Jules Massenet last had a bit of a moment at Opera Australia when a concert version of Thaïs, a production of Don Quichotte and a revival of Werther were staged in consecutive years (2017-2019). It’s not unfair, perhaps, to suggest the stars – Nicole Car, Ferruccio Furlanetto and Michael Fabiano respectively – were the drawcards more than the works. A Massenet opera is unlikely to make anyone’s Top 10 list. Or Top 20.

It’s good, then, to be reminded by Cendrillon (Cinderella) of his gifts as a composer. Chief among them is Massenet’s ability to speak directly to the emotions and to charm. There is never any confusion about a character’s state of mind, whether yearning, melancholy, over-bearing, wildly over-optimistic or exultant.

Emily Edmonds in Opera Australia’s Cendrillon. Photo © Rhiannon Hopley

Everyone knows the Cinderella story but Massenet nevertheless writes as if it hadn’t been heard before. There is nothing false or over-fancy about his approach – one is very much reminded of the best musical theatre composers – and the score unfailingly sounds gorgeous in the hands of conductor Evan Rogister and the Opera Australia Orchestra.

These qualities are,...