The 1950s were a magical time for music and pop culture. From the rise of rock and roll to the emergence of television as a dominant form of entertainment, the '50s were filled with memorable moments that continue to captivate audiences today. One of the defining moments of the 1950s was the birth of rock and roll. Artists like Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard brought a new sound and energy to the music scene, combining elements of rhythm and blues, country, and gospel to create a sound that was fresh and exciting. Songs like "Jailhouse Rock," "Johnny B. Goode," and "Tutti Frutti" became instant classics and laid the groundwork for the rock and roll revolution that would follow.
The voice acting is all over the place though. John has the most lines and luckily also delivers them in a credible manner, but the same can’t be said for all characters. There are those that have a few moments where I thought they weren’t doing a half-bad job, only to then roll my eyes a few minutes later when they were obviously phoning it in with hardly any emotion in their voice.
Above all, Rourke worked to make sure that this new version of Cinderella will resonate not only with children but with their parents and grandparents too By removing a couple of perceived barriers that opera presents language and length these family productions give people of all ages the opportunity to discover something that many of us already know to be true opera, done well, is such a good time. ,former executive director of the nonprofit organization Public Architecture and consultant to a number of organizations, including the Aspen institute, TED, and the Obama Institute joined the organization as it was forming in 2018.
Goode," and "Tutti Frutti" became instant classics and laid the groundwork for the rock and roll revolution that would follow. Another magical moment of the 1950s was the advent of television as a popular form of entertainment. Shows like "I Love Lucy," "The Ed Sullivan Show," and "The Honeymooners" became must-watch programming and introduced audiences to iconic characters like Lucy Ricardo, Elvis Presley, and Ralph Kramden.
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In addition to the popular English-language presentation of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Metropolitan Opera audiences are invited this month to embark on a musical fairy-tale adventure with Cinderella, the NYC institution's newest family-friendly offering. Appearing in an English translation by Kelley Rourke—a librettist, translator, and resident dramaturg for the Glimmerglass Festival and Washington National Opera—this new adaptation of Massenet’s opera runs 90 minutes in an abridged version of Laurent Pelly’s imaginative 2018 production.
For mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, who makes her role debut as the title character, Cinderella offers young audiences a perfect introduction to opera. “This is an age-old story, something people will instantly recognize,” she says. “This is always helpful when trying to introduce new art forms, especially to children.”
Sharing the stage with Leonard are rising star mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo in the trouser role of Prince Charming and Australian coloratura soprano Jessica Pratt as the Fairy Godmother. Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe and bass-baritone Laurent Naouri, who gave scene-stealing performances during the production’s original run, once again lock horns as Cinderella’s feuding guardians, and Maestro Emmanuelle Villaume takes the podium.
Within just weeks of the staging’s 2018 premiere, plans were already underway to add it to the company’s repertory of holiday presentations, and Rourke—with her experience providing translations and children’s operas for more than a dozen opera companies, including English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis—was selected to lead the effort.
“Kelley is, at heart, a musician, so she really understands how to makes cuts while still preserving the overall musical structure. And having written libretti for family operas in the past, she also knows the child audience,” says Paul Cremo, the Met’s dramaturg who worked with Rourke, Pelly, and members of the Met music staff on Cinderella.
A scene from Cinderella Karen Almond / Met Opera“Our first task was to figure out what was absolutely necessary to tell the story, and we found that it worked much better to make a few big cuts than a hundred small ones,” Rourke explains. “Of course it was important that the musical transitions made sense, and we also discovered that some sections that initially seemed expendable were actually needed for scenic or costume changes.”
To help visualize the contours of the new adaptation, the team edited together a version of the 2018 Live in HD transmission of Cendrillon to see how the scenes would flow together. “We tried to retain as many of the most magical and humorous moments as we could,” Cremo says, “including most of the zany ballet music and a lot of the scenes with the over-the-top wicked stepmother, Madame de la Haltière, because everyone loves that character—especially when played so marvelously by Stephanie Blythe.”
