6. Cinderella: Clara Orif & Jack Redman

Clara Orif and Jack Redman have chosen Cinderella as their tale around which to build their programme. They write:

The wonderful fairytale of Cinderella allows the audience to put themselves in the shoes of a humble young girl who is allowed to dream big (even if glass slippers were never the destiny for the rest of us). Both Johann and Richard Strauss feature in our programme. The latter’s Mädchenblumen transports us to the Grimm’s magical world with captivating depictions of femininity, which we have likened to Cinderella and her sisters. 

Transformation is one of the most interesting themes of the tale for us. Ravel’s Cinq Mélodies Populaires Grecques aim to explore the tender emotions of Cinderella and the Prince as they discover each other. These pieces appear alongisde Johann Strauss’s Frühlingstimmen, representing the festivity of the ball. Birds are another important narrative device in the plot, and aid Cinderella in her adventure. The doves that the Grimms depict are very interesting. They take the place of Cinderella’s fairy godmother, providing her with the fantastical ball gowns and slippers she asks for. At the end of the tale, they turn extremely brutal in their deliverance of justice to the sisters, pecking out their eyes. Our programme includes perhaps slightly more innocent depictions with Die Vögel by Schubert and references within other songs in the programme. We look foward to welcoming you to our telling of the tale of Cinderella!