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:
Don Giovanni. Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona, 2002. DVD. Production: Calixto Bieito. Conductor: Bertrand de
Billy. Cast: Wojtek Drabowicz (Don Giovanni), Kwanchul Youn (Leporello), Regina
Schörg (Donna Anna), Véronique Gens (Donna Elvira), Anatoly Kocherga
(Commendatore), Marcel Reijans (Don Ottavio), Marisa Martins (Zerlina), Felipe
Bou (Masetto).
This is the production, which
created massive scandal when seen at the English National Opera, London in 2001.
However, despite the presence of both urine and oral sex on stage, I was far from shocked and those frequenting contemporary theater productions (which I rarely do, by the way) will probably feel the same. On the other hand, it will not be to the taste of those preferring a traditional-traditional production - so take a look at it before buying this for your new mother-in-law.. Though I´d recommend
everyone to at least take a look as I find this one of the freshest stagings of
Don Giovanni that I have seen.
Calixto Bieito has created a
production which succeed in creating a real contemporary ambiance, a quite rare achievement in opera.
This Don Giovanni is all about a group
of young people living on the edge of society and constantly
seeking boundaries. Don Giovanni is quite happy shagging girls in the back of the car, the
latest being Donna Anna, quite consensual by the way. And after the murder of her, by the way,
aggressive father, Don Ottavio promises her to cover up the entire story in
exchange for certain sexual favors. At least this is the impression I get.. In any case Donna Anna
is mightily pissed off at Donna Elvira, when she realises that she also has had
an affair with Don Giovanni. Donna Elvira, on the other hand, is disgusted when
she realises she has performed certain sexual favour to Leporello, believing
him to be the Don.
Décors mainly consist of a car park,
and a pub with a pool table, background for Masetto and Zerlina´s tasteless
party as well. And the final supper, complete
with cheap take-away, rubbish, peeing on the floor, drinking beer from cans –
and the Commendatore popping up from the luggage compartment of a car obviously not
dead, but almost, as he is killed by Don Giovanni a few minutes later. However, just when I
thought Don Giovanni might indeed save his butt, he is murdered by all the
other main characters acting together in the final scene, the last stab thrown
in by an unwilling Donna Elvira, her hands forced by all the others.
A very contemporary production, all
about a restless and alienated young generation. And as such well in accordance with the
underlying ideas of the work, from which Bieito essentially does not deviated
much. In 2008 in Salzburg Don Giovanni was a heroine addict, but as to the
description of youth living on the edge I have never seen a more convincing
production than this. The personenregie is exciting and there never was
a dull moment.
All the singers act splendidly,
however vocally they are not all top-notch.
Best are Véronique Gens as an
elegant Donna Elvira and Kwanchul Youn, now a Wagnerian bass, as a splendid
Leporello, demonstrating a real comical talent, which he unfortunately does not have so many occasions to show off amidst the many Gurnemanz he performs nowadays.
Wojtek Drabowicz has the right semi-eloquent manners for this Don, but
unfortunately not the voice (why not have signed up Simon Keenlyside, who by the way has
performed in this production, as the Don for this).
Bertrand de Billy is fast at times too fast for his ensemble, though vastly better than in his later Salzburg performances.
Though, I realise, this will not be to everyone´s taste, in my view it is a completely
valid interpretation at least worth to have a look at.
Carmen. DVD. Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona 2011. Production: Calixto Bieito.
Conductor: Marc Piollet. Cast: Beatrice Uria-Monzon (Carmen), Roberto Alagna
(Don José), Marina Poplavskaya (Micaëla), Erwin Schrott (Escamillo), Josep
Ribot (Zuniga), Eliana Bayon (Frasquita), Itxaro Mentxaka (Mercedes).
My first
experience with Calixto Bieito dates approximately 10 years back in
Copenhagen when he introduced 14 men squatting with their trousers down on 14 loos in the opening scene of Ballo di Maschera leaving the auditorium in a state of shock. Later
Calixto Bieito has evolved into the prototype of an advanced regietheater director with
highly controversial productions involving plenty of sex and nudity regardless
of what work he is staging.
However,
his productions in the bigger European houses (as opposed to the smaller
German) seem to be somewhat less “adventurous”, such as his visually stunning Wozzeck also from Barcelona.
