andré chénier opera on the lake at bregenz

the floating set designed by david fielding for the bregenz opera festival lakefront performance of umberto giordano's 'andré chénier'
image © bregenzer festspiele / karl forster


under the artistic direction of david pountney, stage designer david fielding brings the opera 'andré chénier' to life
for the 'opera on the lake' floating stage ('seebühne') of the 2011 bregenz opera festival in bregenz, austria.

the waterproofed set is built directly into lake constance, mounted upon a concrete core anchored into the base of the lake,
while wooden poles support accessory structures of the stage. fielding's design for 'andré chénier' is dominated
by an oversized face and torso-- modeled after the revolutionary jean-paul marat-- from whose left eye
streams a series of stairways. an open book to stage right of the figure is frequently highlighted throughout the performance
with special lighting effects, ranging from sculptural installations to elaborate gobos that cast shadow scenes along its pages.
at water level, a floating platform, 'carried' by what appears to be the hand of the statue, moves in response to plot action.
other mobile set pieces rise in and out of the water over the course of the performance.


written by italian composer umberto giordano, the opera retells a story of love and death during the french revolution.
the bregenz festival performances of the show run through august 21st, 2011, with additional performances in the summer
of 2012. the proscenium theatre of the seebühne stage seats 6,800 persons in stadium seating.

more info on the festival website



the set, with the face of revolutionary jean-paul marat swung back to reveal an interior set
image © bregenzer festspiele / karl forster



detail view
image © bregenzer festspiele / karl forster



an oversized book to stage right is the site of performance and unusual lighting
image © bregenzer festspiele / karl forster



full view of the stage on lake constance in bregenz, austria
image © bregenzer festspiele / karl forster



a choreographed performance atop the statue's head
image © bregenzer festspiele / karl forster



view of stage base, during a rehearsal
image © bregenzer festspiele / karl forster



performance view
image © bregenzer festspiele / karl forster



set, light, sculpture, and shadow work together
image © bregenzer festspiele / karl forster



the stage by night, lit in colours reminiscent of the french flag
image © bregenzer festspiele / karl forster



additional view
image © bregenzer festspiele / karl forster



additional view
image © bregenzer festspiele / karl forster



a performer rappels between parts of the set
image © bregenzer festspiele / karl forster



an oversized oval frame provides a site for acrobatic performance during the opera
image © bregenzer festspiele / karl forster


director: keith warner
set design: david fielding
lighting design: davy cunningham
costume design: constance hoffman
choreography: lynne page
sound design: wolfgang fritz

featuring conductors ulf schirmer, luke vasilek, and benjamin paint
with the wiener symphoniker, prague philharmonic choir,
and bregenz festival choir respectively.



3D computer rendering of the structural framework of the set
image © bregenz festival / simon wimmer



3D rendering of set
image © bregenz festival / simon wimmer



constructing the figure of jean-paul marat
image © bregenz festival / dietmar mathis



full aerial view of the theatre during construction of the set
image © bregenz festival / dietmar mathis