Premiered at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, The Arab Apocalypse by composer Samir Odeh-Tamimi is inspired by the eponymous poem by Etel Adnan, one of the most influential voices in contemporary literature and thought. Directed by Pierre Audi, the production transforms the performance space into an immersive environment where music, light, scenography, and spatial sound become integral elements of a unified dramaturgy.
Urs Schönebaum's scenography places the audience at the heart of the performance. Four large platforms, on which the performers move, surround the audience, with the orchestra in the centre. Four scenographic elements inspired by Etel Adnan’s visual universe structure the stage environment. The Sun and the Eclipse face one another as two monumental illuminated structures, while the Star and the Horizon are represented respectively by a single spotlight and a long line of light.
Within this scenography, Pierre Audi's spatial staging encourages the audience to continually shift their gaze through a full 360 degrees. A bespoke immersive system of 36 loudspeakers, designed specifically for the production, guides the audience's attention through sound using the HOLOPHONIX spatial audio processor.
The variety of algorithms offered by HOLOPHONIX allowed us, together with Norbert Ommer, to fine-tune the sonic challenges posed by the scenography, the spatial arrangement and the vocal complexity of the score. We chose two algorithms for this production: WFS, which allows precise and natural source localisation, and KNN, an intensity-based panning algorithm that offers great flexibility,
explains Clément Vallon.
This adaptation of the poet Etel Adnan's work features seven performers: 'The Witness' (the only solo role sung by Thomas Oliemans) and the female choir ( Camille Allérat, Pauline Sikirdji, Fiona McGown, Camille Merckx, Helena Rasker), as well as 'The Outsider'.
In her libretto, Claudia Pérez Iñesta describes the composition of this choir as
a single neutral body with five multidirectional heads [...], permanent metamorphosis, the palette of colours and voices is dizzying for the spectator, like a "spin-dry effect".
Working with Norbert Ommer, musical director Ilan Volkov and composer Samir Odeh-Tamimi, the sound team used the WFS algorithm to shape the choir's spatialisation in accordance with the score. During more narrative passages, each voice could be precisely localised within the space, while at other moments WFS enabled the individual voices to merge into a single choral entity, reinforcing the composer's vision of the choir as one collective presence.
The voice of the outsider also received different treatment. This pre-recorded voice in Arabic, performed by the composer himself, is transmitted only through the elevated speakers, like a whisper. To reinforce its ethereal character, the team applied KNN spatialisation combined with a subtle rocking motion. HOLOPHONIX provided precise control over how the voice was distributed across the loudspeaker system, preserving intelligibility while refining the movement effect.
KNN proved particularly well suited to the production's loudspeaker layout, as it distributes sound according to distance rather than angular position. This approach ensured a consistent listening experience across the audience without favouring a particular listening area, while the extensive parameter control offered by HOLOPHONIX enabled the system to be finely adapted to the production's complex acoustic and spatial requirements.
