Ruth Walz for Staatsoper-Berlin
Opera-goers in Berlin viewed a special treat during Hans Werner Henze’s latest production of Phaedra at the Staatsoper. Danish-born artist Olafur Eliasson designed the sets for the two-act production.
Artnet.de’s Gerrit Gohlke said that the artist “seems not to interpret the composer but rather confront the medium of opera itself”. Eliasson’s use of prisms, two-way mirrors and lighting machines turns the stage into an interesting portal that forces the audience to stare into infinite reflections of the actors.
A retrospective of the artist’s work opened last week at San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art and will be on view through February 24, 2008.
Eliasson at the Opera [Artnet]
Dazzling music, murky meaning [FT]
