Friday, February 15 THE TSAR'S BRIDE Helikon Opera Company |
DMITRY BERTMAN, music theatre director Dmitri Bertman was born in Moscow in 1967. In 1984 he entered the music theatre department at GITIS (now RATI - Russian Academy of Theatre Arts ) with a specialization in directing of musical theatre (Course headmaster - People's Artist of Russia G.P. Ansimov). While in the academy, Dmitry Bertman started his practice in directing, staging a number of productions in Moscow , Tver, Syktyvkar , and Odessa . After completing the institute, he then completed his masters at GITIS (Course headmaster, people's artist of Russia M.A. Osherovski). In 1990 became music theatre director of the Elizabet Buhne Theater in Salzburg , Austria . In 1990 twenty-three-year-old Dmitry Bertman together with his associate and friend People's artist of Russia professor Kirill Tikhonov estab lished a new opera company in Moscow and gave it the name «Helikon», which in 1993 gained the status of state theater. Helikon Opera soon became popular throughout the world. Apart from his own theatre, Bertman stages shows on the most prestigious opera stages of the world: Canadian Opera Company, Volksoper ( Vienna ), National Theater Mannheim), Festival «Verdi et l'Italie» ( Strasbourg ). His expertise is in demand everywhere. For years he is cooperating with the Canadian Opera Company, the result is always successful and mutually fruitful – “Caffee Cantate”, “Dido and Aeneas”, “La Traviata” and coming soon “The House of the Dead” are the good proof for it. Bertman has directed different opera productions throughout the world: Volksoper Vienna, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Estonian National Opera, Latvian National Opera, Royal Swedish Opera, Vaneimune ( Tartu , Eeesti). From 1994 he has held a masterclass at the Bern Opera Studio, teaching the methods of Stanislavsky, Mikhail Chekhov and Shaliapin. For 5 times he has been a Jury member of Belveder Vocal Contest, Ottavio Ziino Opera Competition in Roma, New York International Opera Auditions and others. Since 1994 Bertman has been teaching his own master-class in Stanislavky and Michael Chekhov technique at The Bern Opera Studio. Since 1996 he has been teaching a course in directing musical theater at the Russian Academy for Theatrical Art GITIS-RATI) and in 2003 he became the Head of the Russian Theatre Academy 's Musical Theatre Department at his alma mater the Russian Theatre Academy . Bertman actively collaborates with the greatest current musicians: Mstislav Rostropovich, Montserrat Caballier, Maria Gouleghina, Roberto Alagna, Richard Bradshaw etc. He directed the production Give the Stars of the World to Children. In 1997 Dmitri Bertman has been named the Honored Art Worker of Russia . He has won the highly coveted Russian National Golden Mask award for best opera director for Carmen in 1998, The Tsar's Bride in 1999 and Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk in 2001. In 2003 he has become the Officier des Palmes Academiques ( France ) and in 2004 - the Knight of the Maltese Cross and title of Count of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and Malta . Now Dmitri Bertman carries the highest Russian Governmental title – The People's Artist of Russia. |
HELIKON OPERA Helikon was a mountain in Ancient Greece, where poets sang to Apollo and the Muses. It is also an enormous tuba (a wind instrument of the immense size), and the dissonant clash between these two meanings seems to have rung in Dmitry Bertman's ears... *11 th presentation and 10 th appearance at the Al Bustan Festival . |
TSAR'S BRIDE Expect an outstanding performance by the Moscow Helikon Opera, a hundred participants under the direction of Dmitri Bertman, the People’s Artist of Russia. The dreadful plight of Martha, the beautiful fiancée of Ivan the Terrible is a story of brutal rivalry, withering love and poisoned jealousy. Not trying to recreate the colourful details of the way of life, the theatre is thoroughly recreating the spirit of those dark times, searching for psychological motives of the deeds, trying to answer eternal questions standing before a native Russian. The action occurs in 1572 during the dramatic reign of Ivan the Terrible, a period of intense struggle between the noblemen (the boyars) and the Tsar’s Entourage (the Oprichniks). Short Synopsis The potions, which are poisonous, are
made by Bomely, the Tsar’s physician.
The Tsar, Ivan the Terrible, chooses
Martha as his Bride.
In the Tsar’s Palace, Martha, who is
very ill, learns that Lykov, the man she
wanted to marry, has been executed on |