A unique surround-sound experience

Innovative score

‘First of all, because it’s fun’, composer Mikael Karlsson replies with a smile when we ask him why he integrated surround-sound technology in Fanny and Alexander. ‘But more seriously, I think the surprise factor is a tremendous upgrade for an opera experience. For a long time, I myself was actually not a big fan of the genre. The idea of watching and listening to something for about two hours whose maximum effect you could already estimate didn’t appeal to me much.’ The possibility of using sound electronics was a game changer for Karlsson. In this creation, he implements them in three different layers: ‘First, there are live synths, performed by a keyboard player. On the next level, pre-composed samples can be generated via the keyboard, and they are spread in the auditorium through the sound system. Then, there are the “back tracks”, electronic soundscapes played by the audio team at certain times. The effect is that, as a spectator, you are constantly surprised while also listening more actively.’

Technological innovation in itself is one thing, but it is also put to very deliberate use in Fanny and Alexander: ‘The entire show rests on different kinds of storytelling. Alexander is constantly making up stories, the maid Justina lies, and religion – essentially a form of storytelling – is also a major theme. To make this constant switching between different narrative worlds credible’, Karlsson explains, ‘I wanted to make sure that the orchestra always believes the character singing at that moment, as it were.’ Surround sound helps enormously in this respect: ‘By literally involving the audience in the sound experience of the characters, you can build up those different worlds quite smoothly and make them plausible at the same time.’

Low, lower, lowest

An intricate installation distributing non-acoustic sound around the audience is not something you immediately associate with a classical théâtre a l’Italienne like La Monnaie has. So, when we enter the Main Hall during the last two weeks of rehearsals for Fanny and Alexander, we are dazzled by what we see: twenty computer screens inserted among the red velvet seats, a mixing panel added to the control desk, and more than a dozen speakers fitted in the auditorium from top to bottom. For this production, La Monnaie’s Audio and Video team pulled out all the stops, says department head Lucie Tiriau: ‘There are speakers on the first and third balconies, and even in the dome. The stage is also flanked by two subwoofers and infra-subs, which have been placed in the royal boxes. We also provided additional sound monitoring in the orchestra pit and on stage, so that the musicians and singers don’t lose their bearings.’

The speakers on the balconies and in the dome enable an immersive sound experience, quite a challenge to accomplish, according to production manager Vivien Mertz: ‘The acoustics of La Monnaie are quite specific. The dome, which makes all the sounds in the auditorium resonate, is a central element that has to be taken into account in the sound design. However, the sound is never entirely homogeneous in the auditorium: while the audience in the stalls is surrounded by speakers, spectators on the balconies are mostly behind the installations. But in any case, you are part of a sophisticated sound design in which the music will be heard from the auditorium rather than from the heart of the stage. An impressive experience.’ And one that is enhanced by six infra-subs, devices that can reproduce sounds lower than an ordinary subwoofer. When these devices were tested during a sound check, the sound engineers and the composer beamed at each other. ‘This, I think, is what a contemporary opera audience is looking for’, Karlsson says with satisfaction. ‘You are physically moved during a performance. You feel the music in your chest. Wonderful.’

The synergy between Mika Karlsson and the Audio and Video team shows how even today, and perhaps more so than in the past, opera creation is all about teamwork. From sample programmer Emile Warny via desktop operator Nicolas Charloteaux to (assistant) production managers Niels De Schutter and Vivien Mertz, they are all on a joint quest for the perfect sound balance in the auditorium. ‘It’s great that as a team we can bring all our know-how together in a single production. We have been preparing for this for more than two years, and now all those ideas can finally come to life’, Vivien says enthusiastically.

Hand me the mic!

But the real challenge only begins when the until then empty stage fills with singers and the musicians take their place in the orchestra pit. The performers will all be doing their jobs in a way they aren’t necessarily used to. Thanks to a multidirectional headset, the singers will be amplified, something that remains somewhat taboo in the opera world. ‘There is a psychological aspect to it’, says bass-baritone Justin Hopkins. ‘As a classically trained singer, you are constantly aware that you are wearing a microphone that can affect your unique sound.’ However, the composer believes it also creates opportunities: ‘Opera singers are used to having to project their voices acoustically, far into the auditorium. They can now let go of that idea a bit and let other wonderful facets of their voices be heard – lower regions, (mezzo) pianos.’ Hopkins fully agrees: ‘There is a scene where my character, Carl Ekdahl, gets into a very intense argument with his wife. Thanks to my microphone, the audience can hear me when I whisper things to her. It allows me to play a rather fierce intimate scene in a more natural way.’

The orchestra is, of course, miked as well. There is a microphone on almost every stand, and when the back tracks are heard – pre-composed, rhythmically tight sound bits – the musicians must play in sync with the electronic music. That is why conductor Ariane Matiakh occasionally gets to hear a click track in her headphones. ‘It’s tricky. I can’t give the singers any freedom at that moment’, she laughs. ‘My main job is to make all the sound worlds sound as natural as possible. So amplifying the orchestra really has to be done in function of the other musical layers, so that the electronic sounds become an expansion of the acoustic sound, and as a spectator you also have a holistic, immersive experience’, she adds.

‘That is also our number one priority’, says Vivien. ‘Our job is to make everyone feel as comfortable as possible in this process. From soprano to bass tuba player, everyone’s sound has to be integrated organically into the electronic soundscapes.’ That seems to have gone smoothly, according to Karlsson: ‘It is quite magical to hear all these different worlds come to life. Where Ariane and the orchestra provide a solid instrumental sound, the audio team brings all these sound worlds together harmoniously and ensures their unique distribution in the space. They have raised the sound experience to a level I never even dreamed of. I can’t wait for the La Monnaie audience to take part in that immersive experience.’

Translation: Patrick Lennon