How the Opera Man's Exclusive Theater Was Built
The Central Opera House Theater carries the dreams of generations of opera singers
Readers who have recently passed by the East Second Ring Road in Beijing may notice that adjacent to the location of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Chaoyangmen North Street), a new imposing and elegant building, the Central Opera House Theater, has been added.
This year, which coincides with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Central Opera House, the theater, which has been long-awaited by generations of opera people, has finally been completed and opened recently after seven years of construction.
Since then, a new cultural landmark has emerged in the city of Beijing - a theatre dedicated to opera singers.
Building a new theater on the east side of Beijing’s East Second Ring Road, where every inch of land is so expensive, can be imagined as difficult.
Due to the application of a large number of new technologies, the performance of the entire theater has reached the effect of the world's top opera houses.
Every time he talks about the completion of this new theater, Liu Yunzhi, president of the Central Opera House, is full of emotion. "The theater is completed. What we see is a magnificent building, but it actually carries too many stories. It is the expectation of several generations of artists in the past 70 years, and it also bears the achievements of the new era of our entire Chinese literature and art development, and it is also the epitome of our social progress.”
Recently, a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily visited the Theater of the Central Opera House, and exclusively interviewed Sun Zonglie, the chief designer of the theater of the Central Opera House, Shi Huibin, the general consultant of architectural acoustics, and the relevant person in charge of the Central Opera House, revealing the secret of this art to readers. The story behind the palace.
professional positioning
Construction of dedicated theatres for opera artists
It is the dream of several generations of artists of the Central Opera House to have the opera person's own exclusive theater.
In the 1980s, the Central Opera House Theater was put on the agenda, and the groundbreaking ceremony was held, but it was stranded for various reasons.
After many twists and turns and the efforts of several generations of opera people, this haunting dream was finally put into practice in 2010.
In 2010, the Central Opera House theater project proposal was officially approved. In 2015, the Central Opera House Theater officially broke ground with the permit for construction project planning and construction.
In order to ensure the construction of a professional opera performance venue that is in line with the world's top opera houses, the preliminary research, planning and preparation of the theater took a long time.
"From the establishment of the project in 2010 to the start of construction in 2015, various planning and demonstrations during this period are very important. The positioning of the theater, the availability of funds, and the support of policies are indispensable." Chen, Director of the Infrastructure Office of the Central Opera House Chao told the Beijing Youth Daily reporter.
To this end, the acoustics and stage research team traveled all over Europe and China for all classic opera theater projects, from appearance to internal structure, and then to the professional acoustic system for detailed comparison and analysis, and finally determined that China Zhongyuan International Engineering Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "China Zhongyuan") to carry out the overall design.
Sun Zonglie, the chief architect of Zhongyuan, is the chief architect of the theatre of the Central Opera House.
In his view, "In the past 20 years, a large number of cultural facilities have been built in various places. However, most of the theaters are comprehensive theaters, and there are not many theaters with distinctive characteristics and specially designed for a certain type of art style. The real significance of the Central Opera House Theater is to build a special theater for the artists of the Central Opera House to solve professional problems on the basis of people's nature."
The theater incorporates phoenix elements to create a sense of palace
The architectural shape of the Central Opera House Theater combines the aesthetic concepts of Eastern and Western cultures. The 18 28-meter-high columns outside the theater's foyer not only inherit the classical column style of the Greek period, but also add the Phoenix design concept.
Sun Zonglie said, "Phoenix has a sense of power in the West to be reborn from ashes. In our country, the phoenix also symbolizes beauty and nobility, and has many cultural implications. Opera originated in Europe, and now it is in China. The Central Opera House is something It is more appropriate to use phoenix as a fusion bond between Eastern and Western cultures for an art performance venue where Chinese and Western cultures are integrated.” The twist angles of the 18 columns are different.
"The way the columns are deflected is not random, but has spatial logic," explained Sun Zonglie. "All the columns are deflected along the core of the auditorium. The entire theater is like the wings of a phoenix that gradually spread from the core. Extending to the city, it implies the spread of culture.”
Stepping into the theater, it is as resplendent as in a palace.
"The color of the theater is mainly golden yellow that matches the phoenix, and the color combination of golden yellow and red inside is more in line with the concept of integrating Chinese cultural elements with European classical architectural styles." Sun Zonglie said, "The origin of opera The earliest can be traced back to the tragedy of ancient Greece, so we respect the essence of ancient Greece in carving; opera is an art form with a sense of ritual and palace, so using the meaning of the phoenix is to convey a concept: here is the sacred , but not a temple, but a temple of art, with stark drama."
professional sound
Install damping materials between subways and theaters
For an opera house, its professionalism is first reflected in the sound effects.
