Download Kungliga Operan app at App Store and Google Play and this photo will come to life with AR technology.

2018-04-09 12:00 CEST Royal Swedish Opera paves the way digitally – first in the world to present its repertoire with AR technology

World premiere of Tristessa – a newly written Swedish opera; ’s trailblazing choreographer is back at , and more women directors and conductors than before. These are just a few highlights of the Royal Swedish Opera’s autumn 2018/spring 2019 season.

As part of its digitalisation work, the Royal Swedish Opera is presenting its programme for the coming season in a world-unique way. The combination of the opera’s specially developed app and state-of the-art Augmented Reality (AR) technology takes browsing to a whole new level, guiding the reader dynamically through the programme. Images come to life and online visitors are given a taste of the music from the season’s line up.

The Royal Swedish Opera in continues to reach more and more younger visitors, as recently shown in a comprehensive audience survey. Another key objective is to broadcast more productions digitally, making the repertoire accessible to everyone. For example, a 100 % digital work – Sharon Eyal’s Half Life in Virtual Reality – will debut for audiences on Kulturnatten, April 21.

Birgitta Svendén, CEO and artistic director of the Royal Swedish Opera:

“We want to broaden the reach of our art. Through digitalization, we will be able to present more performances in a number of new channels. And it doesn’t stop there. Digitalization will also enable us to give the audience greater insight into so much more of what’s on here at the opera house via our Operan Play channel. What’s more, we’re a partner of OperaVision, a new platform for livestreaming opera, launched last year by 30 opera companies in 19 countries.”

Also new for the Royal Swedish Opera is the #operanraw endeavour.

“Through #operanraw, we will be publishing much more material related to our premieres: mini documentaries, trailers, interviews, studio work; in other words, giving our audiences a virtual first-hand view of ongoing production work and performance preparations. It’s the opera without makeup. Hence the name #operanraw,” explains Catarina Falkenhav, Communications’ Director, Royal Swedish Opera

In the upcoming autumn 2018/spring 2019 programme, images are brought to life and music plays thanks to state-of-the-art AR technology.“The most important aspect of what we’ve done is to create a seamless transition between traditional print media and augmented reality. We’ve captured moments from the different performances using groundbreaking technology, ranging from volumetric film to 3D scanning. In this way, we’ve enhanced the upcoming season’s programme with music from the performances and in some cases the images also come to life,” says Bo Gustafsson, Creative Director at DVA Studio, the production company behind the AR experiences.

Some of the images in the general program are enhanced with augmented reality material: Tristessa, Carmen, Orlando and Nutcracker.

From the autumn 2018/spring 2019 programme:

OPERA

The Royal Swedish Opera has expanded its collaboration with women conductors, working with Julia Jones (Aida), Juana Carneiro (Carmen), Dalia Stasevska (Don Giovanni) and Karen Kamensek (Dracula). Of the six opera premiers on the programme, five of them are directed by women: Johanna Garpe (Carmen), Katharina Thoma (Tristessa) and Sofia Jupither (Rigoletto). And our Young at the Opera productions NÄR DÅ DÅ and Orlando are directed by Kajsa Giertz and Ellen Lamm, respectively. The first opera premiere of the season, Tristessa, by writer Torbjörn Elensky, video artist Ann-Sofi Sidén and composer Jonas S Bohlin, is an adaptation of Angela Carter’s cult novel The Passion of New Eve from 1977. Directed by Katharina Thoma, with Kerstin Avemo, Johanna Rudström and John Erik Eleby in leading roles. World premiere, October 6, 2018.

A new production of Verdi’s Rigoletto is being directed by Sofia Jupither, who is back at the Royal Swedish Opera following Salome. Singing the title role is Karl-Magnus Fredriksson, with the role of Gilda sung by Ida Falk Winland. Premiere Nov. 24, 2018.

The first opera premiere of spring 2019 is Bizet’s Carmen, directed by Johanna Garpe, with Miriam Treichl in the title role. Premiere January 1, 2019.

