This delightful performance on CD of Rossini’s Cenerentola was recorded live on 13 November 2004 at the ROSSINI IN WILDBAD festival. The cast gathered for this production exhibits the highest singing standards possible among today’s Rossini revivals. Joyce Di Donato’s Cenerentola is the total package. She not only sings in an effortless way, but her vocal warmth and innate understanding of what Rossini wanted from his Angelina is remarkable. The mezzo-soprano shares with Samuel Ramey, her compadre from Kansas, an exemplary feel for the Italian language. Of course, she has Alberto Zedda’s superb conducting guiding her. Zedda’s intense love for Rossini’s operas shows up in is his ability to get the cast to project exactly what the maestro feels and knows about the composer. Those fortunate to have heard him conduct Rossini’s Stabat Mater at the Rossini Opera Festival know him as an artist possessed with the composer’s music.

In fact, three members of the cast are regulars at ROF. Tenor Jose Manuel Zapata brings a vocal joy to his Prince Don Ramiro, and his dramatic connection with Di Donato is heartwarming, a requisite quality needed for this work. Bruno Pratico’s Don Magnifico expresses the total range of the character’s personality traits, from nasty to greedy and finally to sheepishly accepting Angelina’s love and generosity. His bass-baritone relishes Rossini’s music. Paolo Bordogna’s Dandini vocally and interpretively matches Practico’s output as he pretends to be the Prince and then revealing to Don Magnifico his valet status. Their second act duet brings out all of Rossini’s penchant for rhythmic humor. Rounding out the cast is bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni as Alidoro, the man who gets Cinderella to the ball. His voice has a pleasing edge to it and his diction totally expresses the feeling behind a character who doesn’t always get Pisaroni’s vocal warmth. Delightful!

G. Rossini La Cenerentola Naxos 2CDs 8.660192