Amir Hosseinpour is an opera director and choreographer who has worked in major opera houses worldwide. He collaborated with directors such as
Pierre Audi
Pierre Audi (born 1957 in Beirut, Lebanon) is a French-Lebanese theatre director and artistic director.
Early life
Audi is the son of the Lebanese banker Raymond Audi and Andrée Michel Fattal, the eldest of three children.Almeida Theatre, Nigel Lowery, and choreographer Jonathan Lunn. His production of Haydn's Orlando Paladino, co-directed with Nigel Lowery, continues to be broadcast on Sky Arts HD regularly. Some of his biggest productions have been recorded for international DVD releases. His choreography for Michael Tippett's The Midsummer Marriage at the Bavarian State Opera in February 1998 was described as 'stunning' by The Daily Telegraph critic, Rupert Christiansen, and it was also highly praised by Wolfgang Sandner in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Other outstanding reviews for Hosseinpour's work in the German-language '' Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'' (FAZ) were for Les Paladins (Rameau) at Basel in December 2004, reviewed by Gerhard Koch, Petrushka at Munich reviewed by
Jochen Schmidt
Jochen Schmidt (born 9 November 1970 in East Berlin) is a German author and translator. Initially, Schmidt gained popularity in Germany with his story “Harnusch mäht als wär’s ein Tanz” (English "Harnusch mows the lawn as if it were a ...
in December 1999 and Orphée et Eurydice at the Bavarian State Opera in November 2003.
In April 2013, Hosseinpour created the choreography for the world premiere of The Lost by
Philip Glass
Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...
at Linz, Austria. The title in the original German is Spuren der Verirrten, and the production was described as 'a visual feast' in both The Guardian and the New York Times. His choreography for William Tell at Welsh National Opera in 2014 was described as 'show stopping' in The Telegraph.
Hosseinpour was born in Iran before the
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
of 1979 and now lives in London. The opera houses he has worked in include Opera Garnier and Opera Bastille in Paris, Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, La Scala in Milan, De Nederlandse Opera in Amsterdam, Bregenz Festival, Opera North in Leeds, and London's
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...
at Covent Garden.
Career
As director and/or choreographer
*The Exterminating Angel, Thomas Ades,
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...
Berlin State Opera
The (), also known as the Berlin State Opera (german: Staatsoper Berlin), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Prussian king Frederick the Great from ...
*Akhnatan, Philip Glass,
Vlaamse Opera The Vlaamse Opera (Flemish Opera) is an opera company in Belgium directed by Jan Vandenhouwe which operates in two different opera houses in two Flemish cities, the Vlaamse Opera Antwerp at Van Ertbornstraat 8 and the Vlaamse Opera Ghent at Schouwbu ...
Welsh National Opera
Welsh National Opera (WNO) ( cy, Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru) is an opera company based in Cardiff, Wales; it gave its first performances in 1946. It began as a mainly amateur body and transformed into an all-professional ensemble by 1973. In its ...
, Autumn 2014
*The Lost, Philip Glass, Linz, Austria, World Premiere 2013, (choreography)
*Platée (direction and choreography)
Dutch National Opera
The Dutch National Opera (DNO; formerly De Nederlandse Opera, now De Nationale Opera in Dutch) is a Dutch opera company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its present home base is the Dutch National Opera & Ballet housed in the Stopera building, a m ...
*Les Troyens, (
La Scala
La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...
, Milan, 2010)
*Castor et Pollux, (Dir. Pierre Audi) (
De Nederlandse Opera
The Dutch National Opera (DNO; formerly De Nederlandse Opera, now De Nationale Opera in Dutch) is a Dutch opera company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its present home base is the Dutch National Opera & Ballet housed in the Stopera building, a m ...
Amsterdam)
*The Twilight of the Gods, (De Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam)
*Hire, (De Nederlandse Opera in Amsterdam)
*Alice in Wonderland, (De Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam)
*Alceste, (De Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam)
*Orlando Paladino, (
Berlin State Opera
The (), also known as the Berlin State Opera (german: Staatsoper Berlin), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Prussian king Frederick the Great from ...
)
*Socrates (Innsbruck and
Berlin State Opera
The (), also known as the Berlin State Opera (german: Staatsoper Berlin), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Prussian king Frederick the Great from ...
