Calixto Bieito

CALIXTO BIEITO

Born 1962 is Mirande de Ebro, Spain. Refers to himself as Catalán.  Education: History of art and philology at the University in Barcelona. Afte he worked as an apprentice with ao. Pete Brooks, Old Vic Theatre School (Bristol). Biographical details here. Extensive biography in Spanish here.

Directorial approach: Very contemporary, often describing characters living on the edge of society in stagings often including nudity, sex and violence.  At his best, his productions are both aesthetic and with a distinct and quite unique contemporary feel.

Major achievements in opera: Breakthrough beginning of the 00´s with highly controversial stagings of Ballo di Maschera and Don Giovanni in Barcelona and London. Other notable stagings include Carmen (the best production on DVD, in my opinion), Wozzeck (also top choice on DVD) as well as Entführung from Seraillet set in a brothel (Komische Oper Berlin 2009).

CALIXTO BIEITO - SELECTED PRODUCTIONS

Ballo di Maschera, Barcelona 2000 - the infamous opening scene in which 14 men squat on open loos, pants down:

Entführung, originally at Komische Oper Berlin 2004:

Parsifal, Stuttgart 2010:

Boris Godunov, Munich 2013:

CALIXTO BIEITO ON DVD

Don Giovanni, Barcelona Liceu 2003
Wozzeck, Barcelona Liceu 2006
Carmen, Barcelona Liceu 2011

CALIXTO BIEITO - LIVE PERFORMANCES REVIEWED BY MOSTLY OPERA

Ballo in Maschero, Copenhagen around 2003 (seen but not reviewed)

CALIXTO BIEITO - LINKS

Current productions (2013-14 season) by Calixto Bieito
Calixto Bieito inteviewed in 2004 on his Don G by a very rude British journalist
Profile interview on Calixto Bieito
Calixto Bieito homepage

Robert Carsen

ROBERT CARSEN

Born 1954 in Toronto, Canada. Education: Old Vic Theatre School (Bristol). Biographical details here: Very detailed (in French), less detailed (in English).

Directorial approach: Simplistic, aesthetic stagings, relatively true to the overall written libretto, though often with a twist.

Major achievements in opera: After his breakthrough in 1986 with La Finta Giardinera in Camden, Carsen has appeared in all major opera houses, especially in Paris (more than 10 productions with highlights including Rusalka and Capriccio) and Glyndebourne (L´incoronazione di Poppea), Metropolitan (Eugene Onegin) and La Scala (Dialogues des Carmelites, Don Giovanni).

ROBERT CARSEN - SELECTED PRODUCTIONS

Candide, Paris Chatelet 2007, the controversial production in which Bush, Putin, Blair, Berlusconi and Chirac dance semi-naked on stage, a must-see as it is really funny:

Falstaff, La Scala 2013:

Don Giovanni, the 2011 Scala season opening:

My Fair Lady at the Mariinsky Theatre 2012:

Rheingold, Liceu Barcelona 2013:

ROBERT CARSEN ON DVD

Mefistofele, San Francisco 1988
Manon Lescaut, Flemish Opera 1991
Les contes d´Hoffmann, Paris Bastille 2002
Rusalka, Paris Bastille 2002
Les Boreades, Paris 2003
Capriccio, Paris Palais Garnier 2004
Dialogues des Carmelites, La Scala 2004
La Traviata, Venice La Fenice, 2004
Rosenkavalier, Salzburg 2004
Il trovatore, Bregenz 2005
Eugene Onegin, Metropolitan Opera 2007
L´Incoronazione di Poppea, Glyndebourne 2008
Tannhäuser, Barcelona 2008
Armide, Paris Chatelet 2008
Katia Kabanova, Madrid Teatro Real 2008
Tosca, Zürich Opera 2008
Semele, Zürich Opera 2009
Rinaldo, Glyndebourne 2011

Don Giovanni, La Scala 2010 (not yet on DVD, but perhaps?)

