Awarded by the Theateroscar in Germany in 2007 and again in 2008, for his production of Lucia di Lammermoor, French director François De Carpentries is among the most prominent opera directors of today. François completed his musical and theatrical education with cabaret, songwriting, short movies, advertising and local radios. As a playwright, he worked many years with theatre groups for young people. He also cooperated for a while with choreographer Mark Morris.
From 1990 to 2006, he was permanently appointed as assistant director by La Monnaie Theatre in Brussels, where he worked with directors Luc Bondy, Peter Mussbach, Herbert Wernicke, Willy Decker, Achim Freyer, Peter Sellars, Stein Winge, Keith Warner, Klaus Michaël Grüber, Karl-Ernst Herrmann, Patrice Chéreau, Bob Wilson.
Therefore, he was the revival director for the productions of Carmen and Die Meistersinger in Brussels, Peter Grimes in Brussels, Madrid, Bilbao and Covent Garden, Il Trittico in Oslo, Khovantshina, Otello and Lady Macbeth of Mzensk in Brussels and Barcelona…
In 1994, he staged Pascal Dusapin’s new opera To Be Sung, the world premiere of which was to seen in Paris for the Festival d'Automne and went then on tour in Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin, Orleans, Besançon, Caen and back to Paris.
In June 1998, La Monnaie asked him to direct a new production of Donizetti's Don Pasquale: the production which was conducted by Philippe Jordan was welcomed with great acclaim by the audience. The production was revived in Belgium and northern France and was further revived at the Opera de Rennes and in Brussels in January 2002 (with Maestro De Marchi), then, in July 2002 at the Lyon Opera (with Maestro Benini), in January 2003 at the Opéra du Rhin, Strasbourg (conductor: Giuliano Carella) and in October 2003 at the Krefeld Opera (Germany). The public and critical acclaim of this production was such (in total about 83 performances), that it also led to revivals in 2004 in Oslo and in Möndchengladbach.
François De Carpentries also produced Rossini’s La Cenerentola, a co-production first presented on January 2000 at La Monnaie, Brussels and revived in October the same year at the Lyon National Opera (conductor: Evelino Pido).
Torvaldo e Dorliska, a rare semi-seria opera by Rossini, was a particular project for François De Carpentries in 2003. The production was shown at the Wildbad Opera Festival (conductor: A. De Marchi) and recorded by Naxos. Commissioned by the Opéra National du Rhin, François De Carpentries’ production of La Grande Duchesse de Gérolstein by Offenbach was first shown in Strasbourg and further revived at Nizza Opera in 2005.
His new production of Delibes’ Lakme was first shown at Rennes Opera (conductor: Alain Altinoglu) in 2004 and further presented at the Grand Théâtre de Reims, and revived in 2006 at the Metz Opera. During 2004 / 2005 season, he came back to his much admired Rossini, staging the new production of the rarely performed La Pietra del Paragone which was first shown at the Fribourg Opera and then went on tour in Switzerland and France. That same season he produced Offenbach’s Orphée aux Enfers at the Cité de la Musique, Paris (conductor: A. Altinoglu) and staged a triumphant production of Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia for the Opéra National de Lorraine - Nancy. The success was such that the production was immediately booked for Oslo and Nürnberg. Further projects that season included: Puccini’s La Bohème at the Krefeld Opera and Strauss’ Die Fledermaus for the new year at the Theater Koblenz.
In 2006, besides the revival of Orphée aux Enfers in Reims and at the Rouen Opera houses, François De Carpentries also revived his production of La Pietra del Paragone in the North of France. He then staged the new production of Madama Butterfly for Open Air Opera Festival in Belgium and in The Nederlands, created new production of Lucia di Lammermoor for Mönchengladbach Opera, and of Die Prinzessin auf der Erbse for Theater Koblenz. Other projects in 2007 included: revivals of Il Barbiere di Siviglia for Den Norske Opera Oslo and Nuremberg Opera and a revival of La Bohème for Theater Koblenz (spring 2007). The producer also staged new productions of Carmen for Wuppertal Opera and Die Zauberflöte for Open Air Opera Festival.
