Theater director Dmitry Bertman, the creator of the unique Helikon-Opera theater, is known worldwide for his productions. His performances are distinguished by lightness, grace, originality, improvisation and great respect for musical material.
Opera Prodigy
Dmitry Bertman was born on October 31, 1967 in Moscow. From childhood, his mother enrolled him in a music school in a piano class and took him to theaters several times a week. Dmitry Bertman, whose family had a lot of acquaintances in the theatrical environment, remembered his first performance “The Bunny-Znayka” in the Youth Theater, which he watched with great emotional empathy. And during the intermission, his mother led him backstage and the boy was surprised to see that Baba Yaga was Uncle Volodya, who often visited their house. Dmitry says that since then he has ceased to be an ordinary spectator, and now he understood that theater is a convention, a game, and he enjoyed watching how the actors do it.
Little Dmitry had a toy - a theater model on a rotating circle, and on it already in childhood, the future director played out his first productions. Already in the fifth grade, he knew that he only wanted to be an opera director. The best pastime for the teenager was a secret visit to Pokrovsky's rehearsals at the Bolshoi Theater. Every day he went to the theater. Stanislavsky, knew all productions by heart, remembered all the artists. So from childhood Dmitry’s fate was a foregone conclusion.
Study
At the age of 16, Dmitry Bertman, whose biography, it would seem, is predetermined, makes a fateful decision - he submits an application to GITIS. Although before that he was going to enter Moscow State University, he went there for preparatory lectures, and only after that he intended to go to directing courses. Everyone around said that it was unrealistic to act as a director at age 16 and the selection committee was very skeptical. But the explication exam was able to convince professionals of the unconditional talent of the applicant. Throughout the years of study, Bertman was attracted special attention, and he had to prove every day his right to exist in the profession.
Already during his studies, Dmitry is looking for any opportunity to stage performances. He works in provincial theaters in Syktyvkar, Odessa, and Tver. He leads an amateur club in the House of Medic, teaching singing in the choir of doctors and nurses, and for this he receives a rehearsal room in which the first performances of the future famous troupe are born.
Theater of Life: Helikon Opera
Already in the last courses of the institute, a small team of like-minded people formed around Dmitry, they stage an opera for four people - the "Mavra" by I. Stravinsky. And after graduation, the idea of their own theater arose. And the unprecedented happened - a young 23-year-old man creates his own opera house! Gradually, the troupe develops an interesting repertoire of works by composers of the 20th century. These were extremely difficult times for the country as a whole and for theaters in particular. But Bertman did not want to back down, he urged the sponsors with vigorous energy to invest in recordings and productions. They are joined by a choir of 12 people, which allows us to stage Leoncavallo's “Payats” and attract a wider audience.
In 1993, Helikon-Opera received the status of a state theater and began to actively develop. Initially, the troupe was 30 staff units, today more than 300 people work in the theater. The audience appreciated the directorial search for Bertman and fell in love with a new unusual theater. The director was called a revolutionary and a bully, he sets the classics, but always finds a new interpretation, and this very attracts viewers and criticism.
The theater is based on Bertman’s charisma, he is an extremely sociable person and the theater has become more like a club for fans of his work, outstanding artists, celebrities, and politicians come here. So, for example, Valentina Matvienko watched some performances seven times, brought many friends and official delegations.
Today the repertoire of Helikon-Opera consists of classics: Aida, Boris Godunov, Carmen, Queen of Spades, Sadko, and modern works: Gershwin-Gala, Doctor Haaz, Cartoon opera". It is impossible to buy tickets at the broadcast of the theater’s premier in the New York Metropolitan Opera; the theater is actively touring the world with constant full houses.
For a long time, the theater huddled in other people's rooms, but thanks to the incredible and heroic efforts of Dmitry Bertman in November 2015, the Helikon Opera moved into its own building on Bolshaya Nikitskaya. Now the theater has a modern stage and plenty of opportunities for further creative searches.
Director's work
Bertman Dmitry Alexandrovich, in addition to Helikon Opera, is actively working in many theaters in the world. For more than 20 years of creative activity, he staged about 90 performances in the best theaters. Among his finds are the “Naked King” in Rome, “Faust” in Tallinn, “Nabucco” in Dijon, “Mermaid” in Toronto, “Othello” in Sweden. Bertman's creative method is of tremendous interest in the world; he is invited to festivals and to the jury of competitions.
Since 1994, Bertman begins to teach abroad, and since 1996, the RATI has its own workshop, and heads the department of directing.
Creative Achievements and Awards
The main achievement of Dmitry Bertman is the incredibly successful worldwide innovative groundbreaking opera house. In "Helikon-Opera" is always a full house, the audience is happy to look at the creative finds of the director. Tours of the theater in London, Paris, Stockholm, New York attract a huge number of spectators, critics speak of the formation of a new Russian opera, which Bertman creates.
Bertman's talent has repeatedly received well-deserved awards. He has several Golden Masks as the best director of musical theater, has twice been awarded the "Nail of the Season" - a prize for theater figures, presented to several foreign awards and prizes, and is also the owner of the Order of Friendship. In 1998, Dmitry Bertman became an Honored Artist of the Russian Federation; in 2005, he became a People's Artist of the Russian Federation.
Private life
Dmitry Bertman, whose personal life causes keen interest among journalists, is so busy with work that he apparently has no time to think about his family. He is very sociable, in his house, which reflects the seething and inquisitive nature of the owner, there are always many guests.
If there are people obsessed with work, then this is Dmitry Bertman, for him personal life is a theater, he reads a lot, travels, attends colleagues' performances and works - this is his life.