News:
Céline has just finished the recording, at Skywalker Sound, of her first solo CD featuring French mélodies for Dorian Sono Luminus label.
More information to be announced soon.
Oct. 2010:
Céline will be on tour with Les Arts Florissants, under the baton of W. Christie, in their productions Purcell's Dido & Aeneas and Charpentier's Acteon in Moscow, St Petersburg and Valladolid.
Born in Florence, the young French-Italian soprano Céline Ricci studied in Paris with Ana Maria Miranda and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. In 2002, renowned conductor William Christie selected this gifted artist for his first elite academy, Le Jardin des Voix. In 2005, Ms Ricci was named one of the operas promising new talents by Opernwelt magazine. She already has an impressive discography and may be heard on a number of audio recordings and three DVDs.
For the 2009/10 season, Ms Ricci appears in two productions under the baton of William Christie with Les Arts Florissants, first in Purcell's Dido and Aneas in Amsterdam, London, and in Charpentier's Acteon & Purcell's Dido and Aeneas in New York City. Céline sings in Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra's production of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas on tour (San Francisco Bay area, Davis and Los Angeles). She made her debut with them, April 2009, in Handel's Athalia. She has also been engaged to sing the role of Clitia in Handel's Teseo at the Göttingen Festival under the baton of Nicolas McGegan. Ms Ricci has embarked on a serie of solo recordings under the Dorian Sono Luminus label, her first recording featuring French mélodies will be released in late 2010.
She made numerous appearances in the 2008/09 season in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. Those included the Akademie für Alte Musik (Sasha Waltz, choreographer) in Berlin, London, Brussels, Israel, and Barcelona, followed by a second, new production of the same work under the direction of Deborah Warner with William Christie conducting, in Paris, Vienna. Ms Ricci also sang a number of performances in France during the 2008/09 season which included arias by Rossi and Lully with Les Folies Françaises featuring an all-violin orchestra much like that in the court of Louis XIV. In 2007-08, critics hailed Céline Riccis debut in Los Angeles with Musica Angelica, under Jory Vinikour, a recital of arias by Handel and Rameau, and as Fraarte in Handel's Radamisto under Martin Haselbock. She appeared with them again, March 2008, Martin Haselbock conductor, as a part of a multi-media project, Seduction and Despair, with the actor John Malkovich: she signs Mozart, Handel and Haydn arias The Los Angeles Times hailed her performance as a knockout once more. She returned this past January for an evening of solo cantatas with this same organization.
Her remarkable professional début was in 2001 in the role of Vagaus in Vivaldi's Juditha Triumphans at the Opera of Montpellier. She later joined Les Arts Florissants under William Christie for a European tour of Rameau's Les Indes Galantes, in which she sang the role of Émilie at The Barbican Centre, La Cité de la Musique and other venues. Continuing with her international career, she appeared as Polissena in Handel's Radamisto with the Wiener Akademie under Martin Haselbock at Viennas Musikverein and Amsterdams Concertgebouw. In 2005, on her first CD, she appears in the title role in A. Scarlatti's La Giuditta with the Parlement de Musique with Martin Gester (Festival dAmbronay) as conductor.
Other performances include the title role in Mozart's Il Re Pastore with Les Folies Françoises (P Cohen-Akenine, director) at the Théâtre des Champs Élysées. She was the featured soloist with the Dresden Philharmonic in arias by Porpora and Weber under the direction of Martin Haselbock. She has been heard in Vivaldi's La Griselda (Festival dAmbronay) and in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte (French tour) with the Ensemble Matheus under Jean-Christophe Spinosi. She has performed in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro at the Opéra of Montpellier with Friedmann Layer, in Paisiello's Il Re Teodoro in Venezia at the Festival Radio France of Montpellier under Enrique Mazzola, in Rameau's La Naissance dOsiris Lully's Amadis, in Rebel's Ulysse under Hugo Reyne, in Martin y Sole's Ifigenia in Aulide, and in Mazzonis Aminta, Il re pastore with Juan Bautista Otero. The production of Charpentier's Les Plaisirs de Versailles in which she appeared with Les Folies Françoises at the Opéra Royal de Versailles was filmed for a DVD recording.
