Mikki Kunttu brought Richard Wagner’s epic “Der Ring des Nibelungen,” also known as the Ring tetralogy, to a breathtaking conclusion at the Finnish National Opera with the performance of the monumental, nearly six-hour-long “Götterdämmerung” featuring Claypaky Xtylos, the world’s first laser-based beam lighting fixture.
The first installment of the Ring cycle, “Das Rheingold,” was performed at the Finnish National Opera in August and September 2019. The COVID pandemic delayed the second opera, “Die Walkure,” until autumn 2022, with performances of “Siegfried” following in March and April 2023. Over these past years, the Ring played to full houses. Its visual aspect and direction, the Orchestra of the Finnish National Opera, and the soloists’ world-class singing have been acclaimed by audiences and critics alike.
Mikki Kunttu, a Finnish lighting and set designer, designed the Ring’s lighting, sets, and visuals. He has worked mainly in dance and theater, popular music, opera, television, and industrial arts. Kunttu has partnered with many prominent dance artists and groups from Finland and abroad and has collaborated repeatedly with the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, Norwegian National Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, and The Boston Ballet.
Kunttu chose Claypaky Xtylos fixtures for their unique laser light source. “Xtylos delivered the laser-type light beam that I wanted for visual effects,” he says.
The Xtylos was first shown in the US at LDI 2019 and has generated a lot of excitement in the entertainment lighting world. The compact, light-weight fixture produces dense, ultra-concentrated light beams in any color desired, offers instant color changing, additive color mixing, and superior pan/tilt speed – features designed to provide lighting designers, lighting directors, and creative stage teams with unique looks for special shows, such as the Ring.
For “Götterdämmerung,” Kunttu positioned the Xtylos on dollies on the floor where they proved to be “excellent fixtures for this application,” he reports. Rental company Woodlite Sweden AB provided the Xtylos. “Götterdämmerung” premiered May 17 and ran from May 22 to June 4. Finnish Broadcasting company Yle live-streamed the opera beginning May 25 on the Finnish National Opera and Ballet’s global Stage24 platform where the earlier installments of the Ring cycle are also available for viewing.