e

This Orfeo latterly takes place underground. The opera is set in a parking lot in the centre Amersfoort. The audience enters the space in small groups via various routes and find them selves in the middle of the wedding party of Euridicee and Orfeo. They are wearing headphones and walk freely through the space. When the story evolves and fate struck the audience is set in a L shape tribune around the scene.

The conditions prove a challenge for the lighting design. The limited heigh, the various pillars and the fact that the audience was allowed to walk around freely limited the possibility for traditional theatre lighting.

For the first two act (those at the party) the audience was surrounded by special made metal frames with RGB led fixtures in them. These object created atmosphere and defined the space for these act and at the same time prove use full as a form of backlight for the other acts.

The opera asks for a clear contrast between the world of the living and the dead. The world of the living was created with warm incandescent floor lighting focused in small lanes next to the pillars. The world of the goddess and the underworld was created with LED and discharge light sources.

The contrast of light and darkness and clear choices of light directions prove very interesting. Most of the opera scenes are lit by light coming from one direction only.

More information about the project can found at the website of Holland Opera.

Team

Creatives
Muziek: Claudio Monteverdi – Eindregie: Joke Hoolboom – Regie koren: Ralph Kooijman – Muzikale leding: Niek Idelenburg – Lichtontwerp: Maarten Warmerdam – Geluidsontwerp: Tom Gelissen – Soundscape: DJ Qbical – Choreografie dans: Jack Timmermans – Kostuums: Sophie Ketting & Ineke Duivenvoorde – Grime: Bernadette Hilhorst – Dramaturgie: Carel Alphenaar

Cast
Orfeo: Florian Just – Charon & Pluto: Wiebe Pier Cnossen – Pastore: Sinan Vural – Pastore: Jeroen de Vaal – La Musica: Martha Bosch – Messagiera/Speranza: Rosina Fabius – Proserpina: Elvire Beekhuizen – Ninfa: Tamar Niamut

Dans
Euridice 1: Jenia Kasatkina – Euridice 2: Margreet Nuijten

Musici
Flamencogitaar: Eric Vaarzon Morel – Theorbe: Israel Golani – Viool: Laura Bruggen – Viool: Machteld van Delft – Atviool: Tom Moonen – Cello: Diederik van Dijk – Bas: Norma Brooks

Vocaal Ensemble Venus (Utrecht) – Nieuw Bach Ensemble (Amersfoort) – Vocaal Ensemble Coqu (Utrecht)