Prokofiev started composing Cinderella in 1940 but because of the war and his work on the opera War and Peace he did not finish it until 1944.

It was premiered at the Bolshoi Ballet in 1945 and has inspired many great choreographers – Frederick Ashton, Maguy Marin, Rodolf Nureyev, Michael Bourne – ever since. The Ashton choreography, the first to use Prokofiev's score outside Russia, was performed at Sadler's Well in 1948, with the roles of the two ugly sisters played by men.

Here in Rome the choreography is by Derek Deane, the British resident choreographer of Teatro dell' Opera di Roma, with guest stars Maria Kochetkova, principal dancer of the San Francisco ballet, Giuseppe Picone and Alessandro Macario. Cenerentola closes the Teatro dell' Opera season, which opens again in December wit the Christmas favourite Lo Sciacchianoci.

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