"The Central Opera House theater was positioned to a high standard from the beginning. According to our professional terminology, it is called the 'second instrument', that is, in addition to the musical instruments and human voices played on the stage, the entire theater also acts as a The role of musical instruments participates in the performance, so this is a highly professional performance venue." Shi Huibin, a professor at Tsinghua University and a famous acoustic design expert who serves as the general consultant of the Central Opera House Theater's architectural acoustics, told reporters.
To achieve the best artistic effect, the theater needs to be carefully designed and considered in terms of body shape and surface material.
Shi Huibin said, "As far as the visual distance is concerned, within 25 meters, people can clearly see the expressions of the eyes and eyebrows, and the voice within this range is also the most intimate." After absorbing the data comparison of foreign opera houses After that, the stand structure of the Central Opera House Theater finally adopted a standard horseshoe design, “This building shape is the most suitable for the presentation of the sound transmitted by the original sound, and the distance between the farthest seat in the pool seat and the stage is about 22 meters, and the box is about 22 meters away. It is also within 25 meters from the stage, in the best architectural conditions for sight and hearing.”
To achieve the best sound effect, only excellent structural space is not enough, the treatment of wall skin materials and noise control in the theater must be optimal.
Because the theater is located very close to the subway on the Second Ring Road, it is easily disturbed by noise and vibration, which affects the purity of the audience's appreciation of the music.
In order to solve this problem, the design team and acoustic experts studied many methods, and finally chose to install the material with damping between the subway and the theater, blocking the influence of the subway.
"I have walked through so many theaters in the world. The Central Opera House Theater can be said to be the best opera performance venue in China. It has set a new benchmark in terms of sound quality and timbre," said Shi Huibin.
Design an oversized orchestra pit
The pursuit of the ultimate in sound is also reflected in the design of the orchestra pit.
"We have absorbed Wagner's classic concept of the orchestra pit." Shi Huibin said, "At that time, the foreign team hoped that the orchestra pit could be smaller, so that the audience in the first row could be closer, but I still advocated expanding the area of the orchestra pit, because the most The important thing is that the sound is perfect. In a small space, the hands of the musicians cannot be opened, the sound emission is a bit crowded, and the expression is not so full. Wagner's early orchestra pits were designed to be relatively large, and we inherited this A fine tradition."
The Central Opera House Theater has a large orchestra pit of about 150 square meters, which can realize the performance of a 4-pipe system and a large orchestra of 120 people.
"The area of the orchestra pit has been expanded, not only can it accommodate a large orchestra, but also can play Wagner's large-scale operas, and the large orchestra pit can also ensure that the energy between the various instruments can be played evenly when the artists are playing, and the audience can appreciate it. The music is also the warmest.”
Different from other theaters in China, there are also symmetrical pipe organs reserved on both sides of the stage of the Central Opera House Theater.
This means that the Central Opera House Theatre is the only opera house in China capable of installing pipe organs.
Shi Huibin said, "In this theater, you can perform all the performances in the world, including Bach's organ works. It can be said that the performance of opera art has been perfected."
Humanized design
Tianzi-shaped stage revitalizes stage props
Adjacent to the special area of the East Second Ring Road, although the total construction area of the Central Opera House Theater reaches 40,902 square meters, the area is not large, only 8,300 square meters.
"At that time, it was a parking lot, and there were many difficulties to build a professional theater on this long and narrow area." Chen Chao said, in order to solve the many difficulties caused by the narrow space, the designer found a humanized ingenuity Luck alone.
Different from the zigzag design of other theaters, the stage of the Central Opera House Theater adopts the zigzag design, which consists of five parts: the main stage, 2 side stages, rear stage and side and rear stages, which can be used alone or in any combination. Realize push-pull lift and rotation to improve the flexibility of stage setting and use.
For Sun Zonglie, what he is most proud of is not these advanced stage techniques and craftsmanship, but the convenience brought by the design of the stage shape.
Sun Zonglie said, "The most popular stage is the character-shaped stage. Traditionally, operas have three or more acts. Therefore, during the performance, the set must be changed at least twice. After the previous act is finished, there must be a place for the set. The pin-shaped stage has enough storage and transfer functions, which is just right to complete this task." However, due to the limitation of the venue, the Central Opera House Theater could not realize the standard pin-shaped stage, "the side stage on the north side is not even half the width. , if it is constructed in this way, it will be in a state of incompleteness and affect the curtain change." In this case, after Sun Zonglie and the art team had sufficient communication, they adjusted the form of the stage and made up a piece of it. The side and rear stage make the big main stage into a field shape.