The 2007 / 2008 season included revivals of Lucia di Lammermoor for Krefeld Opera, Carmen for Remscheid Theater and Soligen Theater, Orphée aux Enfers for Limoges Opera, Il Barbiere di Siviglia for Opéra National de Lorraine - Nancy and Grand Théâtre - Reims. And also created the new productions of Mozart’s Idomeneo for the Opéra National du Rhin – Strasbourg, (a co-production with the Canadian Opera Company – Toronto,) revived in April 2010), Smetana’s Bartered Bride for Krefeld Opera.
Further staging for the 2008 / 2009 season included: a new production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia for Open Air Opera Festival, Mozart, Requiem pour une nuit for the young artists’ program of the Opéra National du Rhin (Colmar and Paris), Tchaikovsky’s Pikovaja Dama and Verdi’s Don Carlo for Mönchengladbach Opera.and Aïda for Open Air Opera Festival in Belgium.
For the 2009 / 2010 season, François has been busy reviving his successful Don Pasquale with huge success at Oslo opera, also reviving Wily Decker's Peter Grimes in Torino. After presenting his Idomeneo production in Toronto, Mr de Carpentries presented a new production of Carmen in Belgium, Nacht in Venedig in Koburg, and Opera Making Of in Arras, Reims and Boulogne.
For 2010 / 2011 a new production of Il Barbiere di Siviglia in Oslo, Romeo et Juliette for the touring Open Air Festival in Belgium, Viva la Mamma in Opera de Rouen, Hairspray in Belgium, and the revival of Peter Grimes at Covent Garden…
Further projects include a coproduction of Rigoletto (Tours, Limoges, Reims opera houses), La Stellidaura Vendicante for the Innsbruck Festival, Rinaldo (Würzburg), Madame Pompadour and Don Giovanni (Koburg) and The Empire Builders (Montpellier).
De Carpentries is always been deeply involved in the training of young singers: he conceived with Karine Van Hercke and directed Mozart’s Così fan Tutte, a chamber opera project which he set up in 1995 for the new Opera Studio of La Monnaie. The production was given 149 performances in Belgium, France and Germany. In 1997, he similarly staged a chamber production of Die Zauberflöte, from Mozart with the same success. For ATEM contemporary studio in Paris, he staged La Confession impudique from B. Cavanna, Histoire de loups and De la nature de l’eau from G. Aperghis. In 1999, he directed Pergolesi’s Lo Frate ‘Nnamorato performed at the Vlaamse Opera. For La Monnaie and Festival van Vlaanderen, he also conceived a stage production of Le Carnaval des Animaux of Saint-Saëns.
De Carpentries has regularly collaborated with well renowned conductors such as Antonio Pappano, Alain Altinoglu, Maurizio Benini, Giuliano Carella, Alessandro De Marchi, Theodor Guschlbauer, Philipe Jordan, Paolo Olmi, Antonio Pappano, Evelino Pido… he has staged such distinguished singers as Anna Bonitatibus, Diana Damrau, Mireille Delunsch, Karine Deshayes, Karita Mattila, Dorothea Röschmann, Patricia Bardon, Janice Watson… and Joseph Calleja, Alessandro Corbelli, José Cura, Stéphane Degout, Ben Heppner, Vladimir Kotscherga, Frank Leguerinel, Gary Magee, Richard Margison, David Pittsinger, Alberto Rinaldi, Roman Trekel, José Van Dam, Willard White…
He has worked with set designers Siegfried Mayer (Vienna), Emmanuel Clolus (Paris), Vincent Lemaire (Brussels), as well as with artists such as James Turrell or François Schuiten, he extensively collaborates with dramaturge and costume designer Karine Van Hercke.
Besides his staging activities, François de Carpentries has conceived since 2006 the lighting of many of his productions in Toronto, Oslo, Mönchengladbach, Krefeld, Wuppertal and Brussels.
NOVEMBER 2011
