| Francisco Negrín | |
| Birth Date: | 5 June 1963 |
| Birth Place: | Mexico City |
| Occupation: | Stage director |
Francisco Negrín (born June 5, 1963)[1] is a creative director working in opera, as well as in the world of stadium and arena based shows and other events. He is considered to be one of the best directors in the world.[2] He is known for his musical and cinematic approach,[3] and for his success with projects considered to be difficult to stage. In opera, he is seen as a specialist of both baroque[4] and contemporary music and his work in all media is characterised by a highly integrated use of dance and technology as part of the dramaturgy and a keen understanding of the culture being treated.
Negrín was born in Mexico City, the son of Spaniard Francisco Negrín Díaz and Greek-Hawaiian Catherine Negrín (née Maggioros). He is the great-grandson of Juan Negrín López, President of the Second Spanish Republic. When he was 9 years old, the family moved from Mexico to the family home in Antibes, France.[5]
After completing his secondary studies at the Lycée in Antibes (graduating with a mathematics and physics Baccalaureate), Negrin studied literature and film at the university of Aix-en-Provence, France, while attending singing lessons at the Conservatoire d'Aix-en-Provence, where he was first in contact with the world of opera. He worked as an extra and later as an assistant director and stage manager at the Aix-en-Provence Festival (1982–83). There he met Swiss stage director, who became his mentor and teacher. Negrín assisted him on many productions, including Seattle Opera's Ring cycle. Rochaix introduced him to the artist agent Lies Askonas. She recommended Negrín to Gerard Mortier who hired him as a staff assistant director at La Monnaie/De Munt in Brussels for two seasons (1984-1986).[6] There he continued to learn his trade assisting the directors Patrice Chéreau,, John Cox and Maurice Béjart. After leaving La Monnaie in 1986, Negrín moved to London where he started his career as a director. He has lived in Barcelona since 2003.
Negrín and conductor Peter Ash put together a performing version of the unfinished La chute de la maison Usher by Debussy, which they staged at Christ Church, Spitalfields, in London. This performance came to the attention of the Southbank Centre which commissioned a production of the reconstruction for the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1989. That was the start of an international directing career which, in opera, includes the following productions:
| Production (Composer) | Venue · location · dates | |
|---|---|---|
| Il Trovatore (II) (Verdi) | Los Angeles Opera · Los Angeles · September 2021 Teatro Real · Madrid · July 2019 Royal Danish Opera · Copenhagen · September 2018 Opera de Monte-Carlo · Mónaco · April 2017 | |
| The Snow Queen (Abrahamsen) | Royal Danish Opera · Copenhagen · October 2019 | |
| Jérusalem (Verdi) | ABAO · Bilbao · November 2019 Theatre Bonn · Bonn · January 2016 | |
| Salome (Strauss) | ABAO · Bilbao · February 2018 Palau de les Arts · Valencia · June 2010 | |
| Il Trovatore (Verdi) | Sferisterio Opera Festival · Macerata · July 2013 and 2016 | |
| Idomeneo (Mozart) | Aalto Musiktheater · Essen · November 2014 | |
| Mitridate (II) (Mozart) | Drottningholm · Stockholm · August 2014 | |
| Thaïs (Massenet) | Theatre Bonn · Bonn · May 2014 | |
| Alcina (Handel) | Norwegian Opera · Oslo · January 2014 Royal Danish Opera · Copenhagen · February 2015 | |
| The Cunning Little Vixen (Janáček) | Royal Danish Opera · Copenhagen · December 2012 | |
| Rinaldo (II) (Handel) | Lyric Opera · Chicago · February 2012 | |
| L'Arbore di Diana (Martín y Soler) | Opera National · Montpellier · November 2011 Teatro Real · Madrid · March 2010 Liceu · Barcelona · October 2009 | |
| Macbeth (Verdi) | Opéra de Monte-Carlo · Monaco · April 2012 ABAO · Bilbao · February 2011 Opéra national du Rhin · Strasbourg and Mulhouse · April 2010 | |
| I Puritani (Bellini) | Grand Théâtre · Geneva · January 2011 Greek National Opera · Athens · April 2009 De Nederlandse Opera · Amsterdam · February 2009 | |