ROBERT CARSEN - LIVE PERFORMANCES REVIEWED BY MOSTLY OPERA

Lohengrin, Paris Bastille 2007
Ariadne auf Naxos, Copenhagen 2009 (not reviewed, but the production is this one)
Tosca, Zurich 2009
Capriccio, Paris Garnier 2012
La Traviata, Venice La Fenice 2012
Les Contes d´Hoffmann, Paris Bastille 2012

CARSEN - LINKS

Current productions by Robert Carsen
Interview with Robert Carsen on his background, approach etc.

olga peretyatko

Olga Peretyatko - La bellezza del canto. München Rundfunkorchester conducted by Miguel Gomes-Martinez.

Olga Peretyatko is a Russian soprano, born in St. Petersburg 1980. Initially in the childrens choir at the Mariinsky theater, she received her formal training at Hans Eisler Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. Between 2005-7 she was a member of the Young Artist programme at the Hamburg State Opera and has continued as a freelance from then on. Earlier this year she jumped into the opening of Elisir d´Amore in Baden-Baden and her career is definitely on the rise with a Metropolitan Opera debut in the 2013-14 season as Elvira in I Puritani.

Based on this CD it is clear why. Hers is a very clear soprano with a distinct quality in upper middle register and a clear top.

La bellezza del canto is the sort of CD equivalent to a business card. While personally I prefer lieder disc or orchestral songs, artistic entities opposed to a mish-mash, it wouldn´t be fair to Olga Peretyatko to blame her for a rather conventional choice of arias (Gilda, Olympia, Manon, Don Pasquale, L´elisir d´amore),
She shows how she performs in work she potentially would be engaged to perform at stage.

And obviously it is easier for a casting director to judge her on that than try to suss out how her Gilda would be based on a song compilation of Messiaen. And for members of the general public to have an idea about her voice.

So for a presentation of Olga Peretyatko, this is as good as can be. And as she definitely qualifies as a rising star, now may be a good time to acquaint oneself with her.

Olga Peretyatko as Mathilde di Shabran:

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

4

susanna phillips

Susannna Phillips. Paysages. CD 2011. Songs by Debussy, Messiaen and Faure. With Myra Huang (piano).

Susanna Phillips (born 1981) is a lyrical soprano, educated at Juillard School in New York City. A Metropolitan Council Award Winner and a first prize winner at the Operalia competition (both in 2005), she already has sung several parts (Musetta, Pamina, Donna Anna) at the Metropolitan Opera and is scheduled to return in the 2013 season as Fiordiligi as well as in a new production of Fledermaus.

Hats off to her for presenting an unusually challenging programme of songs by Debussy, Messiaen (Poemes pour Mi) and Faure for her first solo CD. Which was in fact the direct reason I noticed her disc in the first place - an internet search of recordings of "Poemes pour Mi" - there are not too many.
Messiaen composed this song cycle for his first wife in the 1930´s, at a time when his compositions were still very inspired by Debussy, thus the preceding Debussy songs seem very adequate.

Susanna Phillips has a lovely, warm and expressive voice with a technique to match especially Messiaen´s rather stiff vocal demands. It is also a quite distinctive voice, with a quite slow vibrato, and a rather nasal sound. Do I like the voice as such? I am not sure. But it is never unpleasant to listen to. Undoubtedly she does her best with the French diction, but I nevertheless fail to understand what she is singing. I don´t understand Renée Fleming´s French in her 2012 version of Poemes pour Mi either. However the French soprano Francoise Pollet demonstrates quite clearly (in the orchestral version with Pierre Boulez, the best on disc), that it is possible to understand the lyrics.

2012 interview with Susanna Phillips here.

Susanna Phillips as Donna Anna (with piano):

The bottom line (scale of 1-5, 3=average):

4

kristine opolais

KRISTINE OPOLAIS

Nationality: Latvian.
Born: 1979, Latvia.
Education and early career in brief: Educated in Latvia. Soloist 2003-7 at the Latvian National Opera.
Voice: Lyric-dramatic soprano.
Main repertoire includes: Puccini roles (Tosca, Mimi, Butterfly, Magda), Tatyana (Onegin), Rusalka, Jenufa.
Main events until now: Polina (The Gambler - Berlin State Opera 2008 and La Scala, also on DVD), Rusalka (Munich 2010 - also on DVD), Madame Butterfly (London 2011), La Rondine (highly praised Met debut in 2013)
Upcoming major events: Tosca (London Royal Opera) and Mimi (The Met) 2013.
Future performances here. Biography and website here.

