The world's biggest and best opera festival is expanding.
The Bavarian State Opera have commissioned a new temporary structure for the 2010 Munich festival. The Pavillon 21 Mini Opera Space has a capacity of 300 and can be dismantled, transported and set up anywhere, though to begin with it will be sited in a square behind the main opera house. Its spiky shape was based on computer-modeled spatial sound recordings of a Jimi Hendrix song and serves a practical purpose. Inside, the acoustic reflecting surfaces are increased. Outside, noise is reflected and absorbed by the perforated aluminium panels of the shell.
It will be christened with a new production from Germany's oldest enfant terrible, Christof Schlingensief, but the State Opera's Director, Nikolaus Bachler hopes in future to invite "international artists from the fields of performance, visual arts, literature and composers, VJs, directors and musicians" and "unusual and unexpected formats".