CD
-Artaserse by D. Terradellas with Real Compania Opera de Camara (RCOC label) Orphee d Or, Gramophone 2009 Selection, ****BBC...
-Aminta, Il Re Pastore by A. Mazzoni, with Real Compania Opera de Camara (Harmonia Mundi ) Orphee d'Or, Diamant d'Opera, Choc de la Musique...
-La Giuditta by A. Scarlatti, with Le Parlement de Musique(CD Ambronay label) 5/5 Diapasons
-Ifigenia by M. y Soler, with Real Compania Opera de Camara (Harmonia Mundi K617 label)
-La Naissance dOsiris by J.P. Rameau, with La Simphonie du Marais (CD Chabotterie label) Diapason Decouverte, ****Le Monde de la Musique
-Ulysse, tragedie en musique by J.F. Rebel, with La Simphonie du Marais (CD Chabotterie label) Choc du Monde de la Musique, 5/5 Diapason
-Musiques pour le Mariage de Louis XIV by J.B. Lully, with La Simphonie du Marais (CD Accord/Universal label) 5/5 Diapason
-Amadis by J.B. Lully, with La Simphonie du Marais (CD Universal label)
DVD
-Dido and Aeneas by H. Purcell, with Les Arts Florissants, Diapason d'Or, Prix 2009 DVD Academie C. Gros, Choix France Musique,...
-Dido and Aeneas by H. Purcell, with Akademie für Alte Musik conducted by A. Cremonesi and choreographied by S. Waltz in Berlin Staatsoper
-Les Plaisirs de Versailles by M.A. Charpentier, with Les Folies Françaises under P. Cohen-Akenine (DVD Armide label)
Playlist :
"Di Tante sue Procelle", Mazzoni's Aminta Il Re Pastore with RCOC, Dir. J.B. Otero
"No, no I ll take no less",Handel's Semele (Live) with Musica Angelica, Dir. J. Vinikour
"Per quel patterno amplesso", Terradellas's Artaserse with RCOC, Dir. J.B. Otero
"Formons les plus brillants concerts", Rameau's Platee (Live) with Musica Angelica, Dir. J. Vinikour
"Ma so ben", Scarlatti's La Giuditta with Le Parlement de Musique, Dir. M. Gester
"Non, non une flamme volage", Rameau's La Naissance d'Osiris with La Simphonie du Marais, Dir. H. Reyne
Selected Press quotes
Musica Angelica, Martin Haselbock, director
"Ricci, who was a knockout in Musica Angelica's recent performance of Handel's Radamisto, was a knockout once more at the Sunday performance. She ended the 90-minute show with Mozart's concert aria, A, lo previdi! (Ah, I foresaw it!). ..."
M. Swed, LA Times, May 2008
Real Compania Opera da Camera, Juan Bautisto Otero, conductor
"This 8-minute tour de force in which Celine Ricci with perfectly rounded tone, impeccable technique and secure breath control over a two and a half octave range, up and down, besides the crazy capers and wind velocity-like ornamentation, this «Artaserse» [aria] should be to compared to Cecilia Bartoli's Vivaldi album . "
B. Kehrmann, Opernwelt Aug. 2009
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Nicholas McGegan, conductor
"Celine Ricci, made a strong impression in the sprightly song "Lucinda is bewitching fair'' from "Abdelazer.' Nov. 2009 by Bay City News
Ricci, a young French soprano, is a sensation, vital on stage and a dazzling coloratura
M. Swed, LA Times, Mar 2008
RCOC, J.B. Otero director
Céline Ricci fait prevue dune virtuosité étourdissante en Tamiri
J. Bonnaure, Opéra Magazine, Juillet-Aout 2007
Full list Press quotes
"Soprano Celine Ricci gave a spirited account of Lucindas aria in the Abdelazer Suite"
Truman Wang, Classical Voice Dec 2009
"The main pair of lovers, Arbace (Céline Ricci) and Mandane (Marina Comparato), are both good, and Ricci, in particular is wonderfully flashy in her stupendous bravura aria 'Quando freme'.
