von Claudio Masci, aus PRODUCTION
PARTNER 9/2000
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A very special opera
event went on in Paris in early June 2000: »La Traviata« by
Giuseppe Verdi, performed at the original places and times of day,
was live-broadcasted on TV. This is a new kind of program with very
particular technical and artistic demands where a look behind the curtain
is truly fascinating. 125 broadcasting services – from Argentina
to Cypress, from Finland to New Zealand – put the show on air,
and approximately 1.5 billion people watched the performance according
to figures spread by the Italian Broadcasting Service RAI.
Audio Broadcasting for the TV Production of »La Traviata« in
Paris
Act 2, Scene 1: An old building in Versailles
is the second site of the opera. There is no trace of the large-scale
live broadcasting taking place.
Performing an opera at the original sites and broadcasting it on TV – that
rather reminds of a live feature than the performance of classical
music. There had been a forerunner event several years before when »Tosca« had
been played in Rome – quite a success in opera-enthusiastic Italy.
As some kind of sequel to this innovative genre, producer Andrea Andermann
and RAI made an even more complex performance happen – »La
Traviata« in Paris!
Act 2, Scene 2: Le Petit Palais in Paris
is the third site of the opera by Verdi
Original Sites with a Central Orchestra
»La Traviata« was inspired by Alexandre Dumas' novel »The
Lady of the Camellias« that is said to be based on a true
story from 19th-century Paris. Music scientists are quite sure
to have found the four original places where it all had happened:
A palais in central Paris (where today the Italian embassy is
located), a small estate near the parks of Versailles castle,
Le Petit Palais – again in the center of Paris -, and a
small miserable room at the Seine shore near the Church of Notre
Dame. It was these locations where the live production took place – on
real, existing backgrounds; only a few artificial wings were
erected for hiding technical equipment but these were not disturbing
the scenes.
The technical camp at Versailles, with
O.B. Trucks and container studio
An orchestra hall was required in addition to the original sites
because the orchestra was supposed to perform the music from
a central place as a single sonic body. A hall at the Avenue
de Wagram was chosen to accommodate the 60 musicians of the Orchestra
Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI that was conducted by Zubin Mehta.
It was not only the original sites but also the original times
of day that were to be considered in order to catch the original
atmosphere. So, a noon scene was played (and broadcasted) at
noon while an evening scene was performed – no surprise – in
the evening. Therefore, the three acts were split up into four
programs that were broadcasted on Saturday evening, Sunday at
noon, Sunday evening, and Sunday, half an hour before midnight.
The makeshift CANTUS studio for the orchestra
mix at the Avenue de Wagram
Fivefold Synchronicity
This event was a challenge not only from the casting but also
from the technical point of view. It was crucial to interconnect
the five sites in and around Paris in a way that the singers
could hear the orchestra playing at the Avenue de Wagram and
vice versa. Normally, this is not a problem in our modern telecommunication
society; we know satellites and other connectivity options allowing
for accessibility almost everywhere in the world. However, these
means still include a certain latency that is not acceptable
for a synchronous performance of orchestra and singers in a live
situation.
Four original sites in and around Paris
plus an orchestra hall had to be networked with and synchronised
to each other.
O.B. Trucks or LWC lines could not be provided; on the other hands,
highest demands were put on audio quality because there was not
only the live performance but the recordings were to be released
on CD and DVD. Therefore, RAI decided to set up five distributed
digital studios, four of which were networked using directional
radio. France Telecom supplied the required facilities.
Complex Technology
The courtyard of the Petit Palais, larded
with speakers and microphones for the live performance
On the one hand, the four parts were digitally produced and
recorded on 96 tracks (2 x DASH Studer D 820 MCH 48-track machines)
while they transferred to the broadcasting center at the same
time using directional radio and were mixed down there in real
time. Only digital technology could fulfill all demands put on
audio quality and the complexity of the system, so all five sites
had been equipped with digital NEXUS routing systems by Stage
Tec. Their 28-bit microphone-input boards allowed for recording
virtually all nuances of the performance and to handle unexpected
dynamic peaks without a flaw.
