Some readers may recall that Ars Minerva was one of the eight organizations that participated in the Welcome Back to the Performing Arts program presented at the Yerba Buena Gardens Esplanade this past Sunday. This is the organization led by Executive Artistic Director Céline Ricci, which has specialized in resurrecting forgotten operas from the Italian Baroque. The last time one of these operas, Ermelinda, composed by Domenico Freschi, was presented was in November of 2019 at the ODC Theater. After a year’s hiatus due to pandemic conditions, Ars Minerva will return to ODC this coming November.
Once again the group will be presenting a North American premiere. Messalina, which was composed by Carlo Pallavicino, was first performed in Venice in 1679. The title character is the young wife of the Roman Emperor Claudius, who was old enough to be her grandfather. This will be the second Ars Minerva production of an opera composed by Pallavicino, the first having been The Amazons in the Fortunate Isles, which was presented in the spring of 2016. As might be expected, the libretto for Messalina provides a generous share of farce, most of which involves the romantic vicissitudes of the members of a relatively populous cast.
Aura Veruni in the title role of Carlo Pallavicino’s Messalina (photograph by Valentina Sadiul, courtesy of Ars Minerva)
The title role will be sung by soprano Aura Veruni, who had previously sung the title role in Giovanni Porta’s Ifigenia in Aulide, which Ars Minerva presented in November of 2018. The role of Claudius will be sung by mezzo Deborah Rosengaus. The other members of that “relatively populous cast” will be Kevin Gino, Patrick Hagen, Zachary Gordin, Marcus Paige, Kindra Scharich, and Shawnette Sulker. Ricci will direct the staging, and Jory Vinikour will conduct from the harpsichord. The other members of the instrumental ensemble will be violinists Cynthia Black and Laura Jeannin, violist Aaron Westman, cellist Gretchen Claassen, and Adam Cockerham on theorbo.
As has been the case with previous productions, there will be three performances taking place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, November 19, and Saturday, November 20, and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 21. The ODC Theater is located in the Mission at 3153 17th Street on the southwest corner of Shotwell Street. Ticket prices are the “Gold” rate of $98 and the “Silver” rate of $79. Students will be admitted for $27 and there is a special VIP rate of $250 that includes a post-performance reception with the artists and a tax-deductible contribution of $130. Tickets may be purchased through separate event pages for the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday performances.
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