Claire Debono

French opera Cendrillon by Maltese-born composer Nicolò Isouard is premiering in Malta on Thursday.

With a libretto by Charles Guillaume Etienne, this opera is based on Charles Perrault’s classic telling of the folk tale Cinderella and takes the form of an opéra-comique with spoken dialogue between the musical numbers. It was first performed in 1810 and took Europe by storm until the arrival of Gioachino Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Ossia La Bontà in Trionfo in 1817. It was not until 1999 that Australian conductor Richard Bonynge, a fervent champion of French music, took an interest in Cendrillon and presented it in Moscow with a live recording to enable the public to rediscover this work.

Isouard was born in Malta in 1773 and died in Paris in 1818. He is known to have studied in Rabat, Palermo and Naples before moving to Paris, where he began his career as a composer.

The Manoel Theatre production stars Claire Debono as Cendrillon and a cast of foreign artists in the other main roles. These include Mélanie Boisvert as Clorinde and David Ghilardi as the prince.

The opera is being conducted by Takénori Némoto. The director and designer of the show is Jean-Philippe Desrousseaux, while François-Xavier Guinnepain is in charge of lighting and design.

Cendrillon is being staged at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta on Thursday and Saturday at 8pm. For tickets, visit www.teatrumanoel.com.mt, call the booking office on 2124 6389 or send an e-mail to bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt.