Clear the stage for the future of opera: immerse yourself in new worlds of experience with augmented reality
The stage is expanding into the digital: in mid-April, the new production of 'Die tote Stadt' by Erich Wolfgang Korngold will celebrate its premiere at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein. And for the first time, the stage experience at the Düsseldorf Opera House will be enhanced by virtual elements during the performance.
Together with Vodafone, the organizers are providing visitors with augmented reality (AR) glasses that display supplementary digital content during the performance. This includes, for example, background information on the plot, biographies of the performers, as well as animated insertions as a moment of surprise. The sung text is also displayed as subtitles for the audience to read along. In addition, visitors can choose from several camera perspectives - including a view into the orchestra pit.
The augmented reality experience at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein is enabled by Vodafone's 5G network, to which the AR glasses are connected via a smartphone. The mobile network was equipped by Vodafone's technology partner Ericsson.
Augmented reality at the opera: digital information and experiences
Who is singing, and what? How did the composer get the idea for his opera? What inspired the directing team for the production? And what is going on in the orchestra pit right now? Deutsche Oper am Rhein can now answer such questions directly during the live performance with the blended digital experience enabled by the AR glasses.
"Our project focuses on the idea of mediation," says the general director of Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Prof. Christoph Meyer. "Our digital opera glasses combine the live experience and immersive technology to provide a new, low-threshold access to the analogue world of music theatre. The work on the prototype is part of our strategy to facilitate access to opera and ballet through digital offerings. And at the same time it is intended to provide an impulse for the general debate on forms of addressing a new audience in the digital age - especially against the background of the discussion about the opera house of the future in Düsseldorf."
Augmented reality: immersion in new worlds of opera
A team of opera staff and Vodafone started working on the AR project almost a year ago and jointly developed the concept for the digital opera glasses. Michael Reinartz, Head of Innovation at Vodafone: "AR technology digitally extends what happens on stage, building a bridge between the digital and physical worlds. The possibilities are manifold: from pure information transfer to staging with digital means to the virtualization of opera performances. The basis for corresponding AR applications is the 5G mobile network, in which data flows particularly quickly due to the low latency. Information is thus visible on the AR glasses directly at the scene of the action in a very short time."