Commercial releases:

The Gambler - Berlin State Opera 2008 (DVD)
Rusalka, Bavarian State Opera 2010 (DVD)
Suor Angelica 2012 (CD)

Selected links:

2008 interview with Kristine Opolais on her career
2010 Interview with Kristine Opolais mainly on Rusalka and her career.
2011 review of Madame Butterfly, London Royal Opera
2013 New York Times review of her Met debut

Rusalka, Song to the Moon, Munich 2010:

Madame Butterfly, final aria, London Royal Opera 2011:

isabel leonard

ISABEL LEONARD

Nationality: American.
Born: 1982, New York City.
Education and career in brief: Juillard School, New York. Professional stage debut 2007 as Stéphano (Romeo et Juliette), also Met Opera debut 2007 in same role. Appears regularly at the Met in her main roles.
Voice: Lyric mezzo-soprano.
Main repertoire includes: Cherubino (Figaro), Dorabella (Cosí fan Tutte), Rosina (Barber)
Main events until now: Apart from Met appearances such as Dorabella, Zerlina, Rosina and Miranda (The Tempest) she sang Dorabella (Cosi fan Tutte, Salzburg 2009), Cherubino (Vienna 2011, Glyndebourne 2012), Rosina, Cherubino and Sesto (Paris Bastille 2009-11).
Upcoming major events: Rosina in San Francisco fall 2013. Dorabella at The Met.
Future performances here. Biography here.

Commercial releases:

Cosí fan Tutte, Salzburg 2009 (DVD)
Giulio Cesare, Paris 2011 (DVD)

Selected links:

2008 recital review in Washington Post
2010 interview with Isabel Leonard in New York Times on her life and career.
2012 profile in Opera News magazine
2012 interview on her Glyndebourne Cherubino
2013 - opera it girl Isabel Leonard

Dorabella with Smanie implacabile, Cosi Fan Tutte, Salzburg 2009:

Sesto, Giulio Cesare, Paris 2011:

Rosina, The Met 2012:

anna prohaska

ANNA PROHASKA

Nationality: Austrian.
Born: 1983, Neu Ulm. Germany.
Education and early career in brief: Hans Eisler Music Academy in Berlin. Company member at the Berlin State Opera from 2006.
Voice: Lyric soprano.
Main repertoire includes: Zerlina (Don G), Blondchen (Entführung), Despina (Cosi fan tutte). Sophie (Rosenkavalier), Anne Truelove (Rake´s Progress).
Main events until now: Despina (Cosi fan tutte, Salzburg 2011), Zerlina (Giovanni - La Scala 2011), Anne Truelove (Berlin 2010), Rosenkavalier (Sophie, Berlin 2012). Several concert performances with Abbado, Rattle, Boulez. Has signed exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophone - first CD "Sirene" released 2011.
Upcoming major events:

Future performances here. Biography here.


Commercial releases:
Sirene (2011) - first solo CD with Deutsche Grammophone

2011 opening concert of the Salzburg Festival (DVD)
Frohe Weihnachten - Christmas Songs on DG (2012)
Lulu-Suite with Pierre Boulez and the Vienna Philharmonics (2012)
Enchanted Forest - second solo CD with Deutsche Grammophone (2013)

Selected links:

Review of Anna Prohaska´s first solo CD on Deutsche Grammophone
Reivew of Anna Prohaska´s Wigmore Hall debut 2012


In Don Giovanni, La Scala 2011:

Lulu Suite with Claudio Abbado, Lucerne 2010:

janai brugger

JANAI BRUGGER

Nationality: American.
Born: Darien, IL, United States 1983.
Education and early career in brief: Masters from University of Michigan. From 2010 with the Los Angeles Opera Young Artist programme.
Voice: Lyric soprano.
Main repertoire includes: Too early to say. Has until now sung Juliette and Musettea professionally on stage.
Main events until now: Musetta at the Los Angeles Opera 2012 and Liu at Metropolitan Opera 2012.
Winner of Metropolitan Opera National Auditions 2012 and winner of all the 1st prizes in Operalia 2012.
Upcoming major events: We shall see.
Future performances here. Biography and website here.