Festspielhaus Baden-Baden
The Festspielhaus Baden-Baden is Germany’s largest opera and concert house, with a 2,500 seat capacity.
The building was originally built in 1904 as Baden-Baden central railway station. This building replaced the original railway station whi ...
)
*Zoroastre with Les Talens Lyriques, (2005) (Opéra Comique and Drottningholms Slottsteater),
*Julius Caesar (Bavarian State Opera),
*Dialogues des Carmelites (
Opéra National du Rhin
The Opéra national du Rhin is an opera company which performs in Alsace, eastern France. It includes the Opéras in Strasbourg, in Mulhouse, where the Ballet de l'Opéra national du Rhin, also known as the Ballet Du Rhin, is based, and in Colmar, ...
Der Zwerg
''Der Zwerg'' (''The Dwarf''), Op. 17, is an opera in one act by Austrian composer Alexander von Zemlinsky to a libretto by Georg C. Klaren, freely adapted from the short story "The Birthday of the Infanta" by Oscar Wilde.
Composition history
...
'' (
Opera Garnier
The Palais Garnier (, Garnier Palace), also known as Opéra Garnier (, Garnier Opera), is a 1,979-seatBeauvert 1996, p. 102. opera house at the Place de l'Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built for the Paris Opera from ...
, Paris)
*Orpheus & Euridice, co-directed with Nigel Lowery, ( Bavarian State Opera)
*Rinaldo, Co-directed with Nigel Lowery (
Festwochen der Alten Musik
The Innsbruck Festival of Early Music (German: Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik) is a festival of historically informed performances of music from the late Renaissance, Baroque and early Classical periods which takes place annually in Inn ...
)
*Castor & Pollux, Dir. Pierre Audi (De Nederlandse Opera Amsterdam)
*Tannhäuser,
Festspielhaus Baden-Baden
The Festspielhaus Baden-Baden is Germany’s largest opera and concert house, with a 2,500 seat capacity.
The building was originally built in 1904 as Baden-Baden central railway station. This building replaced the original railway station whi ...
, with Jonathan Lunn
*Les Troyens, with Jonathan Lunn (De Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam)
*The Barber of Seville, with Nigel Lowery,
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...
, London
Choreography for TV
*Classic Widows (South Bank Show, LWT)
*Trouble in Tahiti (BBC – Winner of the Vienna TV Award 2002)
*La Poussière de l'Amour (Arte)
*Barber Sivilia (
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...
)
*The Midsummer Marriage (Munich)
*L'Enfant et les Sortilèges (Paris National Opera)
*The Flying Dutchman (Opéra de Lille)
*Petrushka (
Bavarian State Ballet
The Bavarian State Ballet (german: Bayerisches Staatsballett) is a professional ballet company in Munich, Germany. It was founded in 1988 by Konstanze Vernon as an independent company. The ballet had previously been part of the ''Bayerische Staa ...
, Munich)
*The Golden Cockerel (Bregenz Festival)
Personal life
Amir Hosseinpour was born in Teheran, Iran, in 1966 to Abdolreza Hosseinpour and his wife, Guity. His maternal grandfather was Fuad Rouhani, founder and first general secretary of
OPEC
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC, ) is a cartel of countries. Founded on 14 September 1960 in Baghdad by the first five members (Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela), it has, since 1965, been headquart ...
. His grandfather founded the Philarmonic Orchestra of Persia. Under this grandfather's influence, Amir Hosseinpour pursued a career in opera and dance. Hosseinpour's aunt and uncle are Negui and
Kamran Diba
Kamran Diba ( fa, کامران ديبا, born 5 March 1937) is an Iranian architect and museum director, and prior to the Iranian Revolution, Diba worked entirely in the public sector in Iran. He is currently residing in Paris, France.
Biograph ...
Empress Farah Pahlavi
Farah Pahlavi ( fa, فرح پهلوی, née Farah Diba ( fa, فرح دیبا, label=none); born 14 October 1938) is the widow of the last List of monarchs of Persia, Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and was successively Queen and Empress ( ...
, née Farah Diba. Amir Hosseinpour's paternal grandfather was Assadollah Hosseinpoor. After the 1979 Iranian revolution, the family fled to France and later, Hosseinpour moved to London, where he now lives.