Love and relationships as seen through the eyes of Orpheus, Eurydice en L’Amour
How do we define love nowadays? Inspired by Christoph Willibald Gluck’s opera Orphée et Eurydice, opera director Robin Coops joined forces with VR pioneer Avinash Changa and embarked on a journey of discovery. This ultimately led to the creation of three distinct opera experiences that integrated a wide variety of techniques to immerse visitors in the perspectives of Orphée, Eurydice and L'Amour.
In this version of the myth, Orpheus and Eurydice are not separated by death, but by something that occurs in many relationships nowadays: the lovers become increasingly alienated from one another. They don’t communicate directly anymore, relying only on text messages. L’Amour, the personification of love, is at a loss as to how he should fulfil his role as mediator.
Three different perspectives
This production uses both theatre and VR technology to give the audience an immersive experience, while telling a story from three different perspectives: that of Orpheus, Eurydice and L’Amour. It consists of three short performances, which can be experienced separately. Dutch-Polish composer Zbigniew Wolny transformed Gluck’s score into an intimate and colourful arrangement for the tenor, guitar and electronics.
Robin Coops
With his interdisciplinary approach, Robin Coops (1988) is a fast-rising contemporary opera director. His work is innovative and original, bringing together music, theatre, film, technology and digital culture. His own personal experiences with love, including a relationship that ended, formed the source of inspiration for Orphée | L’Amour | Eurydice. For this production, he partnered up with Avinash Changa, who worked on several new VR techniques to give the audience a completely immersive experience.
Performance dates
5, 6 and 7 March
WORLD PREMIERE