Saudi Arabia has celebrated many ‘firsts’ over the past few years, and the Kingdom recently added to the list with the first-ever operatic work produced in the country. Commissioned by Saudi Arabia Ministry of Culture and produced by Arabian Opera and Hwadi, Zarqa Al Yamama is performed entirely in Arabic and tells the pre-Islamic story of a woman with the power of foresight who attempts to warn her tribe of impending danger.
At the heart of this ground-breaking production was a state-of-the-art projection system, deployed by VLS Middle East, with content produced by Roberto Vitalini of immersive experience specialist, Bashiba.
The staging centred around three panoramic screens – two landscape, each measuring 10m by 4m, and one portrait, measuring 3.2m by 7.8m – which were installed at a height of 25m, at the level of the fly lofts above the stage, and at different depths. The screens were moved down onto the stage and back up into the fly lofts, forming a moving horizon over the course of the two-hour show.
Each screen was illuminated by two Epson EB-PU2220B video projectors. Used in rear projection, the six projectors were installed on automated poles that moved simultaneously with the screens.
To power the system, VLS Middle East relied on Modulo Pi’s Modulo Kinetic media server solution. The media server delivered the media with a resolution of 3,840 by 1,200 on each of the horizontal screens, and 1,200 by 3,840 for the vertical screen.
In addition, Modulo Kinetic’s UI Designer function was used to create a control interface to make rehearsals easier. Using the interface, Vitalini could launch the tailormade videos completely autonomously
Taking place from 25 April to 4 May at Riyadh’s King Fahad Cultural Center, Zarqa Al Yamama was the first of what will surely be many grand operas produced and played out in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Photo: Viviana Cangialosi / Compagnia Finzi Pasca