| Una cosa rara (II) (Martín y Soler) | Auditorio Narciso Yepes · Murcia · December 2010 Teatro Calderón · Valladolid · April 2010 Palau de les Arts · Valencia · February 2010 | |
| Werther (II) (Massenet) | San Francisco Opera · San Francisco · September 2010 | |
| Alceste (Gluck) | Santa Fe · Santa Fe Festival · August 2009 | |
| Partenope (II) (Handel) | Royal Danish Opera · Copenhagen · October 2008 | |
| La corte de Faraón (Lleó) | Palau de les Arts · Valencia · June 2008 | |
| Orlando (Handel) | Palau de les Arts · Valencia · February 2008 Royal Opera House · London · February 2007 Royal Opera House · London · October 2003 | |
| La Clemenza di Tito (Mozart) | Leipzig Opera · Leipzig · January 2008 Liceu · Barcelona · October 2006 | |
| Norma (Bellini) | Liceu · Barcelona · July 2007 Liceu · Barcelona · December 2002 Grand Théâtre · Geneva · September 1999 Teatre Victoria · Barcelona · February 1999 | |
| Die Lustige Witwe (Lehar) | Leipzig Opera · Leipzig · December 2006 | |
| Mitridate (Mozart) | The Alhambra · Granada · June 2006 Santa Fe Festival · Santa Fe · July 2001 Grand Théâtre · Geneva · November 1997 | |
| Orphée (II) (Glass) | Royal Opera House · London · May 2005 | |
| Temistocle (J.C. Bach) | Théâtre du Capitole · Toulouse · June 2005 Leipzig Opera · Leipzig · April 2005 | |
| Kafka's Trial (Ruders) | Royal Danish Opera · Copenhagen · March 2005 | |
| Giulio Cesare (II) (Handel) | Royal Danish Opera · Copenhagen · March 2005 Royal Danish Opera · Copenhagen · May 2002 | |
| Leonore (Beethoven) | Teatro Comunale · Bologna · November 2004 | |
| Arabella (Strauss) | Flemish Opera · Gent · October 2004 Opera North · Leeds · May 1999 | |
| Agrippina (Handel) | Santa Fe Festival · Santa Fe · August 2004 | |
| Don Giovanni (Mozart) | Glimmerglass · Cooperstown · July 2003 | |
| Partenope (I) (Handel) | Lyric Opera · Chicago · February 2003 NYC Opera · New York · September 1998 Glimmerglass · Cooperstown · July 1998 | |
| Fidelio (Beethoven) | Flemish Opera · Antwerp · October 2002 | |
| Giulio Cesare (I) (Handel) | Dorothy Chandler Pavilion · L.A. · February 2001 Opera Queensland · Brisbane · October 1998 Opera Australia · Sydney · July 2000 / 1997 / June 1994 | |
| Rinaldo (I) (Handel) | NYC Opera · New York · October 2000 | |
| Beatrix Cenci (Ginastera) | Grand Théâtre · Geneva · September 2000 | |
| Der Freischütz (Weber) | Lausanne Opera · Lausanne · May 2000 Théâtre des Champs-Élysées · Paris · December 1999 | |
| Orphée (I) (Glass) | Royal Danish Opera · Copenhagen · March 1998 | |
| Venus (Schoeck) | Grand Théâtre · Geneva · February 1997 | |
| Les contes d'Hoffman (Offenbach) | Opera Australia · Sydney · September 1996 | |
| King Arthur (Purcell) | Guildhall · London · November 1995 | |
| Una cosa rara (I) (Martín y Soler) | Drottningholm · Stockholm · July 1995 / 1993 | |
| V.S. (MacMillan) | Edinburgh International Festival · Edinburgh · August 1993 Tramway · Glasgow · May 1993 | |
| Tourist Variations (MacMillan) | Edinburgh International Festival · Edinburgh · July 1993 | |
| Double Bill L'heure espagnole/La colombe (Ravel/Gounod) | Guildhall · London · November 1992 | |
| Don Carlo (Verdi) | Victoria State Opera · Melbourne · August 1992 | |
| Cosí Fan Tutte (Mozart) | Seattle Opera · Seattle · May 1992 | |
| The Jewel Box (Mozart) | Opera North · Leeds · February 1991 Glyndebourne · Lewes · October 1991 | |
| La Traviata (Verdi) | Opera North · Leeds · September 1990 | |
| Orlando Paladino (Haydn) | Garsington Festival · Garsington · June 1990 | |
| Janáček's Diary (Janáček) | Purcell Room · London · April 1990 | |
| Werther (I) (Massenet) | Opéra de Nice · Nice · March 1990 | |
| Usher (Debussy) | São Carlos · Lisbon · September 1989 Queen Elizabeth Hall · London · June 1989 Spitalfields Festival · London · June 1986 |
In 2021 Negrín wrote and directed a new production for Holiday on Ice: “A New Day”. The tour was stopped by COVID lockdowns and postponed to 2022.[7]
In 2020 Francisco Negrín directed the tableau vivant for Louis Vuitton’s Paris fashion week autumn/winter womenswear show.[8]
Francisco Negrín has been a creative consultant for Balich Worldwide Shows, for whom he has conceived stadium, arena and other commercial events and shows.
