Re Orso

About

Marco Stroppa’s first work for music theatre, Re Orso, was conceived as a danse macabre and commissioned by the French State, Opéra-Comique, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, IRCAM–Centre Pompidou, and the Ensemble Intercontemporain. The production fuses acoustic instruments with advanced electronics, setting up a constant dialogue between traditional operatic forms and contemporary sonic languages. Richard Brunel’s staging and Bruno de Lavenère’s scenography create a stylized, opulent space that mutates as the drama sinks into moral decay. Spatialized sound, amplified voices, and computer-assisted composition realized at IRCAM by Carlo Laurenzi are central to the experience. The score is architected in two contrasting parts: an opening section that is largely instrumental and a second section that plunges into an increasingly electronic soundworld. Among the distinctive acoustic features are a robotic piano, a "speaking" accordion, and a culminating acoustic totem.