BBC Music Magazine, August 2009
"Le rôle d'Arbace, dépositaire des vertus héroïques métastasiennes, est un défi dans le pathétique et la virtuosité. Créé par un des castrats le plus en vogue de l'époque Ventura Rocchetti dit Venturini ce rôle est le véritable moteur de l'opéra et compte un air de tempête,un "air de prison", un air marin et un duo. Ce kaléidoscope musical n'était pas un véritable défi pour Céline Ricci, habituée aux fusées casse-cou d'un Mazzoni dans l'Aminta ou bien aux coloratures de Martín y Soler. Si elle nous ravit dans son air de tempête "Quando freme altera l'onda" à la fin du premier acte, vocalisant avec agilité et un feu d'artifice de couleurs dans le timbre, c'est dans son air de prison, le superbe et inquiétant "Per quel paterno amplesso" que Céline Ricci nous électrise. Accompagnée par les timbales en mode mineur, la chanteuse insiste sur la désolation qui émane de cette sorte de marche au supplice. Adoptant alors une scansion très déclamatoire, la soprano obscurcit sa voix pour rendre avec acuité le sentiment morbide d'une condamnation injuste sans appel."
Muse Baroque, Pedro-Octavo Diaz, June 09
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Nicholas Mc Gegan, director
"Soprano Celine Ricci, as the boy, Joas, sang with downy depths. "
Mercury News Apr 09
"It was wonderful then to see Celine Ricci, a soprano, cast in the role of Joas, King of Judah."
SF Examiner Apr 09
"Soprano Céline Ricci was touching as Joas, the boy king,"
SF Chronicle Apr 09
Musica Angelica
"Soprano Celine Ricci continues to charm and disarm, and, when on Love's warpath, re-arm. Opening and closing the program with two secular cantatas for solo voice, she once again displayed an impressive vocal technique, this time with heightened expressiveness in two works that explore the emotions of amorous obsession. {..} Ricci's ability to channel this evocative material makes her a particularly fitting artist to plead the case for baroque opera and its cantata cousins. She can pick far flung notes out of the air perfectly and effortlessly, but her dramatic abilities were what stood out this afternoon. The anger of Courons a la vengeance (Let me haste to vengeance) was palpable in Ricci's knife-like vocal runs; outbursts of stabbing pain were all the more graphic in her use of sharp vibratoless tones, as the metaphoric knife plunged inward."
LA Opus, R. Punt, Jan. 2009
Les Arts Florissants, W. Christie, director
"acolytes cocaïnomanes (Céline Ricci et Ana Quintans) sont aussi déjantées scéniquement que vocalement dans leurs duos, qu'elles arrivent à chanter tout en continuant à jouer les surexcitées."
(chanteur.net, Dec. 2008)
Les Folies Francoises, P. Cohen Akenine director
"Céline Ricci dès les pleurs dOrphée (dans lOrfeo de Rossi), se montre convaincante, tant son timbre est troublant, ses colorations poignantes"
(Resmusica, Oct. 2008)
"Ricci, who was a knockout in Musica Angelica's recent performance of Handel's Radamisto, was a knockout once more at the Sunday performance. She ended the 90-minute show with Mozart's concert aria, A, lo previdi! (Ah, I foresaw it!). Murdered earlier, the soprano is back in black, a mourner (for herself?), having foreseen nothing, and in a kind of rage that even the ever-collected Unterweger can't quite handle. Although Ricci made the aria work dramatically as a powerful climax to the afternoon, any number of other arias might have as well."