In 2019 Negrín conceived, wrote and directed the opening ceremony of the Lima Panamerican Games[9] and was the creative supervisor for the closing and also for the Parapan American Games ceremonies. These ceremonies had a huge impact in the country.[10]
In 2017 Francisco Negrín conceived and directed the shows for the Dubai World Cup at the Meydan Rececourse. The shows took place in a performance area 1 kilometer wide with a 100 meter wide LED screen and 87 drones.
He also conceived and directed the opening ceremony of the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. A massive stadium show involving more than 6000 performers.
He also wrote and directed the 2014 and 2015 Intimissimi On Ice shows at the Roman arena in Verona which featured opera singers, skating champions such as Stéphane Lambiel and Carolina Kostner and pop stars Pharrell Williams, Anastacia and Ellie Goulding.
Negrin worked with the rock band OK Go, conceiving the staging for a performance at London's The Roundhouse, using an installation by architect Ron Arad called "Curtain Call".[11] But the show was cancelled before opening.
In 2002, Francisco Negrín was a member of the board for London-based contemporary dance company Walker Dance.
Negrín collaborated with choreographer Fin Walker, composer Ben Park and film animator Damian Gascoigne on a site-specific performance called Two Stations, at the Queen Elisabeth Hall in London, commissioned by the Southbank Centre's Great Outdoors festival in 1994.
Negrín did the editing and visual effects for the music video of the song "Slow Me" for singer Mudibu, directed by Dean Loxton.
Negrín has given several master classes for opera singers, aiming to develop their acting skills. A series of master classes was devised by Negrín for the Royal Danish Opera Academy in Copenhagen in which the emphasis was on the whole process of conceiving and putting on a show, with participating singers having to write, stage, light and perform their own mini-operas or plays.
Francisco Negrín has worked in close collaboration with several design teams including:
The following productions have been broadcast on TV: Venus, Les contes d'Hoffman, Una cosa rara (Drottninholm version), Una cosa rara (Valencia version) and Intimissimi on ice 2014 and 2105 were both broadcast in Italy and Spain.
The following productions have been released on DVD: I puritani (DVD and Blu-ray),[12] L'arbore di Diana,[13] Giulio Cesare (Sydney version),[14] Giulio Cesare (Copenhagen version),[15] Partenope (Copenhagen version),[16] Norma (Barcelona version)[17] and Il Trovatore (Macerata version).[18]
Negrín's production of Orlando at The Royal Opera House in London was nominated for two Laurence Olivier Awards in 2004: "Best new opera production" and "Outstanding achievement in opera" (for Bejun Mehta).[19]
His production of Giulio Cesare for Opera Australia won several Green Room Awards in 1995, including best opera director and best opera production.
Negrín's second production of Giulio Cesare, the one for the Royal Danish opera in Copenhagen, won the Award for best opera production in 2003, while Negrín's production of Partenope for the same company was nominated for the award in 2009.[20]