Equally so
with this production of Carmen: Less controversial than expected but entirely
compelling and probably the best Carmen available on DVD.
The stage
is virtually empty, an elliptic light vaguely evokes a bull fighters arena. Set
around 1980-90 in Spain, the atmosphere is compelling: It is a tough world in
which the women struggle to survive. Carmen, a jaded, tough beauty leads the
gang while Frasquita and Mercedes have turned to drinking and meaningless sex. The
violent gang of Lilas Pastia deal in stolen electronics, and violently beats
Zuniga to death while soldiers (mercenaries?) runs a coloured
prisoner to his death in the opening scene. Carmen is not young anymore, neither a vulgar nor sophisticated, but a woman who she simply does what she has to do to survive. Clearly a man´s world, even the small girls learn how to dress and act sexy.
Beatrice
Uria-Monzon is simply a smashing Carmen. She may not have the plush voice some of
her colleagues have, but she is certainly vocally adequate and with a
characterization and presence that leaves most of her colleagues behind in the
dust. The details are far too many to mention but just watching her silent
interaction with Frasquita and Mercedes during the Toreador song when she meets
Escamillo for the first time is priceless.
Roberto
Alagna gives the perhaps most convincing performance I have seen from him and
he really does seem to get plenty of positive reviews at the moment. His Don
José is both credibly acted (no doubt thanks to Bieito´s direction) and well
sung, significantly better than his 2010 performance at the Metropolitan Opera.
Top marks
to Erwin Schrott´s Escamillo, not necessarily for his occasional shaky voice,
but he inhabits the stage as few as the wise guy type Escamillo, complete with
a cheap suit.
Micaëla is
a tough cookie as well, arriving in Andalusia in flowery garments with a camera
she fights for her man, smiling haughtily at Carmen when she drags off with him
(end Act 3). Also top marks to Marina Poplavskaya and for the same reasons as
for Erwin Schrott: Vocally she is somewhat shaky (especially in the higher
register) though I have heard her far worse. But what sets Poplavskaya apart,
as always, is her complete identification with her character.
The details are plenty, the personenregie is exciting and there is not one dull moment. In this
dazzling ambiance I almost forgot to mention Marc Piollet, entirely unfair, as
he leads an entirely committed performance from the Liceu orchestra, especially in the beginning of the opera.
Wozzeck. Teatro di Liceu, Barcelona 2006 (released 2007). Production: Calixto Bieito. Cast: Franz Hawlata (Wozzeck), Angela Denoke (Marie). Conductor: Sebastian Weigle. More information here.
Directed by the (in)famous exponent for advanced Regietheater, so-called enfant terribleCalixto Bieito, this DVD will probably divide potential audiences along the usual imaginary line: Those who find it an interesting approach to the work and those who simply hate it. I am clearly rooted in the first camp. Yes, we do se both naked bodies and necrophilia on stage, but to dismiss the staging on these grounds alone equals the same disrespect for Calixto Bieito as those applying it accuse him of showing Alban Berg.
Bieito´s visually stunning production sets the story in a grim postindustrial environment, quite literally in the basement of a factory, covered with pipelines continuously exuding poisonous smokes. Wozzeck and Marie belong to the working class. They live between these pipelines and their child needs an oxygen tank with face mask to be able to breath in this lower class environment of dirt and fumes.
Upon embarking on her affair with the Tambour major, the ambitious Marie moves upwards in society to the glamorous dresses and quite literally to the upper-floor of the factory, where the air is clean. The necrophiliac element in the staging is attributed to the Doctor, and the nudity is represented by the workers, who undress in the last scene (exactly with what purpose I am not sure…). Overall, Bieito, in my opinion paints a grim picture of a sick and divided society and provides with an interesting take on the work.
Franz Hawlata is vocally a fine Wozzeck and a good actor as well, very believable as the naive worker. Angela Denoke is essentially a lyrical Marie, but as a character she is cold and opportunistic here.
I have some concerns regarding the orchestra, with the rather unspecific, and perhaps unfair, impression that Sebastian Weigle does not bring out the maximum of nuances and power in Alban Berg´s music, sounding slightly muffled.