Speaking of his own design, Sun Zonglie was sincerely happy, "Everyone was very happy when he proposed this idea at the time, it was an unexpected surprise. This is equivalent to solving all the problems. The background of the stage is that the two are connected, the south side The space can just be connected with the small rehearsal hall of the Central Opera House for 200 people - this is more meaningful, the actors use the set of the performance during rehearsal, instead of using substitutes, revitalize the relationship between the stage props and become a A flexible and easy-to-use system.”
Overhead stage to achieve "invisible efficiency"
Also due to the crowded and narrow venue, in order to maximize the functions of the theater, it is necessary to have a reasonable layout, which is also a huge challenge for the experienced Sun Zonglie.
"In the case of such a small and cramped venue, we have adopted the method of raising the stage overhead, which can free up the ground and realize more functions." Sun Zonglie said that the stage is overhead, rising to a height of 9 meters, the most direct way The effect is to lead the audience from the big steps to the heights, and all the passages of motor vehicles can be completely separated from the flow of people.
After the theater is put into operation, the loading and unloading efficiency directly affects the efficiency of the stage.
After the stage is elevated, the freight vehicle can be driven directly under the stage, and the props can be directly placed on the stage, which greatly improves the efficiency of stage loading and unloading.
“Experience says that a theater’s box office profitability requires more than 300 performances a year, which requires the ability to quickly transition backstage operations. For opera houses, there is a high probability that two performance groups will operate at the same time. These are invisible, but they are a very important part of facing the market.” The overhead stage has another advantage that other theaters do not have, that is, there is an extra 4.5-meter-high mezzanine space, which extends directly to the main stage. The orchestra pit is used as the band lounge and dressing room. The musicians can directly enter the orchestra pit to play from the lounge or dressing room, which is very convenient and user-friendly.
"In such a small space, it is already the ultimate to be able to do this now." Sun Zonglie said.
The humanized design is also reflected in the audience's viewing experience and respect for the actors.
Li Danyang, vice president of the Central Opera House, said that the theater has designed 49 boxes, "Our boxes are different, except that the 90-degree space is facing the stage, and the 270-degree space is a private space, where you can sit and even You can lean back and enjoy the art. It provides a more humane viewing experience for audiences, especially younger audiences.”
"Even under the premise that the floor space is relatively small and cramped, we still leave enough space for the actors." Li Danyang said that the theater has 8 single dressing rooms, 8 collective large dressing rooms, and other There are 21 dressing rooms and lounges in the director's lounge, commanding lounge, and a 420-square-meter oversized rehearsal hall on the 7th floor, which can accommodate more than 300 people for rehearsal activities or various other comprehensive activities at the same time.
future plan
Not only a beautiful building, but also a cultural complex
After the opening concert on July 6, the Central Opera House Theater officially kicked off the performance month. Many Chinese and foreign opera classics such as "La Traviata", "Turandot", "Treasure of Opera" and "Night of Chinese Opera Aria" are successively held in Beijing. This new cultural landmark is staged.
Talking about the later planning and operation of the theater, Li Danyang revealed that in terms of repertoire, in addition to the classic operas of the Central Opera House, the theater will also introduce a number of excellent and rich performances at home and abroad.
The large-scale ecological dance drama "The Origin of the River", the original musical "Blooming" and other repertoires will all land in the Central Opera House Theater.
But in Li Danyang's view, "the singles stage is not enough", "our vision is to build this theater into an immersive and diverse cultural complex with elegant artistic stage performances as the leader and leadership." Li Danyang revealed, In the future, the first floor of the theater will be turned into a café and an exhibition hall, and cultural and creative products such as the Forbidden City, National Maps, and art galleries will also be introduced.
In addition, classical music afternoon tea, small performance meetings, art popularization lectures and other activities will be held in the theater.
"Let this be a gathering place for everyone to relax, party and appreciate art."
The completion of the theater is a happy event for the artists of the Central Opera House, but it is also a pressure.
Mo Hong, vice president of the Central Opera House and soprano singer, said, "It is not only a beautiful building, but the most important thing is to create more literary and artistic works that the audience likes to be staged here. The cast and crew bring a new topic, which is the direction of our future work and the goal of all our Central Opera House artists."
Liu Yunzhi, President of the Central Opera House, said, "Our generation is the lucky generation. The older generation of artists can be said to sing for the people under the most difficult circumstances, even in the midst of war, while our generation not only has enough to eat, but also clothing. In addition, all aspects of spiritual life and economic life have reached a new height, but artists in the new era must have new missions.
Text/Coordinator by our reporter Tian Wanting/Liu Jianghua