Cinderella: A Luminous Revival

Pauline Viardot’s comic opera Cinderella reimagined by David Lescot in a tender, intimate staging.

At the Opera de Rennes, Cinderella steps into a world of intimacy and quiet enchantment. Pauline Viardot’s final opera, composed at the dawn of the 20th century, returns in a refined chamber version that highlights the score’s wit, tenderness and subtle emotional depth. Originally conceived for a small circle of performers, this new adaptation enhances the work’s delicacy with fresh instrumental colors, while preserving its lightness and charm. The result is a production that feels both timeless and strikingly immediate.

Here, the familiar fairy tale takes on softer, more human shades. Dreams of escape and transformation unfold not through spectacle, but through nuance and feeling. Under David Lescot’s sensitive direction, magic emerges from simplicity, a gesture, a shadow, a suggestion, allowing imagination to do the rest - for children and parents alike.

Apolline Raï-Westphal embodies a touching, determined Cendrillon, opposite Tsanta Ratia’s searching Prince. Around them gravitate vivid personalities: Clarisse Dalles and Romie Estèves as the ever-contrasting sisters, Olivier Naveau as the fragile Baron Pictordu, Enguerrand de Hys or Benoit Rameau as Count Barigoule, and Lila Dufy as a benevolent Fairy.

A chamber opera for families where fantasy meets emotional truth, elegant and quietly spellbinding.

Production year 2025
Director Corentin Leconte
Recording location Opéra de Rennes
Genre Live Show
Stage Director David Lescot