Among the world’s most prestigious Opera Houses, the acoustics and architecture of Argentina’s Teatro Colón have made it a favourite of greats such as Pavarotti. For the recent Astor Piazzolla Eterno cycle, however, the acoustics presented a challenge: how to deliver sound reinforcement in one of the world’s best acoustically designed venues without altering its original identity.
Lavecchia Sonido met the brief with DiGiCo Quantum 225 console anchoring the audio set-up.
Lavecchia Sonido, a sound hire company based in Argentina, was commissioned by producers, Teatro Colón and RGB Medios, to develop the sound design and provide all the audio equipment for the show. Owner of Lavecchia Sonido, Rodrigo Lavecchia, took the role of sound designer for the performances.
The design objective was straightforward in that, regardless of the production’s dynamic scene changes and multiple sound sources, the audio should integrate sung and spoken word with the amplified orchestra in a hybrid theatrical and musical format, ensuring intelligibility, balance and transparency.
The Astor Piazzolla Eterno cycle celebrates the life of composer Astor Piazzolla, exploring his passionate performance style and his role in the creation of Neuvo Tango. The piece was designed as an immersive journey into his world, bringing together his specialist disciplines in a spectacle of music, dance, song and acting.
The Quantum 225 served at front of house, its compact size helping it to sit sympathetically in the main auditorium.
‘The Quantum 225 scene and Snapshot management were key to accompanying the drama with smooth transitions,’ Lavecchia says. ‘Dynamic processing and high-resolution equalisation were also employed to model each source without colouring its original timbre. DiGiCo’s low noise floor and wide dynamic range are essential when in a room where every detail is perceptible. The Quantum 225’s routing matrix also facilitated integration with wireless, PA and monitoring systems, ensuring operational stability during rehearsals and performances.’
The result was amplification that was perceived as organic, integrated and transparent. The acoustic identity of the Teatro Colón remained intact, with high levels of vocal intelligibility and instrumental definition in all areas of the hall. The production team highlighted the reliability and precision of the DiGiCo platform as key factors in the success of the project and as Rodrigo Lavecchia continues the Quantum 225 was a powerful tool for a production of this scale.
‘The transparency and naturalness of the Quantum were key for us,’ he says. ‘We constantly sought to not distort or lose the sonic essence that the Teatro Colón already provides organically, but rather to enhance it. Therefore, we needed the entire audio chain to be as natural, clean, and precise as possible. Today, I can say that we achieved it. And I say it with pride.’
In addition, the marketing department at Equaphon, DiGiCo’s distributor for Argentina and Uruguay, emphasised that being part of a production at the Teatro Colón is a huge responsibility and a source of pride for the company and the brand. Walter Logarzo, Head of Marketing at Equaphon believes DiGiCo technology is ready for anything'
‘This project confirms that DiGiCo technology is comfortable in the most demanding environments in the world. The Quantum 225 demonstrated that even the most modern technology can be sensitively integrated into a highly demanding lyrical space, allowing the electronics to become imperceptible. This allowed what is truly important, for the live performance and the rich sound of Teatro Colón, to remain in the foreground. The priority was to preserve the acoustic essence, and accompanying Lavecchia Sonido in this challenge reaffirmed our commitment to technical and artistic excellence in the region.’
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