Der Singende Kopf is an experimental opera fragment by Marc Sinan with a libretto by Maike Wetzel and resembles one third of the Endless Pleasures triology. The piece is based on Ovid's epilogue on the story of Orpheus and Euridike and the Chinese Opera The Peony Pavilion.
In a very tight time frame of just a single week I designed a custom light control software that allowed us to design, animate and preview the entire show, that we controlled live with MIDI controllers and a drawing tablet.
Client
Marc Sinan Company
Contractor
SCHNELLE BUNTE BILDER
Year
2019
Role
Custom light control software, generative lighting design, cueing system, 3D simulation, live show operation
The stage design reflected a fine balance of supporting the screenplay as well as immersing the audience in Marc Sinan's abstract and modern soundscape with audio reactive lighting.
To control the lights throughout the 1 hour show, a custom cueing software was synchronized with the musicians as well as a MIDI Controller and a drawing tablet to allow for manual input, parametrizing and improvisation for each of the 64 scenes.
Even one's own death, in the digital context, marks only the threshold of a new world: on the second evening of the festival, the chamber opera "Der singende Kopf" (the singing head) by Marc Sinan tells of a dynamic, new kingdom of heaven. Is the Internet the key to eternal love? "The singing head" is based on Ovid's epilogue to the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. This contemporary version tells of closeness and distance, of virtual sex and dating apps, of lucky numbers in turbo-capitalism and the endless up and down of the computer mouse. This world and the beyond are seen as metaphors for reality and virtuality in the context of this stage production.
On stage, the multimedia collective schnellebuntebilder realises an immersive space that fuses reality and virtuality. Renowned musicians and singers from China and Europe and a puppeteer convey traditional musical and mythological motifs from their home countries into the present. "L'Orfeo" and a collection of Chinese songs thus morph into prospects of a new, eternal life.
Quote from Radialsystem's official program