Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier

Moshe Leiser, born 1956 in Antwerp and Patrice Caurier born 1954 in Paris are two opera directors who have worked exclusively as a couple since 1983. They stage productions at theaters in Western Europe.

Life and work

The two directors began their collaboration in 1983 at the Opéra National de Lyon with the opera A Midsummer Night's Dream which is also the work of a duo: Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears jointly adapted Shakespeare's play and wrote the libretto; Britten composed and conducted; and Pears created the comic role of Flute/Thisbe, and later sang Lysander. Since this premiere, Leiser and Caurier have lived and worked together continuously. Jasper Rees wrote that this collaboration of more than 30 years has made them "opera's closest equivalent to Gilbert and George".[1]

For a long time the Belgian-French director duo worked exclusively in France and the French part of Switzerland with occasional productions at the Spoleto Festival USA in South Carolina and at the Welsh National Opera. In 1999, they directed A Midsummer Night's Dream together at Opera North in Leeds. This was followed in 2001 by an invitation to the Royal Opera House in London, where Leiser/Caurier are still involved. In 2008, the Zurich artistic director at the time, Alexander Pereira finally engaged the directing duo for the first time in German-speaking territory. In Zurich, the two directors worked closely and productively with Cecilia Bartoli. In 2012 Bartoli and Pereira - both now in management positions in Salzburg - brought the two directors to the Salzburg Whitsun Festival. A few months later the Bregenz Festival followed, and in 2013 the Theater an der Wien and then the Vienna State Opera.

Leiser/Caurier work with the same production team, the stage designer Christian Fenouillat, the costume designer Agostino Cavalca and the lighting designer Christophe Forey. Several of their productions have been released on DVD.

Style
Julius Caesar in Egypt with Cecilia Bartoli, Salzburg Festival 2012

Leiser/Caurier attempt to bring even subject matter that seems remote from the present day to modern audiences by using contemporary expressions and mannerisms. They have two distinct styles. On one hand, there are their settings of comic opera, which show no fear of slapstick and visual effects, and can actually transform banal plots into coherent narratives. On the other hand, they compress the unfolding of tragic events, for example, by shifting Der Ring des Nibelungen to postwar Germany, or Norma to Benito Mussolini-era Italy.

Directorial work (selection)

Opera houses ordered chronologically by the first directorial work in each house. The dates for the premieres are not yet fully verified. In some cases, the productions may already have been seen in previous years.

Awards

Quotations

People think that the director is responsible for what you see and the conductor is responsible for what you hear. I think that’s bullshit. It’s really the director that allows the music to exist and it’s the job of the conductor to make theatre in the pit. If you don't have that you don't have opera.

— Leiser/Caurier, About opera[2]

In the process of socialisation we lose youth and the ability to be totally taken over by poetry. Therefore, the Magic Flute is so great because it tells that - with a tale that touches so many aspects of life.

— Moshe Leiser, "I do not believe in sacred cows"[3]

I am shock and awe. Patrice is reconstruction.

— Moshe Leiser, On collaboration[4]

References
  1. Jasper Rees: theartsdesk Q&A: Opera Directors Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser, 3. April 2010
  2. Jasper Rees: theartsdesk Q&A: Opera Directors Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser, 3. April 2010
  3. Kurier (Wien): Moshe Leiser: "Ich glaube nicht an heilige Kühe", 16. November 2013
  4. Jasper Rees: theartsdesk Q&A: Opera Directors Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser, 3. April 2010
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