88 CONTENT IN ENGLISH 027 CD tion of Carl Orff’s musical score for Carmina Burana, with two pianos and a chorus of eighty singers. Those who are familiar with Carmen Burana know that these goliard texts, which date from the XII and XIII cen- turies, exude sensuality. In addition to the famous in- troduction ‘O Fortuna’, the songs praise the awakening of nature and the senses, the joys of love and the tavern from a very contemporary perspective. So, how could we set a profane opera in the cloister of a monastery so that the music and the sacred architecture would not be dis- cordant? How could we combine the three fundamental aspects of lighting – space, color and time – to support the music and the projections of the watercolors created by Ana Yedros, inspired by the texts and the melodies? It was essential to narrow the most extreme and con- notative elements in the two semantic systems. On one side, we visually erased all elements that made reference to religion and spirituality that permeated the place; on the other, we avoided highlighting the more sensual and shocking details of the text. Our goal was to marry the majesty of the building and the classic rhythm of its de- sign to the power of the music, so it could fill the space with its lyricism and not with the impropriety of some of the verses. The key staging decision was to reduce to its bare mini- mum the elements of the set decorations: three stands for the chorus, singers and musicians, and a large central screen designed by David, in a circular shape, to resemble the wheel of Fortune, where Ana’s watercolors would be projected. The final location of the stage, in a corner of the esplanade, painted an unparalleled and unexpected scenic landscape, where the eyes of the public gained dis- tance and perspective before proceeding to the vanish- ing point, the center of the geometrical pace, where the stand of the musical director was located. AN INFINITE STAGE The challenge for the lighting was expanding the stage area to include the cloister as an element. Placing the public of a thousand people in a diagonal position, in- cluded both sides of the cloister in the view from every seat. Furthermore, the music was going to reach further away from the stage and the lights had to go with it. In an a space that was both open and geometrically closed at the same time, such as the cloister, restricting the show to the illuminated stage would have been a waste of the dramatic possibilities of music and space. Compared to the majesty of the cloister, the stage would have ap- peared very small; it would have been like listening to a radio in a ballroom. Clearly, it was a problem of scale: the quality and potency of the music had to be balanced with the visual power of the space. For this reason, it was imperative that lighting surpassed the limits of the public’s visual field. At the rehearsals of the choir and orchestra, it seemed that the music of Carmina Burana had infinite power, so I found a way to create an infinite show with lights. The choice of lighting equipment and its placement can be divided in two large groups: The frontal floodlights for the stage and walls were mounted on a large central tower that would house the projector, some of the amplifiers, and all the engineering controls. The backlight floodlights for the chorus and the musi- cians were placed on the upper floor windows, above the stage, and in other windows two motorized floodlights to wash over the rhythm of the upper floor columns at the base. Likewise, in the interior of the upper floor rooms, floodlights that gave a feeling of ‘interior life’, were in- stalled. I chose this resource for the Carmina Potoria songs that celebrate the tavern, drinking and communal life; the public could see an animation of the tavern from the windows. On the ground floor, the front and the sides of the col- umns were illuminated, as were the inside of the porti- coes. The floodlights were grouped by homologous bat- teries and the chromatic control of the lighting was also arranged by floodlight batteries, even if the groups broke and regrouped, creating diverse spatial rhythms for the different songs: The diverse planes and architectonic de- tails were seen as separate groups, the final composition strived to highlight the tri-dimensionality of the space with contrasting chromatic planes, superimposed in vari- able groups. THE DIALOGUE WITH COLOR Circularity figured prominently in the design of the show, even in the songs: it ends and opens with the same song, the famous ‘O Fortuna”. In consequence, the screen was circular and a visual journey through the chromatic wheel of primary and secondary colors, in a circular direction was created. After that, we began working with the im- ages we would project, the watercolors of Ana Yedros, with colors that were not always realistic but with sur- prising and interesting results. In fact, these images were the perfect starting point for the choice of colors for the lights, suitable for every musical moment. The animated illustrations on the central screen and the chromatic rich- ness of the watercolors, emphasized the configuration of the cloister and the lighting of the stage. We wanted lighting