Here's another Cinderella story.

A couple of years ago, our ballet company put on Cinderella with music by Prokofiev. The publicity mentioned that his music for this had not been played here for 40 years, or maybe it was since 1940.

It was a good show, especially since they had men play the evil stepsisters, much to the amazement and delight of all the kids in the audience. But for me, the music fell flat. It seemed dated and peculiar.

That was an eye-opener. How could classical music by a famous composer be crummy? Perhaps it was the music's failure to change moods. It chirped and squeaked, thudded and boomed. Never, IIRC, did it flow or sooth. Even the waltz sounded like it was trying not to sound like a waltz. I'm not surprised that orchestras have lost interest in this ballet.

One thing is great though - when the great clock strikes twelve, it is beautifully ominous. Listening to it, I realized for the first time in my life that if Cinderella does not get out in time, she will be in terrible trouble. For me, that's the best music in the whole show.