Selected links:

2012 interview with Janai Brugger after winning the Metropolitan Opera National Councils Auditions
2012 article by Janai Brugger on her voice and training
2012 interview "10 questions" to Janai Brugger
2012 interview about her Met debut in Turandot

Janai Brugger with Rusalka´s song to the Moon, Chicago 2009 with piano:

audun iversen

AUDUN IVERSEN

Nationality: Norwegian.
Born: 1977, Harstad, Norway.
Education and career in brief: State Academy in Oslo and Opera Academy Copenhagen. First major roles were Count Almaviva (2008) and Eugene Onegin (2009) in at the Danish Royal Opera.
Voice: Lyric baritone.
Main repertoire includes: Eugene Onegin, Count Almaviva (Figaro), Don Giovanni (title character)
Main events until now: Albert (Werther, London RO 2010 including CD recording), Eugene Onegin (ENO 2011 and Bolshoi 2012), Marcello (London RO 2012), Figaro (Glyndebourne 2012)
Upcoming major events: Barber in Sevilla (San Francisco 2013 Fall)
Future performances here. Webpage incl. full bio here.

Eugene Onegin final scene - with Amanda Echalaz, ENO 2011:

Hai gia vinto la causa (Nozze di Figaro 2012)::

elza van den heever

ELZA VAN DEN HEEVER

Nationality: South African.
Born: 1979, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Education and early career in brief: San Francisco Conservatory of Music. San Francisco Opera young artists programme. From 2008 ensemble member at the Frankfurt Opera.
Voice: Lyric-dramatic soprano.Originally trained as a mezzo-soprano
Main repertoire includes: Donna Anna (Don G), Elsa (Lohengrin), Elisabetta (Don Carlos)
Main events until now: Donna Anna (San Francisco - main stage opera debut in 2007), Elsa (Lohengrin) in Munich, Fiordiligi (Cosí fan tutte) at Paris-Bastille. Many roles (Elsa, Desdemona, Elisabetta (Don C) in Frankfurt. Metropolitan Opera debut in Maria Stuarda as Elisabetta ( "a notable debut") in January 2013.
Upcoming major events: Awaiting release of 2013-14 opera house schedules.
Future performances here

Selected links:

2009 interview with Elza van den Heever on her career and life
2010 interview with Elza van den Heever on her career and life.
Another 2010 interview
2012 interview with Elza van den Heever about working at The Met.
2013 feature by New York Times

2010 San Francisco Review (Vier letzte lieder)

Elettra (Idomeneo) - D´Oreste d´Ajace:

Elisabetta (Maria Stuarda) - confrontation scene with Joyce DiDonato, Metropolitan Opera, 2013:

Nikolaus Lehnhoff

NIKOLAUS LEHNHOFF

German opera director. Born 1939 in Hannover. Studied theater and art in Munich and was Dr. Phil. in 1962. For the next 10 years he was (the last) assistant to Wieland Wagner in Bayreuth and after Wagners death assistant at the Metropolitan Opera.

Directorial approach: Simplistic, aesthetic often with contrasting colors and dominating geometric lines. Abstract and classic in the outlook, at times occasionally static, the inspiration from Wieland Wagner shines through.

Major achievements in opera: Opera debut (and breakthrough) 1972 with Die Frau Ohne Schatten in Paris (with Karl Böhm). From then on he continued to stage his production in most major houses, such as the Nibelungen Ring 1983-5 in San Francisco and 1987 in Munich.
Closely associated with Glyndebourne for more than two decades he was important in the Janacek revival with stagings of Katia, Jenufa and Makropolous Case in the beginning of the 1990´s. Salzburg debut 1990 with Idomeneo
He has never been a fully accepted "member" of the German Regietheater school, perhaps due to the timelessness of many or his works.
Throughout his career he has had a close artistic collaboration with Anja Silja.