Céline Ricci's Fraarte was attractively light-toned but often dramatic and always musically sung"
Classical Voice, Mar 2008
Céline Ricci une transcendante virtuosité
O. Rouviere, Diapason, Juin 2007
Musica Angelica, Jory Vinikour, director
Traversing these extremes of emotions, Ms. Ricci delivered beautifully controlled phrasing of light and shade, with some memorably dramatic accents and word-painting. Her command of the coloratura was skillful and fluid. One really felt she was having a grand ball dispatching the bravura lines with joyfulness and rhythmic buoyancy [...] Another pair of bravura arias, from Rameaus opera Platée, found Mr. Vinikour once again in the supporting role and Ms. Ricci strutting her stuff, more confident than ever and this time with almost demonic fury. She truly believed the words she was singing, Essayons du brilliant! Donnons dans la saillie/let us try
something brilliant! let us go mad!
Classical Voice, May 2007
Cleopatras two final arias from Handels Giulio Cesare, Piangero and Da Tempeste, provided Ricci a full range of emotional transformation from despair to triumphant joy. [..] Ricci at times impersonated a vocal ventriloquist, her lips still but passages peeling as rapidly as a keyboards. Two instrumental movements of Handel by the orchestra complimented her vocal numbers in this set. Ricci again soared (with musical laughs, among other vocal novelties) in the recitative Formons les plus brilliant concerts (Let us create the most beautiful concerts) and the aria Amour, lance tes traits (Love, shoot your arrows) from Rameaus Platée."
The Martini Republic, May 2007
La Fenice, J. Tubery, director
Der Glanz in Riccis fein geformter Stimme brachte im Dialog mit Richards Schattierungsmöglichkeiten die barocke Rhetorik zum Strahlen. Nicht nur mit der Begleitung, sondern auch mit den instrumentalen Zwischenstücken, formte "La Fenice" ein idealtypisches Ganzes zum Thema frühbarocke Musik. Plastisch und mitreißend für das Publikum.
O Willi Rainer, Kleine Zeitung, 08.07.2007
El papel de Arcade tiene una excelente presentación en la voz de la soprano Céline Ricci, delicado sonido penetrante y segura en los agudos."
www.proopera.org.mx September 2007
Le Parlement de Musique, M. Gester, director
Französisch elegant ziselierten die beiden Violinen den italienischen Gestus, die Continuo- Gruppe (..) legte ein lebendiges Fundament. () Glanz brachte der dramatische Sopran von Céline Ricci.
Saarbrücker Zeitung, 12 février 2007
"Der Glanz in Riccis fein geformter Stimme brachte im Dialog mit Richards Schattierungsmöglichkeiten die barocke Rhetorik zum Strahlen. Nicht nur mit der Begleitung, sondern auch mit den instrumentalen Zwischenstücken, formte "La Fenice" ein idealtypisches Ganzes zum Thema frühbarocke Musik. Plastisch und mitreißend für das Publikum."
Willi Rainer, Kleine Zeitung, 08.07.2007
"Symbole de résistance, Céline Ricci incarne la fatale tentatrice du tyran barbare, dominant la distribution avec de nombreuses qualités : souplesse, ampleur, nuance, couleur, expressivité"
Laurent Bergnach, Anaclase.com, 2005
Akademie fur Alte Musik, A. Cremonisi, director
Céline Ricci verleiht der anonymen Unglücksbotin eine glockenklare, ausdrucksstarke Stimme. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 01.02.2005 On remerciera Céline Ricci pour la musicalité, nourrie d'un art incontestable de la nuance, et l'expressivité"
- www.anaclase, 2005
sorgte vor allem Celine Ricci in der Partie der Tamiri fur besonders starke musikalische Momente. Mit ihrer flexiblen und ausdrucksstarken Sopranstimme begeisterte sie bereit bei den Tagen Alter Musik in Herne 2004 das Publikum.
Gerhard Menzel, Online Musik Magazine
Celine lives in San Francisco, California.
Email: contact_celinericci.com
Management:
Mrs Joanne Barnes, Arts Management Services
Email: joanneb_artsmanagementservices.com
Materials to download:
-Biography -Biographie -List of Critics
