pleasure of listening to a production as light as a feather, with secondary roles that are just as well held, an orchestra, the Philharmonic, that is lively and supple, and choirs of a very high standard. One of the masters of French opera is also revealed here as a first-class symphonist.