In François Girard’s loft, art is everywhere. Part of the house is reserved for daily life, the other for his activities as a director and director. But in every corner, we find paintings and photographs of artists that he takes pleasure in presenting to us.
Along the walls, placed on the ground, countless posters testify to the shows and films he made during his career. A huge library is overflowing with books on exhibitions, painters and sculptors.
Art is the oxygen of this man of stage and cinema who, at the time of our meeting, last January, was preparing to settle for five months in New York. Three stagings, and not the least, lead him to make this long stay.
First of all Lohengrin And The ghost ship, two operas by Wagner that will be presented at the Metropolitan Opera. Then The shotguna piece he revisits for his greatest pleasure and which will be presented at the Baryshnikov Arts Center.
Our conversation begins with Lohengrin which François Girard staged last year at the same date in Moscow, at the prestigious Bolshoi Theatre. This project, which promised to be a formidable adventure, has nevertheless weathered several storms.
Complicating matters have been COVID-19 outbreaks. “We never had a full cast to rehearse,” he says. It’s still 185 people on stage. There were always missing people. To this was added the invasion of the Russian army in Ukraine. “I learned that like everyone else on February 24. A singer fell into my arms. No one believed this was going to happen. We all thought it was a bluff. »
Within the imposing team, no one approved of this war. The director of the Bolshoi, Vladimir Urin, even signed a letter with about twenty directors of cultural organizations to oppose this invasion. “We thought he was going to lose his job,” says François Girard
It was planned that after the performances in Moscow, the elements of the set would be sent to the Metropolitan Opera, as it is a co-production. But the conflict brought down the bridge between the Bolshoi and the Met. “We had to rebuild everything,” explains François Girard, who is in his fourth staging of an opera by Wagner.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE PRODUCTION
Lohengrin, directed by François Girard, at the Metropolitan Opera
After Siegfried, Parsifal And The ghost shipit now adds Lohengrin. “I have found my niche in the world of Wagner. I’m not very comfortable with all the operatic repertoire, but with this composer, there is a space for me. We are in myths and legends. »
It is Yannick Nézet-Séguin who will be at the pulpit during the performances which will take place from February 26 to 1er april. It is also to the musical artistic director of the Met that François Girard owes this other invitation. Their relationship is obviously based on mutual respect.
“I experienced all the possible and imaginable dynamics with the chefs, says François Girard, without going into details. I’ve heard of some famous baffles. It’s not at all that with Yannick. He’s a huge musician. He is a very inspiring person. »
Find freshness
After the performances of Lohengrin, François Girard will take over the staging of the ghost ship which he premiered in 2020. This production, whose take-off was halted by the COVID pandemic, will be offered to Met audiences again in May and June.
Several directors do not like to work from the same canvases. François Girard does not see things that way. “When you work with a new team, it can’t be the same staging. People don’t suspect how much a show, with the same sets and lighting, goes through a big transformation with new performers. »
During a creation, the artists see a director who searches and thinks. But during a recovery, they have someone in front of them who knows where he is going. Does this have an influence on the chemistry with the singers? “It goes both ways. I once ran into a singer who was in his 27’se production of the same opera. I could have said the same thing about him. You have to find freshness and over time, I have developed tricks to find that. »
After several forays into the famous New York opera house, François Girard refuses to take things for granted. “There is such a level of excellence, it’s crazy! The choristers are the best in the world, all departments are super professional. It’s a big machine. You have to be up to it. But that is work. »
The Prince of Velocity
Between these two operas, François Girard will stage the piece The shotgun by Japanese author Yasushi Inoue. This production was first presented at Usine C with Marie Brassard and Rodrigue Proteau in 2010. The director then presented the play in 2011 and 2016 in Tokyo with Japanese actress Miki Nakatani.
François Girard discovered the talent of the latter during the filming of the film Silk. “Miki is known as Julia Roberts in Japan,” he said. He’s a huge star. She made her theater debut with this play. The theater roof blew when she performed that. »
This work, adapted from a novel, features three women played by the same actress. The daughter, wife and mistress of a man, whose presence on stage is completely silent, read a letter intended to make the truth triumph. In New York, the legendary Mikhail Baryshnikov will interpret this man in a room at the art center that bears his name, from March 15 to April 16.
Throughout the duration of the piece, the actor performs a single extremely slow movement stretched over an hour and a half. “It’s so slow that you sometimes wonder if it’s moving,” says François Girard. It’s incredible that this prince of velocity, one of the greatest dancers in the world, agrees to do this. »
François Girard will spend a total of five months in New York. He told me about the organization of his work. It makes you dizzy. Fortunately, he surrounds himself with certain collaborators who will ensure a bridge between all these universes, including the faithful playwright Serge Lamothe.
“You asked me earlier how I found my pleasure in redoing my productions. When I started doing theatre, I had a shock at the end of a run. I found the transience of work difficult to accept. There, I have the chance to prolong the life of these works. That’s wonderful ! »
After this New York spring, François Girard will continue to develop two film projects, another documentary on the brain and an immersive exhibition. To this will be added a new opera project which should “take him out of the world of Wagner”.
When I tell you that art is its oxygen…
Lohengrin is presented from February 26 to 1er April at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Der Fliegende Holland will be resumed at the same location from May 30 to June 10. Lohengrin will be screened in theaters in Quebec as part of The Met: Live in HD program.
The shotgun is presented from March 16 to April 15 at the Baryshnikov Arts Center.