(21.20) ADELAIDE BEATTIE
(soprano)
THE BELFAST WIRELESS
ORCHESTRA
Conducted by PETER MONTGOMERY
ROSSINI'S opera Cinderella, which by the way, under the original Italian title of of La Cenerentola, is to be revived this season at Covent Garden Theatre and part of it to be broadcast, follows the' familiar story recognisably though in a highly sophisticated operatic manner. There is wit enough, always in Rossini's comic operas, but no pantomime low comedy, such as we associate with Cinderella on the stage. But all the persons of the story come into the opera-Cinderella, her step-sisters, the comic old baron, Dandini, and of course the Prince. The opera was produced at Rome during the carnival in 1817, and was a great success. The music is delicious, even though much of it was borrowed from earlier and totally different operas, as was the indolent Rossini's custom. It was first heard in London in 1820, and again in 1891. The main difficulty seems to be that the Ipart of Cinderella is cast for a contralto.