Cinderella (Prokofiev)
Encyclopedia
Cinderella is a ballet, Op.
87, composed by Sergei Prokofiev
to a scenario by Nikolai Volkov. It is one of his most popular and melodious compositions, and has inspired a great many choreographers since its inception. The piece was composed between 1940 and 1944. Part way through writing it he broke off to write his opera War and Peace
. The premiere of Cinderella was conducted by Yuri Fayer on Wednesday, November 21st, 1945, at the Bolshoi Theatre
with choreography by Rostislav Zakharov
. Galina Ulanova
danced the title role. Cinderella (or Cendrillon) is notable for its jubilant music, lush scenery, and for the hilarious double-roles of the stepsisters, more mad than bad in this treatment.
Plot
Cinderella lives with her wicked stepsisters, until a beggar (who reveals herself to be a fairy) comes, and rewards Cinderella by giving her a coach and a new look.
At the ball, Cinderella falls in love with the prince. She stays only until midnight, when the spell wears off. But, she leaves her slipper behind, which the prince uses to find her again. The ballet is based on Charles Perrault
's Cendrillon.
Ballet Trivia
Opus number
An Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...
87, composed by Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
to a scenario by Nikolai Volkov. It is one of his most popular and melodious compositions, and has inspired a great many choreographers since its inception. The piece was composed between 1940 and 1944. Part way through writing it he broke off to write his opera War and Peace
War and Peace (Prokofiev)
War and Peace is an opera in two parts , sometimes arranged as five acts, by Sergei Prokofiev to a Russian libretto by the composer and Mira Mendelson, based on the novel War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy...
. The premiere of Cinderella was conducted by Yuri Fayer on Wednesday, November 21st, 1945, at the Bolshoi Theatre
Bolshoi Theatre
The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world...
with choreography by Rostislav Zakharov
Rostislav Zakharov
Rostislav Vladimirovich Zakharov was a Russian choreographer, dancer, ballet and opera director. He was a professor of Russian Academy of the Arts in Moscow...
. Galina Ulanova
Galina Ulanova
Galina Sergeyevna Ulánova is frequently cited as being one of the greatest 20th Century ballerinas. Her flat in Moscow is designated a national museum, and there are monuments to her in Saint Petersburg and Stockholm....
danced the title role. Cinderella (or Cendrillon) is notable for its jubilant music, lush scenery, and for the hilarious double-roles of the stepsisters, more mad than bad in this treatment.
Cinderella (ballet)
Act I :
- No 1 Introduction
- No 2 Shawl Dance
- No 3 Cinderella
- No 4 The Father
- No 5 The Fairy Godmother
- No 6 The Sisters' New Clothes
- No 7 The Dancing Lesson
- No 8 Departure of the Stepmother and the Sisters for the Ball
- No 9 Cinderella Dreams of the Ball
- No 10 Gavotte
GavotteThe gavotte originated as a French folk dance, taking its name from the Gavot people of the Pays de Gap region of Dauphiné, where the dance originated. It is notated in 4/4 or 2/2 time and is of moderate tempo...- No 11 Second Appearance of the Fairy Godmother
- No 12 Spring Fairy
- No 13 Summer Fairy
- No 14 Grasshoppers and Dragonflies
- No 15 Autumn Fairy
- No 16 Winter Fairy
- No 17 The Interrupted Departure
- No 18 The Clock
- No 19 Cinderella's Departure for the Ball
Act II
- No 20 Dance of the Courtiers
- No 21 Passepied
PassepiedThe passepied is a 17th- and 18th-century dance that originated in Brittany. The term can also be used to describe the music to which a passepied is set...- No 22 Bourrée
BourréeThe bourrée is a dance of French origin common in Auvergne and Biscay in Spain in the 17th century. It is danced in quick double time, somewhat resembling the gavotte. The main difference between the two is the anacrusis, or upbeat; a bourrée starts on the last beat of a bar, creating a...- No 23 Skinny's Variation
- No 24 Dumpy's Variation
- No 25 Dance of the Courtiers (Reprise)
- No 26 Mazurka
MazurkaThe mazurka is a Polish folk dance in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, and with accent on the third or second beat.-History:The folk origins of the mazurek are two other Polish musical forms—the slow machine...
and Entrance of the Prince- No 27 Dance of the Prince's Four Companions
- No 28 Mazurka
- No 29 Cinderella's Arrival at the Ball
- No 30 Grand Waltz
- No 31 Promenade
- No 32 Cinderella's Dance
- No 33 Dance of the Prince
- No 34 Refreshments for the Guests
- No 35 Duet of the Sisters with the Oranges
- No 36 Duet of the Prince and Cinderella
- No 37 Waltz-Coda
- No 38 Midnight
Act III
- No 39 The Prince and the Cobblers
- No 40 First Galop of the Prince
- No 41 Temptation
- No 42 Second Galop of the Prince
- No 43 Orientalia
- No 44 Third Galop of the Prince
- No 45 Cinderella's Awakening
- No 46 The Morning After the Ball
- No 47 The Prince's Visit
- No 48 The Prince Recognizes Cinderella
- No 49 Waltz
- No 50 Amoroso
Plot
Cinderella lives with her wicked stepsisters, until a beggar (who reveals herself to be a fairy) comes, and rewards Cinderella by giving her a coach and a new look.
At the ball, Cinderella falls in love with the prince. She stays only until midnight, when the spell wears off. But, she leaves her slipper behind, which the prince uses to find her again. The ballet is based on Charles Perrault
Charles Perrault
Charles Perrault was a French author who laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from pre-existing folk tales. The best known include Le Petit Chaperon rouge , Cendrillon , Le Chat Botté and La Barbe bleue...
's Cendrillon.
Ballet Trivia
- Cinderella's stepsisters are sometimes played by men
- In the story Cinderella there is no beggar, or seasonal fairies
- The glass slipper is played by a regular ballet slipper
Orchestral suites extracted from Cinderella
- Suite No. 1 from Cinderella, Op. 107
- Suite No. 2 from Cinderella, Op. 108
- Suite No. 3 from Cinderella, Op. 109
Pieces from Cinderella arranged for piano
- Three Pieces from Cinderella, Op. 95
- Ten Pieces from Cinderella, Op. 97
- Six Pieces from Cinderella, Op. 102
See also
- Cinderella, Frederick Ashton's version of the Prokofiev ballet
- Rudolf Nureyev's version of Cinderella