Cinderella's Ugly Stepsister

[MisterPapageno]

Ahahaha so funny ;)

[donpkra]

I saw this live also really thrilling to hear it and so much fun that was a high F she hit !

[sillsfan2002]

This is just the best! Vocal AND physical acrobatics! All singers should be this talented and have that much fun!

[Ronizetti]

Ah, the lovely Gianna Rolandi ... who convinced me that true coloratura singing was not dead! At least not in the 80's :) Her voice re-ignited my love of opera and seeing her live on stage will be a memory long held; as a shepherdess in Handels Rinaldo or Orland? (can't remember so long ago at Lyric Opera) ~ she had the audience in the palm of her hand (a FEAT sharing the stage with Horne and Anderson) ... I adore her - A SMILE IN HER VOICE AND LAUGHTER IN HER TRILLS ... BRAVA!!

[racheleleeba]

Oh, my, what a treat! This was posted four and a half years ago, and I just now found it. Makes me wonder how many other gems are hidden on YT. Thanks ever so much.

[georgerannie]

This is simply wonderful. 

[MrLupo23]

How many calls does she receive after the aria?

[MrLupo23]

Stupenda

[kastrafior]

La classe absolue ! Une ligne vocale stratosphérique contredite par une corporalité de ouistiti parodique à la "Ballet du Trocadéro" : ces deux lignes de forces s'imbriquent avec tant de naturel et - oui - d'harmonie qu'on hurle de rire (au risque de réveiller les voisins). MERCI Gianna ! et MERCI pour la vidéo !

[ternitamas]

Oh what a great performance! EXCELLENT! and funny!!!

[LumiShiko]

SUPER!

[TheJayBee1988]

This is hilarious!

[lupaac1]

es magnifica!!!!!que perfección y soltura es una artista.

[Iareto]

Brava! There's a tad of Sills to her tone. Beautiful coloratura. She's a nice singer. As for the piece, it's understandable to me why they don't normally use it. It's nice, but it doesn't really have the sparkle other Rossini. She makes it sparkle, but the natural "life" that pretty much all Rossini compositions has is missing. Brava to her for making this hysterical though!

[lassisimo]

Yeeeaahhh !!! That´s why opera is living for ! She did a great and amazing job, very funny and extraordinary artistic well sung !

[melbapatti]

For 29 years, I have been TELLING people about this, hands down the funniest performance I've ever witnessed on the opera stage. Seeing it now in 2009my first impression still stands. And what incredible singing. She was the guest soloist with the Philly Orchestra in January of the following year, and sang a flawless Qui la voce. There weren't too many singers who could sing FLEET coloratura like this--Abendroth, Hempel, Siems, and Sills were among the best. Alas, her career was short.

[operagirl81]

That was very funny and awesome! I didn't know about a missing aria from this opera. Cool!

[Jaydoggy531]

It's not a "missing" aria; this aria was added by one of Rossini's pupils who also wrote his recitatives (very common for a pupil, student, or another person to write recits while the composer focuses on the main numbers).

[yellowrose45]

if ONLY the color balance was better off this TV set.

I used to be a student accompanist for some singers that studied with Gianna's mother. She would come to visit occasionally.

I won't quit searching until I can locate Glitter and Be Gay. She had Ronald Reagan laughing until his side hurt.

[Agorante]

Yes, by all means, locate it and post it.

[rosetheatre]

This should never be cut - AMZING!

[eelco67]

The aria is not Rossini's, it was written by Luca Agolini - another reason for it to be cut 99% of the time.

But it almost feels like a shame, after having heard this fantastic rendition! :-)

[Agorante]

In the Neopolitan operas Rossini had time and resources. He wrote all the music. But for his comedies (Barber, L'Italiana, Cenerentola) outside of Naples he took on collaborators for the recits and 'sorbet' arias.

Rossini had only three weeks to write Cenerentola. He took Agolini as his junior colleague. They worked together.

Would you cut the Sussmayer numbers from the Mozart Requiem?

[eelco67]

If they wouldn't have held up against the rest, yes.

In the Requiems case, they do. In this case, it doesn't.

Comparing a structured work like Mozart's Requiem to a pastiche (lovely as it is) like Cenerentola is rather impossible.

However, the compliment to Ms Rolandi is therefore all the greater. And that was the only point I wanted to make here anyway :-)

[nclysander]

This is a cute and very difficult aria, but I would have to agree with several people who say it's better than Cenerentola's rondo. It has little if any dramatic point, and it's not as though the melody is anything really special ... I think some of the other commentators are a little too caught up in the showiness of it all.

Of course, Rolandi almost makes it sound like a masterpiece.

[Agorante]

I think you're right. There is another video of the aria posted on YouTube and its bland.

As I'm sure you know "Non piu Mesta" (with a different text) was originally wriiten for the Count in the Barber. It was cut for dramatic reasons just as this aria is cut.

[piasecznik]

It's not cut for dramatic reasons, but because it's so hard that only the very best and most agile tenors can sing it, as far as I know. JDF, Blake and Araiza are among the few tenors who perform the aria in most of their Barbieres.

[Agorante]

It's true that few tenors can sing Cessa piu di Resistere but it's also true that its inclusion brings the plot to a halt. It unbalances the importance of the various roles. When the aria is included the Count has the most notes.

But this is Beaumarchais. It is supposed to center on Figaro not on the aristocrats. When it's cut the last thing that happens on stage is Figaro's triumph.