NIKOLAUS LEHNHOFF - SELECTED PRODUCTIONS

His Parsifal production (on DVD from Baden-Baden 2004) takes place in a post-nuclear apocalyptic wasterland, is widely reknown and has been seen in several houses (San Francisco, Chicago, London, Baden-Baden, Barcelona):

Die Gezeichneten, from Salzburg in 2005. Stunningly beautiful and one of his best stagings:

Excerpt from Lehnhoffs San Francisco Nibelungen Ring premiered 1983, here Götterdämmerung 1995:

Tristan and Isolde, the first Wagner production ever to be staged in Glyndebourne in 2003 was widely acclaimed, on DVD as well:

NIKOLAUS LEHNHOFF ON DVD

Jenufa, Glyndebourne 1988
Der Prinz von Homberg, Bavarian State Opera 1994
Vec Makropoulos, Glyndebourne 1995
Eugene Onegin, Baden-Baden 1998
Tosca, Nederlanse Opera 1998
Katia Kabanova, Glyndebourne 2002
Parsifal, Baden-Baden 2004
Die Gezeichneten, Salzburg 2005
Lohengrin, Baden-Baden 2006
Tristan and Isolde, Glyndebourne 2007
Boulevard Solitude, Barcelona 2007
Rigoletto, Dresden Semperoper 2008
Tannhäuser, Baden-Baden 2008
Dialogue des Carmelites, Hamburg 2008
Fanciulla del West, Amsterdam 2009
Elektra, Salzburg 2010
Salome, Baden-Baden 2011

LEHNHOFF - LIVE PERFORMANCES REVIEWED BY MOSTLY OPERA

None at the moment.

LEHNHOFF - LINKS

Current productions by Niklaus Lehnhoff

David McVicar

DAVID MCVICAR

Scottish. Born 1966. Studied acting initially graduating from Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Detailed biographical information here.

Directorial approach:
Multilayered productions, often surprisingly traditional in the outlook, with opulent costumes (McVicars favourite period is the 18th Century) but come with a nasty twist. Reknowned for his direction of the singers. The relatively conventional appearance of his stagings make him "suitable" even for major houses with a preponderance towards traditional productions, such as Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Notable achievements in opera:
Breakthrough with Handel´s Giulio Cesare in Glyndebourne 2005 and he remains blosely associated with Glyndebourne Festival, where he directed Wagner´s Meistersinger in 2011. However, most closely he seems to be associated with the Royal Opera House (London), where he has staged (among others) Magic Flute, Rigoletto, Faust, Nozze di Figaro, Salome, Aida, Adriana Lecouvreur and Les Troyens. His Metropolitan Opera debut took place in 2009 with Il Trovatore and in 2013 he directe Maria Stuarda there. David McVicar staged the Nibelungen Ring 2010-12 in Strassbourg and his works may be seen in most major opera houses, Rarely in Germany, though as he expains below:

"No, it's horrible. And institutionalised. You have to fight against ineptitude, and arrogance, and stupidity." when asked about working in Germany

"I am good at what I do because I care so terribly much, and I do put so much into it, so much energy and so much love!.

Current and future productions: Full calendar of present and future productions.

DAVID MCVICAR - SELECTED PRODUCTIONS

Interview with David McVicar related to Giulio Cesare in Glyndebourne 2005, probably his international break-through:

Nozze di Figaro, Royal Opera House 2006 - one of the finest versions on DVD:

 Documentary of the making of Meistersinger in Glyndebourne 2011:

DAVID MCVICAR ON DVD

Rigoletto, London Royal Opera House 2001

Carmen, Glyndebourne 2002

Magic Flute, London Royal Opera House 2003

Faust, London Royal Opera House 2004

Giulio Cesare, Glyndebourne 2005

Nozze di Figaro, London Royal Opera House, 2006

Manon, Liceu Barcelona 2007

Salome, London Royal Opera House 2008
Adriana Lecouvreur, London Royal Opera House 2010
Die Meistersinger, Glyndebourne 2011

Il Trovatore, Metropolitan Opera 2011

Tales of Hoffmann, Salzburg Festival 2003 (not released. Yet?)

