Scaling the heights of the opera world is no easy task. Especially for a director. However, for those brave enough to take on the journey, the rewards can be terrific and the applause massive.
Such has been the life of stage director Eric Einhorn. Einhorn started his journey in the opera world during his high school years as a singer and the president of an opera club. The organization put together 20-minute productions of standard repertoire with Einhorn at the helm. He then went to the Oberlin Conservatory to study singing but added a directing major halfway through college. From there, he worked his way up in smaller productions until he achieved success at a number of venues around the United States, including the Metropolitan Opera.
Einhorn is coming off a tremendous success with his upstart opera company On Site Opera. The company recently presented a run of George Gershwin's seldom heard "Blue Monday." The 20-minute opera was staged at the famous Cotton Club in Harlem for three nights this past June.
In speaking with Latinos Post's David Salazar, the director revealed his experience of developing and executing the production. He stated that he had heard the piece during his high school years and had dreamt of putting on stage some day.
"It was one of those experiences that stuck with me. I always looked for an opportunity to produce it as I shifted my focus to directing throughout my career," said Einhorn.
Prior to producing "Blue Monday," Einhorn and On Site Opera's Creative Producer Jessica Kiger presented a short Shostakovich piece at the Bronx Zoo.
"That went well and really exceeded expectations and we got some great media attention," said Einhorn of the company's first success. "And the audience response was really wonderful. And so it gave us the confidence and the momentum to move forward and plan for the 'Blue Monday' spot.'"
Since the Bronx Zoo experiment was a massive success, the team chose to seek out other non-traditional venues for the second project.
"The idea was to present Gershwin at the Cotton Club and when I tossed that around casually to friends and colleagues in the business, you just saw their eyes sparkle at the idea," said Einhorn. "People start to bring their own imagination to it before they even arrive. And I think that really played into the immersive quality of the production that we were aiming for."
"The piece could only benefit from environmental treatment... This production model for me as a director is critical in the story telling. I believe that it thrusts the audience into the stories in a way that you can't achieve in the traditional setting."
Einhorn did note that the venue presented a number of difficulties.
"It posed its challenges. [It is not] built for opera. There is no focal point for a performance except the band stand," he explained. "In the end, I think it really takes a great collaboration from everyone involved to figure it out together. No one person can make an event like that successful. It really is the sum of its parts. And we were really lucky to have such a great cast and wonderful collaborators at every level."
Einhorn is now working on his new production of Handel's "Giulio Cesare" for the Florentine Opera. The production will be performed on March 28 and 30, 2014.
"Handel is really complex and even when you read the summary you can still be confused by what is happening," Einhorn stated about the difficulty of directing a work by the Baroque master. "I always find it helpful in the complex storytelling that baroque opera can contain to really set yourself somewhere whether it's an updating of some kind or a period production or something more mythic... to really establish where you are clearly so that the audience can get a real sense of things so the production can get out of the way. "
Einhorn stated that his starting point for finding that setting was the constant remarks about being "Roman" by numerous characters.
"The characters are constantly saying they are roman. So they actually have to be Roman," said Einhorn. "So that developed into an early 20th century setting of the Italian occupation of Libya. By no means is that stuck to as a literal telling of that period in history, but it was definitely a starting point for the costumes and some of the scenic imagery. That period really fell into line with the kind of storytelling that I prefer which allows the production to focus on text, relationship rather than some overarching concept."
Once "Cesare" is finished, Einhorn heads to the Metropolitan Opera in New York to direct a revival of Rossini's "La Cenerentola."
Einhorn has worked at the Metropolitan Opera as a staff director for the last nine years and has had the opportunity to work on such productions as "An American Tragedy," "Andrea Chenier," "Boris Godunov," "Anna Bolena," "The Nose," "Doctor Atomic," and "Lucia Di Lammermoor" among others.
"It's fascinating and exhilarating and frustrating and wonderful. Everything that opera is on such a grand scale," he enthused about working at one of the world's most renowned houses. "It's a totally different kind of beast to produce things at the Met, the number of people working on a production, the speed at which things are done... it's just incredible. I count myself lucky to have gotten the opportunity as long as I have. It really just exposes you to the frontline of everything happening in our business.
"It's a great home base and a very loyal institution and I'm grateful for a chance to be a part of it."
Unlike his work at the Florentine Opera where he will create his own vision on stage, Einhorn will be reviving Cesare Lievi's production of the Rossini classic at the Met. Einhorn addressed the unique experience of working on recreating another director's vision.
"The idea is to honor the original intention of the original production and original director and that is certainly adhered to," he remarked. "Because of the relatively short time frame, though, you rely on singers to bring some of their own ideas."
He noted that often times, the singers are experts in the roles that they have been hired to sing and already bring a tremendous wealth of experience to the role. However, "I've worked with singers who even if they've done a role 100 times before, they come to revival process as an open book ready to be worked with and partnered with."
Working at the Met has also enabled Einhorn to work with internationally known directors that have helped him progress and develop as an artist.
Among those are Stephen Wadsworth and Peter Sellars. Einhorn had an opportunity to work with Wadsworth in his "Boris Godunov" production back in 2010.
"He's just a great educator beyond being a great director. He really takes the time to talk to young artists," said Einhorn of Wadsworth. "He's a huge advocate for the next generation of opera professionals and it's really wonderful to know that somebody like that is out there."
Einhorn was able to meet Sellars during the production process for "Nixon in China" in 2011.
"It was an incredibly special experience. He's so generous and kind and smart," Einhorn marveled. "Since working with him, I find that I incorporate some of his rehearsal techniques into what I do."
Another major influence on Einhorn's work has been director Tim Albery.
"He's a director whose work I admire. I admire his attention to text and relationships. He's been incredibly supportive of my work," said Einhorn.
Aside from his work at the Met and Florentine Opera, Einhorn hinted that he might have a chance to work with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra in Orange County, California. Last June, he directed "Tosca" with a video projection spanning 90 feet across the stage and with the orchestra seated beside the singers.
He revealed that the company was looking to do Carl Orff's Carmina Burana and he might be a part of the project.
He also noted that On Site Opera would be doing a full-length contemporary piece "with ties to the Hispanic community" next June. Einhorn stated that a traditional venue would likely be utilized, but the staging would use the space in a non-traditional manner.
"That is part of our production mission. Use spaces to its fullest rather than build a production in the space," he said about experimenting with the use of venues. "We want to find the right venue that speaks to the story we are trying to tell and use that to its fullest rather than coming in and installing something. "
The director also mentioned a few other dream projects that he would like to take on down the line. He noted a tremendous affinity for the works of Baroque masters like Monteverdi and Handel but also expressed a desire to have a go with the great romantics like Verdi and Wagner.
From the Italian Maestro, Einhorn revealed adoration for his early work "Attila."
"Attila is one of my dream projects." "It is an amazingly under-produced work."
As for Wagner, the director noted that the early "Tannhauser" was among his favorite works from the visionary composer.
"I often get strange looks from people when I tell them that Tannhauser is one of my favorite works. It was an interesting point in his compositional career and it's so romantic," he enthused. "It's the closest to Verdi in its drama and its musical values than what he does later. I think it's an incredible score with a great story. It's so unapologetically romantic in what it sets out to do."
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