Next up is the Swedish premiere of Karol Szymanowski’s King Roger, a collaboration with Teatr Wielki in Warsaw. Directed by Mariusz Trelinski, with Lukasz Glowinski and Elin Rombo in leading roles. Szymanowski’s opera was first staged in 1926 at the opera in Warsaw. The music has been compared to that of Richard Strauss, receiving accolades for its distinctive poetic tonal language filled with virtuoso arias, symphonic timbres and dramatic choral sections. This is the first time King Roger is being staged in Sweden, opening on March 16, 2019.

The opera repertoire also includes Verdi’s Aida, Borisova-Ollas’ Dracula, Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, La Bohème and Madama Butterfly by Puccini, Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Lehar’s Merry Widow.

DANCE/BALLET

Nicolas Le Riche, Director of the :

“My vision for the Swedish Royal Ballet is to be a key player both nationally and internationally, and for us to continuously develop and forge a deeper relationship with our audience.”

Sweden’s Alexander Ekman, one of the most talked-about contemporary choreographers in the world, is back with a new work for the Royal Ballet titled An Evening with Ekman. His past successes include Midsummer Night’s Dream for the Royal Ballet in 2015 (soon to be staged in Chicago). World premiere of An Evening with Ekman, April 5, 2019.

Two masters, Jiří Kylián and Angelin Preljocaj, are also back at the Royal Ballet with narrative works based on epic tales such as Greek mythology’s Icarus and Archangel Gabriel’s meeting with the Virgin Mary. Rounding up this triple-bill is a new piece for the Royal Ballet by choreographer Lukáš Timulak, inspired by the avant-garde movement of the 1920s. Premiere/World premier: February 11, 2018.

Serge Lifar’s dazzling masterpiece meets Jérémie Bélingard’s innovative chorography in a double-bill titled Dancing Forward. Lifar’s crown jewel Suite en blanc is a brilliant neo classic ballet. Starting his career in , Lifar took classic ballet to new heights in the 20th century. The second choreographer of the evening, Jérémie Bélingard, whose style is creative and poetic, has danced Lifar’s works himself. Together with the Royal Swedish Ballet, he creates a brand new piece. Premiere/Word premiere, February 15, 2019.

The Czech choreographer Jiři Bubeniček is behind Processen/Der Prozess, another brand new piece for the Royal Ballet. Processen/Der Prozess revolves around an absurd bureaucracy, which, like Kafka’s writings, is brutal – both physically and psychologically. World premiere, May 17, 2019.

Also on the Royal Swedish Ballet’s repertoire are: Márcia Haydée’s Sleeping Beauty and Pär Isberg’s The Nutcracker, set to Tchaikovsky's immortal scores.

YOUNG OPERA

Anna Karinsdotter, artistic director:

“At Young at the Opera, we work with particularly long cycles, taking into consideration that everyone – from tiny tots to young adults – should have the opportunity to experience both dance and opera.”

NÄR DÅ DÅ, with texts, set, costume and mask design by Pija Lindenbaum, was created in collaboration with Helsingborg stadsteater. Recommended for children between 5 and 8 years of age. Premiere at the Operan’s Rotundan Nov. 11, 2018. Young at the Opera is also presenting a new version of Orlando, with music by Handel and Johan Ramström, directed by Ellen Lamm and with Emma Sventelius in the title role. World premiere at Confidencen, Ulriksdal Palace Theatre, May 4, 2019.

Read more about the full repertoire at www.operan.se

TOP TIP! Join us behind the scenes in our very own channel Operan Play, where we’ve gathered our films, podcasts and music.

Download Kungliga Operan app at App Store and Google Play. Using the app, get a taste of the music from each one of our performances, along with images that come to life with AR technology.

