Dates

5-7 Mar 2022

Location

Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Boekmanzaal

Running time

0:30, no intermission

Tickets

Not available

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Love and relationships as seen through the eyes of Orpheus, Eurydice en L’Amour

What is the nature of love nowadays? Inspired by Christoph Willibald Gluck’s opera Orphée et Eurydice, opera director Robin Coops and VR pioneer Avinash Changa went on a journey of exploring, resulting in three separate opera experiences that immerse visitors in different ways into the perspectives of Orphée, Eurydice and L'Amour.

Love and relationships as seen through the eyes of Orpheus, Eurydice en L’Amour

In this version of the myth, Orpheus and Eurydice are not separated by death, but by a fate that strikes many present-day relationships: the lovers have lost each other along the way. They don’t communicate directly anymore, only via text messages with L’Amour, the personification of love, who in turn is at a loss how to properly fulfil his role as a mediator. 

Three experiences

Using theatre and VR technology, the makers of this production let the audience experience the story from three different perspectives: Orpheus’, Eurydice’s and L’Amour’s, captured in three short performances, which can be experienced separately. Gluck’s music is transformed by Dutch-Polish composer Zbigniew Wolny into an intimate and colourful arrangement for tenor, guitar and electronics.

Orphée experience (live theatre + VR) + L'Amour (VR):

In the Orphée Experience, the audiences follows the story from Orphée's perspective. Sometimes you even literally follow in his footsteps... You enter the installation through the Orphée entrance and are assigned a seat. There, the singer/guitarist Orphée introduces himself. In the second act, you enter a balcony and are fitted with VR glasses. You follow Orphée's perspective in the virtual world by walking and making hand movements. After the VR experience you walk on to the third act where Orphée comes to a conclusion in his feelings about their broken relationship.

Eurydice experience (live theatre + headphones) + L'Amour (VR):

In the Eurydice experience, the audience follows the story from the perspective of Eurydice. You enter the installation through the Eurydice entrance, and when seated you are given headphones. Dancer Eurydice introduces herself. In the second act, you enter the House. Surrounded by the Chorus of Souls, you see and hear live how Orpheus, Eurydice and Amour tell their story, each in their own way. Then you walk through to the third act where Eurydice comes to a conclusion in her feelings about their relationship.

The Amour experience is included in both the ticket for the Orphée experience and the ticket for the Eurydice experience: and can be attended, as you prefer, either directly before or directly after the Eurydice experience. If you wish to visit Amour prior to the Orphée or Eurydice experience, please ensure that you arrive 35 minutes before the start time of Orphée or Eurydice.

Robin Coops

With his interdisciplinary approach, Dutch director Robin Coops (1988) is a rising contemporary opera-maker. His work is an original amalgam of music, theatre, film, technology and digital culture. For Orphée | L’Amour | Eurydice, he drew inspiration from his personal experiences with love and a broken relationship. He joins forces with Avinash Changa, who has developed new techniques especially for this performance in order to provide the VR users in the audience with a maximally immersive experience.

Performance information

Libretto  Hélène Vrijdag

Composition  Christoph Willibald Gluck / Zbigniew Wolny

Stage direction  Robin Coops

VR direction  Avinash Changa

Set design  Maze de Boer

Costumes  Martijn Kramp

Lighting  Wijnand van der Horst

Choreography Eurydice  Dunja Jocic

Soundscape engineering  Jannes Noorman

Dramaturgy  Willem Bruls

Orphée  Lucas van Lierop **

L'Amour  Julia Akkermans

Eurydice  Kalin Morrow / Tijana Prendovic



** Alumni Dutch National Opera Studio

VR Opera

Orphée | L'Amour | Eurydice is part of the Opera Forward Festival 2022. This sixth OFF edition will take place from 5 to 13 March 2022. Click on the link below to be the first to receive updates on OFF 2022!

Trailer - Orphée | L'Amour | Eurydice

Trailer - Orphée | L'Amour | Eurydice

Orphée | L'Amour | Eurydice - podcast

How can you experience opera as intensely as possible? In this (Dutch) podcast, you get to know director Robin Coops and VR pioneer Avinash Changa. Together they take you through the creation process of their immersive opera Orphée | L'Amour | Eurydice.

Orphée | L'Amour | Eurydice - podcast

By: Emma Lesuis

O|A|E

Collaboration of three opera companies

Dutch National Opera, the Nederlandse Reisopera and Opera Zuid are joining forces in an exchange of expertise, knowledge and experience, with the singers of Dutch National Opera Studio playing a major role.

Collaboration of three opera companies

Talent development

The three opera companies consider it an important part of their mission to enable artistic opera talent to develop further. After all, the future of the art form depends in part on how talents are given a platform and how they are enabled to grow. The three houses will use their resources and experience for a long-term cooperative program aimed at developing talent in the Dutch opera and music theater sector.

 

Collaborations

The tangible result of the collaboration will be an annual co-production, which will receive national exposure through a tour. Orphée | L’Amour | Eurydice is the second co-production. Dutch National Opera Studio will play a major role in these co-productions, but in addition to the young singers in this international talent program, there will also be collaboration with young Dutch singers or singers trained in the Netherlands. Talent development is not limited to singers, however: the three companies observe a great need for opportunities for young theater makers, composers and artistic teams within opera.

‘We are convinced that this will be a real win-win collaboration, especially for the young talents we want to support’


DIRECTOR SOPHIE DE LINT

Orphée | L'Amour | Eurydice | Photo: Marco Borggreve
Orphée | L'Amour | Eurydice | Photo: Marco Borggreve
Orphée | L'Amour | Eurydice | Foto: Marco Borggreve
Orphée | L'Amour | Eurydice | Photo: Marco Borggreve
Orphée | L'Amour | Eurydice | Foto: Marco Borggreve
Orphée | L'Amour | Eurydice | Photo: Marco Borggreve
Orphée | L'Amour | Eurydice | Foto: Marco Borggreve
Orphée | L'Amour | Eurydice | Photo: Marco Borggreve
Orphée | L'Amour | Eurydice | Foto: Marco Borggreve
Orphée | L'Amour | Eurydice | Photo: Marco Borggreve
Rehearsals O|A|E
Rehearsals O|A|E | Photo: Annina Romita
Repetities O|A|E
Rehearsals O|A|E | Photo: Annina Romita
Repetities O|A|E
Rehearsals O|A|E | Photo: Annina Romita
Repetities O|A|E
Rehearsals O|A|E | Photo: Annina Romita
Repetities O|A|E
Rehearsals O|A|E | Photo: Annina Romita
Repetities O|A|E
Rehearsals O|A|E | Photo: Annina Romita
Rehearsals O|A|E
Rehearsals O|A|E | Photo: Robin Coops
Repetities O|A|E
Rehearsals O|A|E | Photo: Robin Coops
Repetities O|A|E
Rehearsals O|A|E | Photo: Robin Coops
Repetities O|A|E
Rehearsals O|A|E | Photo: Robin Coops
Repetities O|A|E
Rehearsals O|A|E | Photo: Robin Coops
Repetities O|A|E
Rehearsals O|A|E | Photo: Robin Coops
Repetities O|A|E
Repetities O|A|E | Foto: Robin Coops

Founding partners Opera Forward Festival

Co-production of

This production is part of OFF

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