12:22pm | Whether it is Greek tragedy presented in the round with multimedia content in a furniture store, explorations of the afterlife in the sadly neglected Belmont Pool, or real-time live computer animation driven by the movements of performers to evoke the majesty and mystery of ancient Egypt, Long Beach Opera has, under the leadership of Andreas Mitisek, created innovative and bold new productions. He’s pushed the boundaries of every aspect of theatrical production, and drawn world class talent to Long Beach. His work has drawn national, and international, acclaim and, not surprisingly, job offers.
Panic rose in my heart when I heard he’d accepted a job with the Chicago Opera Theater. COT, founded in 1974, has been led by the much celebrated Brian Dickie since 1999 and, like Andreas, has helped forge a new vision for the company. When Dickie announced that the 2012 season would be his last with COT, Mitisek seemed like the perfect candidate to be his successor. Fortunately, COT’s good fortune in acquiring Mitisek’s leadership does not mean that Long Beach Opera will suffer. In fact, he’ll be leading both companies.
I asked him how this opportunity came together.
Andreas: What we have been doing in Long Beach has gathered national attention, and COT, having a similar artistic profile, came to me to start talking about leading the company there, too. Both companies have bigger, more traditional opera companies as their neighbors, and both companies provide the rare and unusual.
Sander: The company there has its own theater. What does that mean for you, creatively?
Andreas: That is the one difference, right now. We have developed a reputation for being vagabonds, creating experiences in many different spaces. COT has a great theater as a home base, and we will keep that relationship, but there are also opportunities in Chicago to do similar explorations as we do in Long Beach.
Sander: Is that something COT did under the leadership of Brian Dickie?
Andreas: To my knowledge, unusual venues have not been a standard fare at COT. In general, this approach helps our companies to connect better with different parts of our communities. Theaters can’t move from one place to another, but companies can. We realized this in Long Beach years ago, and built an audience following for it.
Sander: Have you begun to explore alternate venues in Chicago?
Andreas: It is on my list as things move along. Getting to know theater companies in Chicago, and looking into collaborations with them, is a first step. But then of course a city like Chicago has an abundance of interesting sites. Making the Harris Theater the home base for COT, and exploring new avenues outside, is my plan.
Sander: Is there the potential for collaborations between LBO and COT?
Andreas: That is one of the things that intrigued both boards. It makes a lot of sense with the similar repertoire we do. It makes both companies more attractive for artists of every kind. Having the opportunity to been seen in two cities as a director, designer, or singer is very appealing. It also helps both companies to further raise the artistic bar in teaming up during these times.
1+1=3 is my description of this model. It is all about the art we are doing for our communities, and the more the better. I think that both companies will benefit more though, since there is one vision tying it all together, and decisions can be made more quickly and efficiently. I am not downplaying the workload, but both organizations have great staff who will be supportive, so I can focus on the things that I am most valuable at.
Sander: The new LBO season is packed with all kinds of great music. I’m a long time and avid fan of Astor Piazzolla, for example. His innovative tango music is thrilling, but I never knew he wrote opera. What drew you to to his work?
Andreas: I love Piazzolla’s music. It is full of passion, sophistication, and simplicity. You cant escape Astor’s spell. His MARIA DE BUENOS AIRES is a fabulous work, where the passion of the music and story work so well together. Its the story about Tango, but also Argentina and its people. I like to also see it in the context of the Dirty War of the 1970/80’s, where Argentinian people suffered through the torturous time of dictatorship.
Sander: I’m also a huge fan of Osvaldo Golijov, whose work I first encountered through David Harrington of the Kronos Quartet. Like Piazzolla, however, I did not know that he’d written works for opera.
Andreas: Ainadamar, Arabic for Fountain of Tears, is about the Spanish poet Garcia Lorca’s life. It will be the most visible production of LBO this season. [It is being staged] outdoors, using the Press Telegram Building’s 6 story desolate North facade as our vertical stage. We’ll be flooding the building with video projections by Frider Weiss, who created images out of thin air for last seasons’ AKHNATEN. We’ll be using the empty window holes for the performers, having them move up and down the facade. The audience will be seated in the parking lot. It will be another hallmark production for us, and a way to connect with our community in an open and embracing way.
Golijov is one of the most fascinating composers of our time. His Romanian Jewish parents exposed him to the traditional Klezmer music. Growing up in Argentina showed him many musical styles, including the tango. Traveling abroad to continue his studies, the influences of other people and other styles became part of him, making it a cohesive personal style. His music is so vibrant and alive. He combines many different cultural influences in his music. Ainadamar, for example, has lots of Flamenco and Latin-tinged music and arabic influences. It works beautifully in the Ainadamar score,
Sander: Tell me about the work that closes the season.
Andreas: For our last opera, we go back to the EXPO. Our success with last years’ production of MEDEA there in 360 degree seating is still ringing in our memory, and made us select the location again for a completely different setup. THE MAN WHO MISTOOK HIS WIFE FOR A HAT is the best opera title ever, and the first neurological opera, I would say. Based on the book by Dr. Oliver Sacks, it is a wonderful exploration of the capabilities of the human mind, with the brilliant music of Michael Nyman, who may be best known as the soundtrack composer for The Piano, [Prospero’s Books, and The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover].
Sander: We don’t want to forget Francis Poulenc’s The Breasts of Tiresias, and Bohuslav Martinu’s jazz infused Tears of a Knife, which are being presented together.
Andreas: Our second production, a surrealistic double bill from the Paris of the 1920/40’s, is just a mindbogglingly funny evening of crazy stories that make us smile, and think.
So there you have it: Absurd – Bizarre – Surreal! 50% Spanish sung, and 150% LBO style.
Sander: One last question: You’ve been involved with the Art Theatre’s presentations of the New York Metropolitan Opera’s live Hi-Def broadcasts. How has that been going?
Andreas: The reception has been building. The Art is a great place to meet. It fits the family-style connection we love. And yes, it will continue with Chicago on the horizon. The shows have developed an ever growing following.
— To learn more about the Long Beach Opera’s upcoming season, which starts on January 29th with Maria de Buenos Aires, or to buy tickets, visit LongBeachOpera.org.
To learn more about the Chicago Opera Theater, visit ChicagoOperaTheater.org.
Learn more about the Art Theatre’s presentation of The Met: Live In HD.