Les Arts makes its biggest technical deployment for the Valencia premiere of ‘Wozzeck’

Les Arts és Òpera

• Andreas Kriegenburg's impressive installation features a 6.5-ton flying house and a 450-square-meter sheet of water.

• One hundred years after its composition, Les Arts presents this revolutionary opera that set the standards for the development of musical theatre in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Valencia (06.05.22). The Palau de les Arts is making its biggest technical display for 'Wozzeck', by Alban Berg, the last title of the opera season, which is presented in a complex production by the prestigious German director Andreas Kriegenburg with musical direction by James Gaffigan.

One hundred years after its composition, Les Arts presents for the first time in Valencia this revolutionary opera, a must-see for major theaters on the international circuit, which set the standards for the development and evolution of musical theater in the 20th and 21st centuries.

The premiere of 'Wozzeck' in Valencia also marks the operatic debut of James Gaffigan, who comes to Valencia after his highly successful performance at the Paris Opera with 'Manon' and his return to the Metropolitan Opera in New York with 'Yevgeny Onegin' and 'Le nozze di Figaro'.

After the exceptional challenge of Mozart's 'Requiem' staged by Romeo Castellucci, the New York maestro is immersed in rehearsals for this monumental and demanding score that requires the participation of almost 200 artists for its performance.

The Cor de la Generalitat and the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana will be accompanied by the Escolania de la Mare de Déu dels Desemparats, 15 extras and a cast of prestigious voices from the German repertoire, headed by the Swedish baritone Peter Mattei, a leading interpreter of the main role in vocal and stage performance, along with the Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek (Marie) and the British tenor Christopher Ventris (Drum Major).

The production of 'Wozzeck' that Les Arts will present on May 26 is considered by critics and audiences alike to be one of the most celebrated stagings of opera. Kriegenburg's work, at its premiere at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, received accolades such as 'masterpiece', 'stunning', and 'breathtaking'.

Set design

Challenging from a vocal and musical point of view, the premiere of 'Wozzeck' in Valencia also represents one of the greatest technical challenges in the history of Les Arts.

Four semi-trailer trucks were needed to bring in the 20 tons of materials required for the assembly, which, among other elements, includes a 6.5-ton hanging house, for which a custom-designed engineering project was developed. The house also has a complete electrical installation for stage lighting.

Its movement will be powered by 28 poles and four point motors, all perfectly synchronized. The total weight of the house and its flying rigging brings the total weight in the air to 8.3 tons. This is the first time a production at Les Arts has included a suspended element of this magnitude.

Likewise, the 'Wozzeck' stage will be covered by a 450 square meter sheet of water, which requires an increase and monitoring of both the safety protocols at work, as well as the care and maintenance of the facilities and also the props and costumes.

More than 40 technicians will work during each performance, including the 19 professionals needed to create the numerous special characterizations required for this opera.