Opera gets 3D makeover
THE 1928 opera Four Saints in Three Acts was way ahead of its time, overturning operatic convention with a libretto by Gertrude Stein where the sound of words took precedence over the story.
Now, with 3D visuals such as colourful fish swimming across the sky or the sensation of floating through the cosmos within an immersive stereoscopic environment, the opera’s Australian premiere provides a scenography to match by exploiting the possibilities of cutting edge technology.
Co-director of the new production, Deakin’s Professor Kim Vincs, has no doubt that American composer Virgil Thomson and poet Gertrude Stein would have approved.
“I think Gertrude Stein would be impressed by what we can do today,” she said.
“The spirit of the production is fun, quirky and surreal. Stein and Thomson were also pushing boundaries. They would be amazed that we can create an immersive experience, where 3D glasses bring surreal elements to life.”
Four Saints is the latest in a series of Deakin Motion. Lab and Opera Victoria collabora- tions. Its first two performances sold out weeks in advance.
The show is being performed by the Victorian Youth Opera and Youth Orchestra (all aged 15-25) at the Coopers Malthouse theatre.
Prof Vincs is director of Deakin’s Motion. Lab, which is recognised as one of Australia’s leading innovators in performing arts and technology.
As co-director of Four Saints she is focusing her energies on the choreography and scenography, supported by a Motion. Lab team.
“I am absolutely thrilled that Four Saints has come together so well,” Prof Vincs said.
“This project has a totally different feel from our last coproduction, the 2015 Wagner opera Flying Dutchman. This is the most complex production we’ve done. The scenography has been designed to give a vis- ual narrative, extending the content onto the screen.”
Artistic Director of the Victorian Opera, Richard Mills, noted the 3D component resonated with Gertrude Stein’s (and her partner Alice Toklas’s) interest in the visual arts.
An Australian Research Council Linkage scheme has supported Motion. Lab to work on three operas with Opera Victoria.
Their final co-production will be based on a Tom Waits album The Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets, scheduled for late 2017.