Cenerentola or Cinderella at San Diego Opera

On Saturday, October 22, the San Diego Opera will open its 2016–17 season. This is the first autumn production the company has put on for as long as anyone can remember.

The opening opera is Rossini’s comedic take on the Cinderella story. The structure of his Cenerentola is different than the Walt Disney version.

Rossini’s story has some moral content. The graciousness of Cinderella’s character is what attracts the prince to her instead of the extreme-fairy-godmother-makeover scenario in Disney’s misguided version.

Rossini plays typical comedic cards like mistaken identity but also uses the same devices to create pathos for the characters. The story also critiques classism, but since it is a comedy Rossini gets away with it.

We must always remember that a successful opera — and Cenerentola is a successful opera — always has a political or social edge that drove the initial consumption. This opera was debuted in 1817, which was after the French Revolution but before the German uprisings of 1848.

The servant class plays an important role in this version of the fairytale. In reality this version isn’t a fairytale at all. There are no supernatural events.

The prince elevating the servant girl to the status of upper-class removes the specter of poverty. It’s a useful device in most romantic comedies. Money is never an issue. Even so, this version of Cinderella is richer in tone than what we are used to.