The new venue is a gift to the people of Denmark from Danish businessman Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, and home to the Danish Royal Theatre, with whom DPA Microphones enjoys a close relationship. The Danish Royal Theatre has assumed technical responsibility for the venue, and the mics were specified by Claus Wolter, head of sound for the Royal Danish Theatre and Opera. "I have to believe in the quality of every single piece of equipment we use in our daily work, and that's why we always have different types of DPA microphones and accessories close to hand," explains Wolter.
"For performances and studio recordings by the Royal Danish Orchestra as well as all the visiting orchestras we use 4011s, 4022s and 4006s. For miking grand pianos we use DPA's fantastic magnet mount, and for all kinds of recordings we use the stereo boom, which is the easiest way to make a good stereo recording. When it comes to vocals and strings we normally use 4061 miniature microphones, with the special microphone holders for strings. We've found we can use these microphones anywhere; sometimes we have to hide them in the set or in furniture, to get as close to the source as we can without using wireless systems."
Since Mc-Kinney Møller's donation for a new opera house was announced in the summer of 2000, the excitement has been mounting. The 41,000sq.m venue was completed in October 2004, with the Royal Danish Opera moving in during November. Among the artists chosen to decorate the inside of the building are internationally-acclaimed Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson - famous for his Weather Project at Tate Modern in London - who has created three light sculptures for the foyer.
Among the first productions in the new opera house are Verdi's Aida with Roberto Alagna singing his first Radames; Strauss' Elektra directed by Peter Konwitschny; Ruders' Kafka's Trial, a new opera by Danish composer Poul Ruders; Wagner's Siegfried, and Piazolla's tango opera Maria de Buenos Aires. Tenor Placido Domingo will take to the stage in the summer of 2006, singing one of the roles in the Royal Theatre's new production of Richard Wagner's The Ring.
(Lee Baldock)
