Cinderella, Op. 87 (1944)

Composed between 1940 and 1944, Cinderella (Zolushka), Op. 87, is one of Sergei Prokofiev's most popular and melodious ballets. Written in the grand tradition of 19th-century Russian ballet as a tribute to Tchaikovsky, it is distinguished by its orchestral richness, biting humor, and an emotional depth that goes far beyond a simple fairy tale.

The composition was interrupted by the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, during which time Prokofiev set the score aside to focus on his monumental opera War and Peace. When he returned to Cinderella, he infused it with an atmosphere of nostalgia and magic, offering the public a necessary escape from the horrors of the war. The ballet premiered to immense success at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow on November 21, 1945, starring the legendary Olga Lepeshinskaya (and later Galina Ulanova) in the title role.

Musically, Prokofiev utilizes classical dance structures (gavotte, mazurka, waltz) which he adopts with his signature modern harmonic touch: unexpected modulations and motoric rhythms. The work is famous for its contrasting themes: Cinderella’s fragile sweetness (carried by woodwinds and strings), the grotesque caricature of the two step-sisters (illustrated by dissonant melodic leaps), and the famous "Grand Ball" scene, where a sweeping waltz is abruptly interrupted by the haunting ticking of the clock, symbolized by a woodblock and dry percussion.

Act I
1. Introduction (Andante dolce])
2. Shawl Dance (Allegretto] – Poco più mosso – L'istesso tempo – Poco più animato – Meno mosso [Allegretto] – Allegro – Più mosso – Allegro)
3. Cinderella (Andante dolce)
4. Cinderella’s Father (Andantino – Andante poco drammatico)
5. The Beggar Fairy (Adagio)
6. The Sister Dress for the Ball (Vivo – Andantino)
7. The Dancing Lesson (Allegretto – Più animato – Più animato – Allegretto)
8. Departure for the Ball (Stepmother and Sisters) (Vivo – Andantino – Vivo)
9. Cinderella’s Dream of the Ball (Andante dolce – Allegretto – Andante dolce)
10. Gavotte (Allegretto)
11. Second Appearance of the Beggar Fairy (Adagio)
12. Variation of the Spring Fairy (Presto – Moderato)
13. Monologue of the Summer Fairy (Andantino sognando)
14. Grasshoppers and Dragonflies (Vivace con brio)
15. Variation of the Autumn Fairy (Allegro moderato – Andantino – Poco più mosso)
16. Variation of the Winter Fairy (Allegro moderato)
17. The Departure is Delayed (Vivo)
18. Clock Scene (Allegro moderato)
19. Cinderella’s Departure to the Ball (Allegro espressivo)

Act II
20. Court Dance (Andante grazioso – Poco più tranquillo – Tempo I)
21. Passepied (Allegretto)
22. Dance of the Cavaliers (Bourrée) (Allegro pesante e ben ritmato)
23. Khudishka's Variation (Allegretto)
24. Khubishka's Variation (Allegretto capriccioso – Più mosso – Tempo I)
25. Court Dance (Andante grazioso)
26. Mazurka and Entrance of the Prince (Allegro – Poco più sostenuto – Moderato – Allegro ma non troppo – Meno mosso – Moderato – Più mosso ben ritmato)
27. Variation of the Prince's Four Friends (Allegro moderato)
28. Mazurka (Allegro, ma non troppo – Poco più sostenuto)
29. Cinderella's Arrival at the Ball (Allegro – Andante)
30. Grand Waltz (Allegretto – Più animato – Meno mosso – Meno mosso della prima volta)
31. Promenade (Allegro tranquillo)
32. Cinderella's Variation (Allegro grazioso)
33. The Prince's Variation (Andante con brio)
34. Entertainment of the Guests (Moderato)
35. The Sisters' Duet with the Oranges (Allegro con brio – Poco più mosso – Allegro con brio)
36. Duet – Cinderella and the Prince (Adagio) (Adagio – Poco più animato)
37. Waltz-Coda (Allegro espressivo – Presto)
38. Midnight (Allegro moderato – Moderato)

Act III
39. The Prince and the Cobblers (Allegro scherzando)
40. The Prince's First Galop (Presto [q = 168] – Andante)
41. The Temptation (Moderato – Allegretto – Moderato I – Allegretto – Moderato I)
42. The Prince's Second Galop (Presto)
43. Oriental Dance (Andante dolce – Poco più animato – Tempo I)
44. The Prince's Third Galop (Allegro marcato)
45. Cinderella Awakes (Andante dolce – Allegretto – Allegro ma non troppo – Poco più mosso – Tempo I – Poco più mosso – Andante molto)
46. The Morning after the Ball (Allegretto capriccioso – Moderato – Vivo)
47. The Prince’s Visit (Vivace – Poco meno presto – Andante con brio – Vivace I – Moderato furioso – Poco pi ù mosso)
48. The Prince has Found Cinderella (Adagio passionato – Andante – Moderato – Andante)
49. Slow Waltz (Adagio) – Poco più animato – Tempo I – Assai più mosso – Poco più animato – Meno mosso [Più animato al Adagio I])
50. Amoroso (Andante dolcissimo – Poco meno mosso)