Pauline Viardot's Cinderella, Quarantined

Things to Know

Facts about the Composer

Pauline García Viardot was a leading 19th century mezzo-soprano, pianist, pedagogue, and composer of Spanish descent. She came from a musical family, her father Manuel García was a tenor, a famous pedagogue, composer, and impresario. He became her first voice and piano instructor.

As a child, Pauline wanted to become a concert pianist and had taken piano lessons with Franz Liszt and Anton Reicha. After her father’s death in 1832, her mother became her voice instructor and forced her to focus on voice rather than piano. Despite the shift, she remained a wonderful pianist and later in life played duets with Frédéric Chopin, even getting his permission to transcribe some of his mazurkas into songs.

Viardot’s singing career began at the age of 16, only a year after her elder sister Maria Malibran, a leading operatic diva, died at the age of 28. She quickly became one of the leading mezzo’s on the European stages and was known for having a wide vocal range and passionate interpretations. Poet Alfred de Musset describing her voice, “The taste of a wild fruit… Pauline possess the secret of great artists: before expressing something, she feels it. She does not listen to her voice, but to her heart.” Read more from the Independent.

As a young girl, Pauline travelled with her family to New York City where her father, mother, brother and sister performed the first United States performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni in the presence of Lorenzo Da Ponte. The opera remained a favorite of hers to perform and in 1855 she purchased Mozart’s orginal manuscript of the opera. Many composers, including Rossini and Tchaikovsky, visited her home to see the manuscript and in 1892 she donated it to the Conservatory of Paris.

Pauline Viardot was also a polyglot, she spoke fluent Spanish, French, Italian, English, German, and Russian. In addition, she composed in the varying musical styles and languages of these countries.

Learn more about Pauline Viardot and Cendrillon:

A Modern Reveal, Opera Wire, Radio Chopin, Opera Today

Doctoral Thesis:

A Muse for all!

Pauline Viardot was one of the greatest singers of the 19th century, but even greater was her inspiration to the other great composers and artists of that period. She was married to Louis Viardot at the age of 18, he was 21 years her senior, he eventually became her manager and the couple had four children together. Still, Pauline was the infatuation of many artists, including Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev who followed her to Paris from Russia and became an extended part of the Viardot family.

Pauline also inspired and maintained close relationships with Charles Gounod, Hector Berlioz, Frédéric Chopin, Camille Saint-Saëns, Giacomo Meyerbeer, and Jules Massenet.

After retiring from the stage, Pauline followed her father’s path and became a prolific vocal teacher. Some of her song compositions were created to help train her students. She also hosted many salon gatherings, where artists and intellectuals would gather to exchange ideas, it was at one of these gatherings in 1904 that her Cendrillon premiered.

A muse for the muse:

As mentioned, Pauline Viardot inspired the artists and composers of the 19th Century. We toast this muse with a cocktail of the same name. Watch John build “The Muse”.

Ingredients: 1 1/2 oz Lillet Blanc, 3/4 oz Gin, 3/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse, 1/2 oz Lime Juice, 1/4 oz Simple Syrup, Cucumber and Mint for the build and garnish. Directions: Add all the ingredients to a shaker with ice, shake and strain into a collins glass with ice, garnish with a cucumber slice and mint sprig. Enjoy!

Synopsis

Cinderella is one of the oldest surviving fairytales (folk tale) from around the world. The premise of the story revolves around an oppressed protagonist with a good heart receiving good fortune and ascending past their circumstance. There are thousands of variations from around the world with one of oldest, a Greek version called Rhodopis, dating back to 7 BC. The version most known to English-speakers was written by French writer Charles Perrault in 1697.

Viardot’s Cendrillon was composed as a chamber opera and premiered in the composer’s Paris salon at the premiere in 1904. The plot stays true to Perrault’s original fairytale while also giving casual references to the operas of Massenet and Rossini. Rather than an evil stepmother, the opera adds a clueless father and the Fairy Godmother appears throughout the opera, even as a guest at the ball.

Stream the Opera

Here is a 2019 production from Teatro Coccia

Here is a 2014 production from Juan March Foundation in Madrid.

Did you know, Florentine Opera used portions of Viardot’s Cendrillon, as well as parts of Massenet and Rossini’s Cinderella operas, to create their tour show in 2020? Check out this 30 minute family friendly Cinderella mashup here.

Additional Listening

Highlights from the entire opera in a 2000 recording by Opera Rara

The Fairy Godmother’s aria: “Je viens te rendre à l’espérance”

Cinderella and The Prince’s duet: “C’est moi ne craignez rien!”

Pauline Viardot started writing music at a young age, but never had any intent of becoming a composer. Many of her compositions were to aid students developing their abilities and for private. Luckily we have access to 4 operas as well as pieces for piano, voice, and ensembles. Here is a link to hear few of her songs and here is an album of her German Lieder.

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