360° Figaro – The first opera shot in VR

Director Jan Schmidt-Garre does pioneering work with this innovative production in 360°.

In the digital age of the 21st century VR gains an increasingly important role. Myriads of 360° videos are available. According to a statement made by the social network Facebook there are more than one million 360° videos at their own platform Facebook Surround available.

Now this innovative technology doesn‘t stop at the classical music market, although there are no originary 360° opera productions available. Arthaus Musik presents 360° FIGARO, a series of scenes – coherent in itself - from the beginning of Act II of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro in Virtual Reality directed by Jan Schmidt-Garre.

“360° Figaro” is a music film shot in virtual reality: an opera scene, for the first time conceived and staged exclusively for this new medium, live performed both vocally and instrumentally, recorded by a binaural sound recording technique. The viewer will be placed right in the centre of the performance which is staged exclusively for him.

Starring: Jacquelyn Wagner (Rosina), Olena Tokar (Susanna), Matthias Hausmann (Almaviva) and Valentina Stadler (Cherubino). The premiere of 360° Figaro will take place at the Oper Leipzig probably in the beginning of December and will be broadcasted on ARTE.

A production of Pars Media in collaboration with the Oper Leipzig, the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institut and digital images GmbH. The project was supported by the Land of Saxony-Anhalt, the Nordmedia and the FilmFernsehFonds Bayern.

Genre 360°Opera VR
Recording location Studio Halle in Halle (Saale)
Recording date 21 and 22 August 2018
Duration 25 mins
Production Company Pars Media
Director Jan Schmidt-Garre
Camera Thomas Bresinsky
Sets Sascha Groß
Conductor Christoph Schlüren
Main Actor Jacquelyn Wagner (Rosina)
Main Actor Olena Tokar (Susanna)
Main Actor Matthias Hausmann (Graf Almaviva)
Main Actor Valentina Stadler (Cherubino)