MCVICAR - LIVE PERFORMANCES REVIEWED BY MOSTLY OPERA

L´coronazione di Poppea, Copenhagen Royal Opera 2007

MCVICAR - LINKS

David McVicar on wikipedia

Current and future productions by David McVicar

All posts on mostly opera related to David McVicar

Andreas Kriegenburg

ANDREAS KRIEGENBURG

German. Born 1963. Carpenter by trade. Wellknown in German theatre. Protege of Frank Castoft. Detailed biographic information here.
Directorial approach: Comedy-existentialist physical theatre.
Major achievements in opera: Wozzeck at the Bavarian State Opera 2008 was his breakthrough in opera. He will direct of the Munich Ring 2012.

ANDREAS KRIEGENBURG - THE PRODUCTIONS

Wozzeck, his major break-through, universally acclaimed by public and critics alike. Munich 2008:



Otello, Deutsche Oper Berlin 2010:

Tosca, Frankfurt 2011:

KRIEGENBURG ON DVD

KRIEGENBURG - LIVE PERFORMANCES REVIEWED BY MOSTLY OPERA

KRIEGENBURG - LINKS

All posts on mostly opera related to Andreas Kriegenburg

Claus Guth

CLAUS GUTH

German. Born 1964. Biographical and performance details on Claus Guths website

Directorial approach: Simplistic, often dark and with a psychoanalytical edge.
Major achievements in opera: Major breakthrough with Nozze di Figaro in Salzburg 2006. One of the most sought-after directors of today. Director of the Hamburg Ring.


CLAUS GUTH - SELECTED PRODUCTIONS

Nozze di Figaro, Salzburg 2006:

Un ballo in Maschera, Amsterdam 2008:

Die Meistersinger, Barcelona Liceu 2009:

Hamburg Ring- Götterdämmerung 2011:

Parsifal, Liceu Barcelona 2011:

GUTH ON DVD

Iphigenie en Tauride, Zurich, 2001
Zaide/Adama, Salzburg 2006
Nozze di Figaro, Salzburg 2006
Ariadne auf Naxos, Zürich 2006
Fierrabras, Zürich 2007
Don Giovanni, Salzburg 2008
Cosí Fan Tutte, Salzburg 2009
Messiah, Theater an der Wien, 2009

CLAUS GUTH - LIVE PERFORMANCES REVIEWED BY MOSTLY OPERA

Don Giovanni, Salzburg 2008
Walküre, Hamburg 2008
Tristan and Isolde, Zurich 2008
Cosí fan tutte, Salzburg 2011

Dmitri Tcherniakov

DMITRI TCHERNIAKOV

Russian. Born 1970. Biographical details here

Directorial approach: Simplistic, political.
Major achievements in opera: Breakthrough with Boris Godunov and Khovanschchina in 2005-7. Widely regarded as one of the most talented directors of his generation.



DMITRI TCHERNIAKOV - SELECTED PRODUCTIONS

Boris Godunov, Berlin 2005-7:

Khovanschchina, Munich 2008:

Don Giovanni, Aix-en-Provence 2010:

Simone Boccanegra, London ENO 2011:

TCHERNIAKOV ON DVD

Khovanschchina, Munich 2008
Eugene Onegin, Paris Garnier 2008

The Gambler, Berlin 2008

Macbeth, Paris 2009

Dialogues des Carmelites, Munich 2010

TCHERNIAKOV - LIVE PERFORMANCES REVIEWED BY MOSTLY OPERA

Boris Godunov, Berlin 2007

Khovanschchina, Munich 2007

The Gambler, Berlin 2008

Stefan Herheim

STEFAN HERHEIM

Norwegian. Born 1970. Cellist. Lives in Berlin. Biographical details and full list of productions here

Directorial approach: Deconstructionalist, often interpolating multiple actions on stage

Major achievements in opera: Major breakthrough with Parsifal in Bayreuth 2008.


STEFAN HERHEIM - SELECTED PRODUCTIONS

Parsifal, Bayreuth 2008:

Rusalka, Bruxelles 2008 (Dresden 2011):

Rosenkavalier, Stuttgart 2009:

Eugene Onegin, Amsterdam 2011:

HERHEIM ON DVD

Entführung from Seraillet, Salzburg 2006

HERHEIM - LIVE PERFORMANCES REVIEWED BY MOSTLY OPERA

Parsifal, Bayreuth 2008

Lohengrin, Berlin 2009
Lulu, Copenhagen 2010 (seen, but not reviewed)