Sharon worked with the pair to storyboard the piece, using VR headsets to place virtual cameras throughout the digital landscape as if he were a film director working on location. The real-time computer graphics and animation used in “The Valkyries” was created by Jason Thompson and Kaitlyn Pietras of PXT Studio. He was a mad scientist for opera,” Sharon says. He also designed a purpose-built theater to accommodate the world he envisioned for his “Der Ring des Nibelungen,” also known as the Ring cycle. Sharon says the use of technology is “very Wagnerian.” “It’s so central to how Wagner thought about music and theater … to incorporate the latest technology into stagecraft,” he says, noting the composer invented a special instrument - the Wagner tuba, a four-valve brass instrument - to capture the sound he was looking for.
An apt example was Sharon’s staging of “Twilight: Gods” in the Detroit Opera parking garage during the pandemic. Sharon is always looking to create something special in response to “our moment in time … doing classical works in new ways.” In his short tenure in Detroit, he has become known for his vision and leadership, helping transform the Detroit Opera Company as part of the new center for progressive opera. It makes sense for all those reasons,” he says.Įxploring the use of technology did not come out of nowhere. “It’s a fresh project so we thought why don’t we just bring it straight to Detroit. The production, he says, also was fresh in everyone’s mind after the premiere in Los Angeles. It’s an introduction to what makes Wagner rich and exciting.” Just Act III as a standalone piece makes for a real exciting kick off to the season. “It’s one of the most exciting and beloved acts in opera history,” Sharon says of “The Valkyries.” “The music encapsulates some of the best of what opera has to offer. Opening the Detroit Opera season with “The Valkyries” made sense after its successful premiere in Los Angeles in July, says Sharon, who became Detroit Opera artistic director in 2020 this marks his second full season with the company. The season also will include a concert performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s beloved “Aida.”
Upcoming productions include “Faust,” directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, in November a revival of Tazewell Thompson’s production of “Xerxes” in March and “Ainadamar,” appearing in a co-production with Opera Ventures, Scottish National Opera, The Metropolitan Opera and the Welsh National Opera. “The Valkyries” is the first of four fully staged opera productions at the Detroit Opera House this season.
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