A few years ago, something appeared to flourish in middle-class homes which was - perhaps rashly - referred to as the “return of the salon culture”. However, in reality this is not the case. The time when people met regularly to play trios, sing, smoke and perhaps play at weddings is now just a distant memory. One particular salon – that of singer and composer Pauline Viardot – put Baden-Baden onto Europe’s cultural map. It was frequented by musicians including Johannes Brahms, Franz Liszt, Clara Schumann and Ivan Turgenev, and chamber music and chamber operas were performed. Now, we welcome members of the Berlin Philharmonic to perform one particular salon opera with new instrumentation – Viardot’s “Cendrillon” - and the directing team will comprise young scholars from the “Akademie Musiktheater heute”. In the Baden-Baden Theatre – which has architectural similarities to the Paris Opera with its artificial skies and cherubs – there is the distinct feeling of going back in time as a 19th century atmosphere abounds. Look forward to some stylistic deviation! Even those who believe nothing was really better in those earlier times can certainly not deny that many things were prettier.

Stanley Dodds
Musical Direction

Andreas N. Tarkman 
Arrangement for orchestra

Scholars from 
the Deutsche Bank Foundation’s “Akademie Musiktheater heute” 
Direction, Stage Design, Costumes, Lighting

Rising stars from 
the music conservatories of Baden-Wurttemberg
Voice

Members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra as well as
Scholars of the Orchestra-Academy Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra e.V.

Pauline Viardot
Cendrillon (Cinderella)
Light Opera in three acts after Charles Perraults fary tale

A project in cooperation of Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Berlin Philharmonic and Deutsche Bank Foundation as well as Baden-Baden Theatre.