Dutch National Opera invests in Robe iFORTE LTX moving lights

The Dutch National Opera (De Nationale Opera) in Amsterdam has invested in four Robe iFORTE LTX moving lights with the HCF (high colour fidelity) engine, which are installed in their 1600-capacity main auditorium, where they are utilised for follow spotting – the latter integrated with their existing remote follow system.

The fixtures are located on a front bridge with a 25-metre throw to the stage and are the first iFORTE LTX HCFs to be installed in the Netherlands.

As one of Europe’s leading opera companies, Dutch National Opera offers a diverse repertoire and is hailed for creative energy, high production values and international collaborations. It shares a purpose-designed and built venue in the prime waterside location of Waterlooplein, in central Amsterdam, with the Dutch National Ballet.

Head of lighting Andi Krijgsman explained that they wanted a bright, high-quality light source for follow spotting that could be zoomed down to under 4 degrees to capture half body and head shots when required.

Additionally, good CRI was another mission-critical requirement for attaining those realistic and beautifully lush flesh tones so central to most opera performances.

Andi started a conversation with account managers Romec Berendsen and Jelle van der Holst from Robe’s Benelux distributor, Controllux, who co-ordinate the Opera’s requirements. After testing, comparisons and a series of shootouts, they made the decision to go with the iFORTE LTXs.

“We are absolutely loving these fixtures,” stated Andi. “They are exactly what we wanted – proper quality long throw luminaires with perfect colour mixing and rendering!”

Romec adds that it is “very exciting” to have a high-profile organisation like the Opera invest in the first iFORTE LTX HCFs in the country.

Andi has been in this position at the Opera since 2021, and before that was touring as team leader and lighting manager of the RO Theatre in Rotterdam (which merged with Rotterdamse Schouwburg to become Theater Rotterdam in 2016), for which he had purchased some Robe LEDWash 600s and T1 Profiles, so he was aware of the brand and the reliability of the products from this experience.

The Opera also already had a few Robe fixtures in the building – some LEDBeam 150s in the foyer and some older ColorSpot 1200 series ‘legacy’ products.

However, it was a more recent tour of the Robe factory in the Czech Republic, alongside three colleagues from the Opera, that opened Andi’s eyes to the possibilities of Robe’s newest technologies. He was struck with the whole operation and, in particular, the meticulous R&D detail that has gone into crafting these iSeries fixtures to meet the rigorous standards of theatre and broadcast environments: “I came away from the factory tour very impressed with Robe’s capabilities, together with the level and scale of development and the convenience and reliability of everything being manufactured in Europe.”

He specifically appreciated the way that the new generation of products are designed to be integrated with control networks and also connected to remote spot lighting systems.

The Opera has extensive networking control systems that are merged to the main console via sACN, allowing – among other things – their remote follow system to be connected to the main auditorium console and to drawing platform Vectorworks, which serves as a base for the remote follow system and their automation controller. This allows the remote spotting system to receive all the positional information, as well as serve as the central administration platform for lighting.

Dutch National Opera productions present a range of acclaimed traditional and modern opera works and experiences. The organisation highlights inclusivity and outreach, with performances, workshops, and educational programs designed to satisfy demanding seasoned opera-lovers as well as engage new audiences.

Photo credit: Louise Stickland.