Auditoria Magazine
  • News
      • Acoustics
      • Audio & Communications
      • Design
      • Digital & Smart Technologies
      • Displays
      • Events & Awards
      • Lighting
      • New Venues
      • Operations
      • People
      • Refurbishment
      • Retail
      • Safety & Security
      • Seating
      • Software
      • Stage Technology
  • Features
  • Online Magazines
    • 2024 Annual Showcase
    • 2023 Annual Showcase
    • 2022 Annual Showcase
    • 2020 VOL 2
    • 2020 VOL 1
    • 2019
    • 2018-19
    • Subscribe Free!
  • Videos
  • Events
  • Supplier Spotlight
LinkedIn YouTube X (Twitter)
Subscribe to Magazine Subscribe to Email Newsletter Media Pack
Auditoria Magazine
  • News
      • Acoustics
      • Audio & