Moving opera

The Bavarian State Opera this week presented models of its innovative new opera house, which will be used for concerts and other events in summer 2010. The Pavilion 21 MINI Opera Space will serve as a small performance venue that can be disassembled and eventually transported for events elsewhere.

"The purpose of the project is to create a smaller space that can house experimental, new and unusual performances," said Johannes Lachermeier, spokesman for the Bavarian State Opera.

Austrian architecture firm Himmelb(l)au will execute the project that is set to occupy 560 square meters (6,000 square feet) in the Marstallplatz area near the State Opera House. Building will begin in April 2010 and will be completed in time for the summer season.

After the summer, the structure will be transported to other locations to host performances, but it will remain in possession of the Bavarian State Opera, according to Lachermeier.

From Jimi Hendrix to opera house

The unusual design of the 2.1 million euro ($3.1 million) opera pavilion reflects the avant-garde quality of the performances that are set to take place within it. Pyramid-shaped spikes and sloping panels form the planned pavilion's shape.

The building's architectural features are partly a response to the challenge of creating a building that is both light and small enough to be transportable, yet still acoustically pleasing. The pyramids and panels will help to both deflect and absorb sound that could distract from a performance within the opera house.

The architects also sought to model the shape of the building on actual music by transcribing sound frequencies from Jimi Hendrix's song "Purple Haze" and Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni." The architects used the transcriptions to create the shape of the opera house, according to a statement Himmelb(l)au sent Deutsche Welle.

Director Christoph Schlingensief will present the first experimental project in the pavilion next year, Lachermeier said.

Author: Greg Wiser
Editor: Kate Bowen