For this purpose, NEXUS base devices supplying the microphone
inputs were concealed near the opera singers at each site. The
audio signals were then transmitted to the container studios.
It was in these studios, which were almost a thousand feet away
from the scene for optical and acoustic reasons, where mixing
and recording took place.
Hidden behind hedges: A NEXUS base device
distributes microphone signals and transfers the synchronous
orchestra sounds to the sound-reinforcement facilities.
In the same way, the orchestra performance was transferred to the
numerous speakers that were skirting the paths of the solo singers.
More NEXUS base devices were employed as routers in the containers
studios and as program connections to the directional-radio stations
that were installed on cranes – a highly complex network
made up of many individual units interconnected by fibre-optics.
Musical Wordclock
As the event was being broadcasted on TV, the expenditure was additionally
increased by the fact that neither microphones nor loudspeakers must be visible.
The main actors were equipped with miniature microphones (Sennheiser Wireless)
in their hair, and there were microphones lingering in every chandelier and
behind every sculpture. Speakers were hidden in the high meadows of the Gardens
of Versailles to ensure that the singers were performing in absolute synchronicity
to the orchestra.
All the technical equipment was hidden in the original
scene
Even the large choir was not acting statically but moved on according to
the action on stage. It was critical here to mix a choir sound from many
individually picked-up voices – a very complex task since an overall
sound of optimum quality and consistent with the current scene was to be
produced from a multitude of signals. The stabilizing influence in the ever-changing
scenario was the orchestra. Maestro Mehta perfectly mastered the mission
of integrating the remote sites (via headphone) and the orchestra – with
no compromise regarding the performing quality but very cooperative about
this unusual way of working. Thus, the orchestra hall could be called the »wordclock« of
the event – at least concerning the musical part. The orchestra performance
was mixed and recorded using one of RAI's CANTUS desks that had previously
been in use at the annual live broadcast from the San Remo Canzone Festival.
At the same time, the CANTUS transferred the music to the remote sites. Using
NEXUS, the original program was then passed on to the O.B. Truck, where the
broadcasting sound was mixed.
Showdown at Midnight
Tenor José Cura (second from the left) perusing
the reviews from the day before
The extremely high technical expenditure required an immensely large staff.
Approximately 300 people were involved in the terminal production phase of
about three months. First, the entire technical structure was tested in TV
studios in Rome where also the first artistic events and rehearsals took place.
The entire equipment was then disassembled and sent to Paris where it was remounted
in early May. The final rehearsals, a preview performance, and the successful
live production followed.
In the beginning, many opera enthusiasts were quite uneasy with
this performing concept because it combines the opera performance
with TV-feature elements and the perfection of a cinema production.
However, the result was a brilliant event with an extent of perfection
that made many critics assume a playback swindle!
After all, the timing was perfect thanks to a painstaking preparation.
When the protagonist died of consumption at midnight on Sunday, the
Notre Dame bells stroke midnight – just in time!
La Traviata: A Summary
Act 1: At a ball taking place in her palais in Paris,
the celebrated but shaken Violetta Valéry who is the girlfriend
of Baron Douphol meets her secret lover Alfred Germot who confesses
his love to her. Impressed and being in love for the first in her
life, she gives him a camellia and promises to meet him again when
the flower is withered.
Act 2, Scene 1: The two protagonists have discreetly
moved to a villa in Versailles near Paris and are living there in
lonesomeness. One day, when Alfred has gone to Paris, his father
visits Violetta and urges her to sever the unsuitable relationship
to Alfred. First Violetta vigorously defends her love but later on
consents to withdraw as the old Germot puts the screw upon her. She
leaves to Paris.
Act 2, Scene 2: Accompanied by Baron Douphol, Violetta
arrives at a festival in Paris where Alfred is expecting her. Several
misunderstandings occur between the two, resulting in an éclat.
Act 3: All the tension has finished Violetta off; she
is about to die. Meanwhile, Alfred's remorseful father has confessed
him why Violetta withdrew so suddenly. She is awaiting his visit
eagerly and still hopes for a common future. However, when Alfred
arrives at her small room near the Seine, she can only asseverate
her love to him. Immediately afterwards, Violetta dies – exactly
at midnight.
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