jmc's classics
LToday is the anniversary of the premiere of Rossini's opera La Cenerentola in 1817. it is based on the Cinderella story. Rossini's most famous works were The William Tell Overture which was from the opera of the same name. It was used in the Lone Ranger TV series. I was never into that show. Also, The opera The Barber of Seville or Il Barber De Seville. This was the first opera that I had ever heard of. My family had a copy of it on 78 RPM. Its most famous aria was "Largo al Factotum which is sung by the title character. It was made famous by Bugs Bunny in one of the Loony Toons episodes.
There are numerous versions of the tale of Cinderella dating back to ancient times. The main story that we have was written by French writer Charles Perrault (1828-1703). There are other operas based on Cinderella. Sergi Prokofiev (1891-1953) wrote an opera based on this subject. The opera by Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868) is the best known. There are some differences. mainly the role of step mother is replaced by a step father. The role of a fairy Godmohter is replaced by Alidoro who is a philosopher and a tutor to the prince. The libretto is by Italian poet and writer Jacopo Ferretti (1784-1852). It was a hit when it was first performed. It overshadowed the Barber of Seville as Rossini's most famous opera. However it fell out of favor in the 20th century. I have seen this opera on TV but not in its entirety. Rossini wrote many other operas. He wrote one based on Othello by Shakespear. Verdi wrote a more famous version of that one. There was another opera based on The Barber of Seville by Italian composer Giovani Paisiello (1740-1816). This is based on a story by French writer (Pierre
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