Javier Camarena leads an impressive cast of agile Rossinian voices

Rossini's operas, especially his comic masterpieces from the 1810s – such as L'italiana in Algeri, Il turco in Italia, The Barber of Seville, and, of course, La cenerentola – share a common characteristic: they demand performers who are extremely agile, capable of singing with precision and clarity at breakneck speeds. Not only that: they must also have a highly developed sense of comedy and convey the richness of humorous nuances expressed by the characters through gestures and good acting skills.

This implies that, in this particular opera and in this production in particular, the performers are capable of balancing comedy with dramatic moments and living up to Rossini's score, which is devilishly difficult and contains challenging arias, lengthy ensemble numbers, and all the tricks of pyrotechnics that made him rich and famous.

In these performances, the main attraction lies in the character of Don Ramiro, which will be played by two of the most important light and lyric tenors of the moment: the Mexican Javier Camarena – the great reference of Rossinian comedy and bel canto in recent years – and an emerging star, the South African Sunnyboy Dladla, who achieved great success at the recent Rossini Festival in the city of Pesaro.

The bass roles will be performed, in the case of Dandini, by the baritones Florian Sempey and Carles Pachon, in the role of the servant Dandini, and the bass-baritones Erwin Schrott – returning to the Liceu after his participation in Macbeth – and Marko Mimica as Alidoro. Don Magnifico, a bass role – and, in a way, the most prominent of the opera due to the number of his arias – will be defended by two experts in comic bel canto, Paolo Bordogna and Pablo Ruiz.

Marko Mimica (© Gemma Escribano) — Marko Mimica.

In the female roles, the sisters Clorida and Tisbe will be played, respectively, by the Catalan soprano Isabella Gaudí and the Belarusian mezzo-soprano Marina Pinchuk.

And finally, the true leading figure of the work, Angelina/Cenerentola, written for a mezzo-soprano with great coloratura ability, will be played by the Russian Maria Kataeva and the Barcelonian Carol García.

Musical direction will be in the hands of Giacomo Sagripanti, a young and energetic conductor known for his deep knowledge of Rossini and bel canto in general, and for imparting very vigorous tempos to the works that require singers to give their best.