What is new

As a project the "Digital Beethoven-House" has brought together artist and scientists from all kinds of disciplines: Stage direction and mathematics, music science and computer science, cultural studies and sound engineering and many more. Under the direction of the Fraunhofer Institute for Media Communication (now Fraunhofer Institut Intelligente Analyse- und Informationssysteme, Sankt Augustin), the interdisciplinary gathering provided a procreative forum of a particularly high innovation potential. The most important inventions that were made during the development of "Fidelio 21st Century" and "Presto 126/4" are the following:

• "Fidelio 21st Century" is the first classical opera with a continuous plot to be performed in a virtual environment.

• A new scenic approach and new interpretation methods with new scenic effects for the music theatre were developed for "Fidelio 21st Century". (See "Direction Concept", "Plot", "Scene and Setting" and "Music and Sound".)

• In addition, a new type of music scientific analysis was established to continuously deliver sensible musical values at any point of the piece. (See "Music and Sound".)

• The four interactive columns were especially developed for the Stage for Music Visualisation. One of them was patented under the title "Florestometer" (following the name Florestan of one of the characters). (See "Interactive Devices" and "Interaction Concept".)

• The Stage for Music Visualisation is the first permanent virtual reality installation to be designed under the primacy of audio elements. An acoustically transparent screen may have been used for the first time in a virtual reality. (See "3D Sound" and "Music and Sound".)

• A new sound engineering approach was developed for "Fidelio 21st Century" to determine the interactive figure positions with their numerous possible combinations in line with a sound mixture based on a topographic model. (See "3D Sound" and "Music and Sound".)

• The supertitles for "Fidelio 21st Century" follow the actual music scene exactly by the second and therefore in line with the conducting engagements. (See "Supertitles".)

• The recording of "Fidelio" under Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonics was sampled from the original tape at a frequency of 96 kHz in all tracks for the first time by the "Deutsche Grammophon".

• Several new software tools were developed to carry the project to fruition. Curve editor, interactive story board and more. (See "Synergy of Disciplines".)

• To establish and shape particle systems in a virtual reality, a new software infrastructure was created.

Synergy of Disciplines