Music Reviews

Feb 10, 2007 - Nevada Opera's glittering "La Cenerentola" trills its way to musical thrills

By By Jack Neal

In the case of Gioachino Rossini's opera soufflé, "La Cenerentola" ("Cinderella"), all that glitters is gold. Nevada opera's spin on Rossini's tale of poor-little-rich girl spins so quickly it comes off as light and airy as cotton candy; and light and airy in the world of Rossini is striking gold. To the pleasure of a large opening night audience striking gold is what this lovely production did last night (2/9/07), when it opened at Reno's Pioneer Center.

Light and airy is exactly what "La Cenerentola" is from its silly beginning to its I-can-sing-anything-you-can-sing vocally athletic coloratura ending. In the title role mezzo-soprano Sarah Blaze is handed a volley of notes to sing and she sings them rapidly, cleanly and with a flair that puts her nonsensical stepsisters to shame.

Not that there's anything wrong with Suzanne Woods, the singing soprano who brings the ditsy Clorinda to full-bodied life, or Jessi Baden as Tisbe, the singing mezzo who just can't help lovin' the men in Cinderella's life. Both bring plenty of fun, oomph and solid grand singing to the two old bags opera audiences love to hate. Then, to lessen the confusion about who ultimately gets the prince, Rossini shrewdly surrounds his three women with a stage full of men.

Sent by the prince to check out these three queens in waiting is bass Ashraf Sewailam as Alidoro, a kind of male version fairy god mother who sets his sights on the only female in town (Cinderella, who else?) worthy of royal marriage. Vocally and dramatically Sewailam is a very solid Alidoro.

Enter tenor Todd Wilander as the prince, aka Don Ramiro, in disguise as the prince's valet to lengthen (what else?) the foregone conclusion of who wins and who loses in this game of love. Wilander is a clarion voiced prince who manages with ease the peaks-and-valleys traps Rossini lays for his singers. Enter also baritone Andrew Garland the prince's valet disguised as the prince, aka Dandini, for purposes of determining who will marry for true love and not money. "Cinderella" is, after all, a fairytale. Garland is a dandy Dandini and rips off all the Rossini hard stuff with flair to spare, plus he's a bundle of fun on stage.

Buffo-bass Matthew Lau is boffo in the juicy role of Don Magnifico, lord of the manor where Cinderella hangs out in the dust bin watching her stepsisters put on their makeup - for the year. Lau plays Don Magnifico magnificently. He also sings in the grand Rossini manner.

Most evident in the grand Rossini manner is the staccato sextet that takes place when nearly all the principals meet up in Don Magnifico's aging habitat following the storm. Delightful staccato singing with florid solo moments for each singer makes for a wonderful Rossini world of joyous singing.

Eleven men of the Nevada Opera chorus flesh out the cast of singers and have a ball long before Cinderella makes it to the dance in question. Marc Astafan has staged this confection and has not missed a comedic beat, nor has he overplayed his royal flush of gimmicks at the theatrical gaming table. Incredibly, at nearly three hours with intermission, Astafan's take on "Cinderella" never wears out its welcome.

Nevada Opera Artistic Director Michael Borowitz conducts the Nevada Opera Orchestra, which dishes up Rossini's smorgasbord of tunes in one of the orchestra's most sparkling gourmet presentations. Borowitz's timing is impeccable and in lightweight opera moving along is a must. Borowitz also brings great subtlety to his music making which makes the little moments thrilling and the big moments exciting.

Don Smith's exceptional lighting does its usual enhancing. Edward Kotanen's attractive costumes are all they should be. Erhard Rom's simple yet effective sets keep the action flowing without a hitch.

Nevada Opera's "La Cenerentola" plays the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, 100 South Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada, Friday, December 9 (2007) at 8 p.m. and Sunday, December 11 (2007) at 2 p.m. For information call 775-786-4046 or 775-686-6600. For tickets call 1-877-840-0457 or go online at pioneercenter.com.