Press contact: Ebba Lindqvist PR [email protected]+46 70-480 33 00

PROGRAMME 2018-2019 – THE HIGHLIGHTS

1. WORLD PREMIERE Tristessa – a new Swedish opera by Ann-Sofi Sidén, Torbjörn Elensky and Jonas S Bohlin, based on ANGELA CARTER’S iconic novel The Passion of New Eve, premieres at the Royal Swedish Opera on 6 October, 2018. Libretto in English. 2. Opera for schools: Orlando. A new take on Handel’s opera for young people will be performed at CONFIDENCEN. This speeded- up version of the 18th century experience by composer Johan Ramström and Unga på Operan, takes its cue from Handel’s Orlando. Directed by Ellen Lamm and conducted by Mattias Böhm. 3. The first digital piece to be staged at the Royal Swedish Opera – Sharon Eyal’s celebrated dance work Half Life in VIRTUAL REALITY. Eyal’s Half Life was performed for the first time with the Royal Swedish Ballet in spring 2017. During autumn 2017, the work has been captured for Virtual Reality. This will be a new experience for the audience in which the real and the enhanced merge. This is the first time the RSO shows a purely digital work. Tickets must be pre-booked at www.operan.se. The first VR performance will be broadcast during “Kulturnatten” on 21 April, 2018. In co-operation with Robert & Robert Studios. 4. ABC-Opera. The season 2018–2019 will cater for those who are new to opera by offering the most popular classics – Aida, La Bohème and Carmen – all in the same season. 5. This season’s programme includes sound and movement. In Operan’s app you can listen to the PROGRAMME FOR THE COMING SEASON as well as watch augmented reality versions of some of the performances. See Snowflakes from the Nutcracker emerge from the paper and take a pose while the snow falls gently. Or a furious Carmen throwing a flamenco doll that that breaks when it hits a glass wall just before it reaches you. Images react to the app regardless of whether they are displayed on a screen, in an advert, on the tube or as a picture on a tote bag. Don’t miss our new tote bag with a picture of who sings “Hojotoho!” when you open the opera app on your smartphone and point it at the picture. 6. Women directors. Seven of the 13 operas that will be performed during the 2018–2019 season are directed by women. Tristessa (Katharina Thoma), Madama Butterfly (Kirsten Harms), Rigoletto (Sofia Jupither), Dialogues des Carmelites (Johanna Garpe), Carmen (Johanna Garpe), NÄR DÅ DÅ (Kajsa Giertz) and Orlando (Ellen Lamm). The following five are premieres: Carmen, Rigoletto, Tristessa, NÄR DÅ DÅ and Orlando. 7. The Royal Swedish Ballet. Artistic Director Nicolas Le Riche, who recently joined the Ballet, presents six performances that include 11 different productions. The Royal Swedish Ballet is the only in Sweden that can handle a variety on this scale. 8. More digital broadcasts. 5-6 performances have been or will be BROADCAST on a number of digital channels in 2018–2019, including the new European opera streaming platform Opera Vision. 9. Ekman returns to the Royal Swedish Ballet. THE INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED choreographer ALEXANDER EKMAN returns to the Royal Swedish Ballet for an evening comprising two well-known ballets and one new work. 10. INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION. The first performance in Sweden of the opera KING ROGER, a co-operation between the Royal Swedish Opera and Teatr Wielki in Warsaw, directed by the prominent film director Mariusz Trelinski. There are plans for additional performances in Prague, Seoul and Tokyo – this is the Royal Swedish Opera audience’s chance to experience this unique joint production. 11. BIRGIT NILSSON CENTENARY – The Royal Swedish Opera will be buzzing with activities during the centenary. On 19 May, there will be a concert that features our most prominent opera stars. It will be broadcast live in cinemas around the country and on Opera Vision. The opera house will put on a new exhibition where visitors can walk in Birgit Nilsson’s footsteps. See 15 of her costumes and share her amazing journey from a farm in southern Sweden to the world’s greatest opera houses. A photo exhibition will be shown in the main foyer – admission is free. In mid-October, the Birgit Nilsson Prize, the world’s most prestigious music prize of one million dollars, will be awarded in memory of Birgit Nilsson. The ceremony, which is organised by the Birgit Nilsson Foundation, is by invitation only. 12. KAFKA’S THE TRIAL. A NEW WHOLE-EVENING PERFORMANCE. Inspired by Franz Kafka’s classic story, the Czech choreographer Jiří Bubeníček is putting on a new work for the Royal Swedish Ballet and the Royal Swedish Orchestra. A physically and psychologically brutal piece about the most absurd form of bureaucracy.

Kungliga Operan är Sveriges nationalscen för opera och balett.

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