[rossinirules]

I wonder if the mezzos singing Cenerentola nix this aria. Can you imagine following this? Singing, like this, it stops the show.

[Agorante]

Exactly.

[ericjennings54]

I can't believe this. I actually saw Rolandi do this character - while I was a college student at Manhattan School of Music. I never dreamed I'd see this again live. She was an enormously charasmatic and accomplished singer. I saw her many times and this brings back so many pleasant memories. Thank you for posting this.

[operamaniak81]

Thank you so much for this video!!!!!!!! :-D

[Jaydoggy531]

As marvelous as hilarious, Wonderful!

[SENAFOREVER]

Yeaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!

[nadopera90]

Brava!!!!! ti adoro!!

[WWWjuandiegoflorezIT]

FANTASTICA!!!!!!!!!!!!! *_*

[pelolu2001]

extraordinario, amazing.

Saludos y gracias.

[Mozmike]

I was sitting in the audience at this performance. One of the most joyous and funniest moments in an opera house I ever attended!

[hillevifan]

This is one of my favorite arias now!!! I would much rather have this in the opera rather than the final rondo

[RossiniSoprano]

THis was the first opera I ever saw, on TV, and I did not like opera, but I was mesmerized by this at age 18. Now look....I'm RossiniSoprano myself! GO Gianna!

[hillevifan]

Did they ever record this aria on any recording of this opera? I would really like to get one.

[rossinilove]

The aria was recorded on the London set with Simionato and Ugo Benelli. It is usually not performed as it was not written by Rossini but by Luca Agolini who also did the secco recitative and two other numbers in the opera. Rolandi gives an excellent arguement to reinstate it.

[hillevifan]

Any chance of ANYONE posting that? I'd love to hear it!

[CaballeroCatalan]

Hi hi... 4:00... Marilyn Horne always flings her arms around like that when she does baroque coloratura. Reference?

Great rendition of a pretty song, no offense to any of the two singers, of course!

[cantanteporsiempre]

I love it!! lol

[silsio]

Wonderful!!!

[FABRIZIO82]

Good luck for her Cinderella. This is amazing.

[iluye]

Well, her voice certainly isn't ugly! :D

[stephpwall]

Thank you for this amazing clip. I saw this telecast back when and laughed like crazy. It's like Anna Russell except with an actual voice. What a complete nut. Brava in excelsis deo

[jm960]

truly an amazing performance. what agility and security and jumping around on top of it. brava!

[mariavelasco]

Is great!!! I love Her!!!

[teiyak]

omg! wow! amazing high F!!! is that her real nose?

[Mozmike]

Thank you so much for this clip! I saw her do it live in the house and again in the Telecast! One of the greatest and most enjoyable moments I ever spent at an opera. Thanks again!

[Papageno2192]

I'd like to know who would can sing "Non più mesta" after this!!! It's great!

[tippmannphreak]

omg this is a sign! i was the 666 person to view this

[tetrazzini]

Pure madness !!!Thanks a lot!

[beachboyqt82]

Exactly - it's not written by Rossini - and also this woman does some outstanding variations - the aria is actually rather boring as written...but with a singer like this, she made it into a spectacular bravura aria.

[Agorante]

I don't know, in my standard Ricordi score all the coloratura and ornaments are written in except perhaps for the high note near the end. Rolandi was the NYCO Lucia at the time. On the page Clorinda's aria looks harder than than Lucia's Mad Scene. To do it right requires a major singer whereas the ugly step sisters are usually cast with the minimum acceptable female singer - often somebody's girl friend.

[coryisawake]

haha so true

[giannischicchi]

From "Cuts in Opera" by Luca Logi:

"The new critical edition (edited by Alberto Zedda)it is clearly explained that all the recitativi and the two arias for Alidoro and Clorinda were not written by Rossini, but by Luca Agolini. All these materials are already present in the autograph score (not written by Rossini's hand), so they were somewhat approved by Rossini. Rossini later composed a different Alidoro aria ('La' del ciel nell'arcano profondo') in substitution of Agolini's aria.

[Agorante]

Agolini composed recits for Rossini and "Sherbert" arias for minor characters like Berta in Barber or Ali in Italiana. You must remember that Cenrentola was written in only three weeks. Agolini's Vasto Teatro for Alidora is rather dull and was probably always intended to be replaced. But Clorinda's aria is quite wonderful. Like Sussmeyer's contribution to the Mozart Requiem - its as good as the work of the master..

[stuarda]

Added to favourites.

This is great.

[BurghTunes]

Holy smoke! I am so glad you posted that!  That's some smokin' coloratura!

[nectenorboi09]

Okay, this is positively the cutest thing ever... this will remain on my favorites list for a loooong time.

[mrrk]

God she sounds like Sills. Who is she? Never knew this was in the score. Great stuff.

[Agorante]

Sills had just retired from the stage and was cultivating Rolandi as a sucessor of sorts. Sills produced this show.

[jondavwal]

Gianna Rolandi was a star at New York City Opera in the 70s and 80s having a huge success and breakthrough in the mid 80s with Lucia. It seemed she was destined to be the next great one and then her voice gave out on her and she was hardly ever heard from again.

[Snuti]

Wonderful!!Why in hell do they cut this?That'd be the best moment of the opera!:-)

[Agorante]

Because it's just before the final rondo and it makes Non Piu Mesta seem like an anticlimax