Alternating between opera seria and opera buffa, Rossini’s tenth opera, La Cenerentola, treats the story of Cinderella with a certain degree of modified realism and occasional dark overtones. The fairy godmother is replaced by a philosopher-courtier, there is no midnight clock or lost slipper, while the two lovers offer a more serious musical contrast to the comic sisters and their vulgar father. Although magic gives way to realism, La Cenerentola is characteristically engaging for its rhythmic vitality and memorable melodies, with especially demanding rôles for Cinderella, sung here by the celebrated Rossinian mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, her prince, Don Ramiro (José Manuel Zapata), and a brilliant buffo Don Magnifico (Bruno Praticò).