After nearly a year of fine tuning, the team had successfully cut the opera down to just an hour and a half, and only then did Rourke begin translating. “To me, an adaptation is successful if the English libretto is so closely wedded to the music that, if you didn’t know better, you might think the composer’s choices were based on the translated text,” she says. “So before I write a word, I want to have the score in my ears. I listen to a recording on repeat. I bash through the score at the piano. And at the same time, I immerse myself in the story, the background of the opera, and the director’s concept.”
As Rourke sees it, the work of a translator is not just to convert the words from one language to another, but also to match the score’s different moods and colors. “The text for Cinderella required a variety of approaches—rhyming comic patter for Madame and the stepsisters, soaring mellifluous lines for the love duets, and tender simplicity for Cinderella’s father, Pandolfe,” she continues, “so my challenges had less to do with language than with musical style.” She also took some cues from the scenery, which incorporates the text of Charles Perrault’s original fable, and sprinkled well-known French phrases and expressions into the text—“très chic” and “à la française” for instance. And as her new translation moved from page to stage, Rourke collaborated with the cast to make further adjustments, explaining that she often tweaks lines to better fit the voice—“a singer is always grateful for an open vowel on a high note,” she says.
Above all, Rourke worked to make sure that this new version of Cinderella will resonate not only with children but with their parents and grandparents too: “By removing a couple of perceived barriers that opera presents—language and length—these family productions give people of all ages the opportunity to discover something that many of us already know to be true: opera, done well, is such a good time!”
Performances of Cinderella run through January 3.
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After nearly a year of fine tuning, the team had successfully cut the opera down to just an hour and a half, and only then did Rourke begin translating. “To me, an adaptation is successful if the English libretto is so closely wedded to the music that, if you didn’t know better, you might think the composer’s choices were based on the translated text,” she says. “So before I write a word, I want to have the score in my ears. I listen to a recording on repeat. I bash through the score at the piano. And at the same time, I immerse myself in the story, the background of the opera, and the director’s concept.”
Television brought the world into living rooms across the country and provided a new way for people to connect and be entertained. In addition to music and television, the 1950s also saw significant advancements in technology and space exploration. The launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, by the Soviet Union in 1957 marked the beginning of the space age and sparked a fierce competition between the United States and the Soviet Union. This drive for technological advancement led to significant breakthroughs in science, engineering, and medicine that continue to benefit society today. The '50s were also a time of social change and progress. The Civil Rights Movement gained momentum, with leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks leading the way for equal rights and racial justice. The landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional, paving the way for integrated education across the country. Overall, the 1950s were a magical time filled with iconic moments that continue to resonate today. Whether it was the birth of rock and roll, the rise of television, advancements in technology, or the fight for civil rights, the '50s were a decade that shaped the world we live in today. These magic moments will forever be remembered as some of the best of the 1950s, proving that this decade will always have a special place in our hearts and in the annals of pop culture history..
Reviews for "Timeless Classics: Unearthing the Best of 1950s OOP Songs"
1. Samantha - 2/5 - I was really disappointed with "Magic Moments: The Best of 50s oop". The selection of songs was lackluster and did not truly represent the best of the 50s. Many iconic hits were missing from the album, and instead, there were some obscure tracks that didn't resonate with me at all. It felt like a missed opportunity to create a truly nostalgic and memorable collection of songs from this era.
2. John - 1/5 - I regret purchasing "Magic Moments: The Best of 50s oop". The sound quality was terrible, with a lot of crackling and distortion. It was evident that the album was not properly remastered or curated. Additionally, the sequencing of the songs was all over the place, making it difficult to enjoy any kind of cohesive listening experience. I would not recommend this album to anyone looking for a quality compilation of 50s music.
3. Emily - 2/5 - I found "Magic Moments: The Best of 50s oop" to be quite underwhelming. The song choices were average, and it seemed like the compilation was put together hastily without much thought. The flow of the tracks was inconsistent, and there were no memorable moments that stood out to me. It's a shame because the 50s era is known for its fantastic music, but this album failed to capture that essence. I would suggest looking for alternative compilations that better showcase the brilliance of this era.