Alidoro says there should be a third daughter in the house but Magnifico claims she has died. Ramiro notes how badly Cenerentola is treated. Cenerentola asks to be taken along but Magnifico refuses. Magnifico, Clorinda, and Tisbe fall over themselves flattering him, and he invites them to the ball. Finally, the “prince” arrives-in fact Ramiro’s valet, Dandini, in disguise. He asks her who she is, and Cenerentola, confused, tries to explain, then runs away. Cenerentola returns, and the two are immediately attracted to each other.

When everybody has left, Ramiro enters alone, dressed in his servant’s clothes so he can freely observe the prospective brides. Magnifico hopes that it will be one of the stepsisters: marriage to a wealthy man is the only way to save the family fortune. Courtiers announce that Ramiro will soon pay a visit: he is looking for the most beautiful girl in the land and will hold ball to choose his bride. The stepsisters want to send him away, but Cenerentola gives him bread and coffee. Suddenly Alidoro, tutor to the prince Don Ramiro, enters, dressed as a beggar. Their stepsister Angelina, who is called Cenerentola (Cinderella) and serves as the family maid, sings her favorite song, about a king who married a common girl. Clorinda and Tisbe, daughters of Don Magnifico, are in the middle of one of their usual arguments.

Met opera schedule feb 24