Past Production Reviews
21The role of the “other” princess, Elisena, was sung by soprano Cara Gabrielson with such splendor that she stole the show every time she appeared. This villainess flirted, schemed, manipulated her way to the altar, eventually stole the limelight from Ifigenia as Grecian sacrifice; with her facial expressions and mannerisms, not to mention bold expressive voice, Gabrielson brought the character to life.
“But the star of the evening was the young San Francisco soprano Cara Gabrielson ... gave a performance of remarkable grandeur and precision, singing with vibrant color and a beautifully modulated range of expressive techniques; her every contribution to the proceedings was reason to sit up and take notice.”
Thus, between the wealth of physical comedy of dalliance and Pallavicino’s abundance of engaging music, the duration of the entire program proceeded at a spirited clip, resulting in an audience leaving the ODC Theater in high spirits.
Ars Minerva’s Messalina was steamy, tuneful, and above all imaginative
Delightful Ars Minerva production
My idea of heaven is a Baroque opera where all the leading roles call for voices in the mezzo-soprano or contralto range; watching Ermelinda I was in a state of sheer bliss. The latest discovery of Ars Minerva director Céline Ricci, Ermelinda may have been the group's best production yet. [...] Ermelinda was a triumph.
Outstanding and delightful... a useful reminder of the operatic riches that remain yet uncovered beyond the constant revivals of Traviata and Bohème
The breadth of Bay Area musical talent was on full display here and the diversity of sound was impressive
Ars Minerva’s sophomore outing on May 21–22, Carlo Pallavicino’s The Amazons in the Fortunate Isles, promises an equally satisfying excavation of a Venetian tragicomedy. Bursting with catastrophe, innuendo, blatant lies, sex, humor and, first and foremost, excellent music, Amazons has not been seen since its premiere in 1679.
A Conversation with Ars Minerva’s Céline Ricci
This revival of Castrovillari’s La Cleopatra was a rare treat for San Francisco audiences
And getting to the heart of the matter: the music is extremely beautiful, in that austere, 17th c. Italian style. If you've heard any of the Monteverdi operas, well, you have some familiarity with what La Cleopatra sounds like. I counted three separate rage arias, which might be some kind of record, not to mention love duets, quite a bit of hilarious flirtiness from the nurse, and a gorgeous lament from Cleopatra
