Opera Double Bill

Cendrillon, for seven singers and piano, is full of ‘joie de vivre’.

The composer Pauline Viardot, herself a celebrated singer, was part of the Bel Canto school – and this light-hearted operetta reflects the influences of Liszt, Chopin and Offenbach. It follows the traditional story of Cinderella, with a few unexpected twists and turns.

Puccini's comic opera Gianni Schicchi is packed with mirth, scandal and mischief. Buoso Donati has died, but his relatives are more interested in the contents of his will than in mourning his passing. When they discover that Donati has left his fortune to the monastery, Gianni Schicchi comes up with a cunning plan to write another will and put the inheritance to better use!