that would work as an amplifier so the images could reach the public’s complete field of vi- sion. That is not to say we limited ourselves to choosing the same color predominant in the image when selecting the lights, but instead, we created a chromatic palette, for every series of images, that agreed or contrasted with them depending on the moment. Visually, the lighting accepted the images, amplifying its power through all the space, but it could also repel them in anticipation of the next picture. It could even negate them, painting a picture so in contrast that it would erase the image by dwarfing it. The color palettes used: a classic alternation between cool and warm colors of light, reinforced the progression of sad, cold, joyful or gentle themes, and contributed to the dialogue between lights and images that grew richer, as it weaved itself with the dynamics and colors of the music. This chromatic dialogue between images and lights wrote a visual rhythmic score that “dressed” the music and created a synesthetic experience. THE MUSICALITY OF LIGHT In the theater, lighting has a script but it cannot forego the musical times. During a performance, many different lighting modes follow each other, chromatically or com- positionally. The lighting not only changes in color but in direction and size; it can be one or many, big or small, pleasant or unpleasant. Likewise, all these lighting modes have a rhythm and a transition time, from one to the other: slow or sudden, natural or artificial, sweet or frightening, anticipated or unexpected, myriad nuances that influence the specta- tor’s perception and take him/her from one mood to the other. This effect is magnified if all the scenic arts “sing” together to communicate, precisely and fully, the artistic content to the public. That is not to say music, light, dialogues and settings have to be monotonous and unicolor. Each designer has to know how to be a team player, using his medium to contribute to an overall harmony, leading when neces- sary and enhancing the other elements, at other times. It is impossible to ascertain what makes a show work and other not, but it is clear that there are more chances of success if all the artists are pulling in the same direction. When designing lighting for a concert it is key to have in- depth knowledge of the musical score and its dynamics; even the best lighting designer would obtain mediocre results if he/she fails to listen to the concert, at least as many times as the musicians. Keeping the lighting in pace with the music was surpris- ingly easy. After a few questions about the times and musical colors of the pieces and transitions, Luis Carlos, the musical director, shared with me what many musical and stage directors take years to understand: “I have one more musician that plays lights, but we don’t see each other- referring to the classic placement of the director, with his/her back to the public-. You and I have to be very clear on the times”. At night, in an open space, light is very important because it’s always present even when it’s not. Darkness in a show can be more powerful than the most intense light. Fading to black can be done gently or abruptly; after a blackout, the last image perceived can linger in our eyes for a few seconds, more so if it’s coming after very bright light or strong colors. The designer knows this and takes advan- tage of the effect to stretch the show, to give us the pre- sent memory of something already gone, something you can see, but is no more. In theatrical lighting, the use of blackouts is a sensitive topic; a blackout can magnify a sensation as well as break the rhythm of the show. As a rule, it’s a resource that should be use cautiously. While the musicians rest their instruments and turn the page of their musical score, the lighting ‘touches’ the silences as well, in presence or ab- sence: the transitions are, in the lighting script, one of the most difficult parts. Musical score in hand, Luis Carlos and I decided how many blackouts we wanted in our show; how many quick tran- sitions and how many slow. To be sure, we had to expect the technical imperatives and respect them, such as the movements of the solo singers leaving their place in the choir to go up the stairs towards the central position, or a change of instrument from one of the musicians. Every- thing had to be seamless and the problems invisible. Between one song and another, there was to be no fall in the rhythm, holding the tension and the public’s breath until the next musical explosion. We designed some blackouts and some partial blackouts maintaining the shape of the conductor illuminated, as if suspended in the pervasive darkness. Luis Carlos, from behind, with his arms raised up high, heralded the return of the music, and with the melody, the musical lighting, infinitely easier to compose than the one of silences, was intended to arouse emotion with every dramatic effect of music, images and lights. It cul- minates in the impressive final explosion of ‘O Fortuna’ returning, repeating the opening of the performance, to close full circle the wheel of time and the great show that Fernando Nuñez Rebolo and the whole team had bar- gained for.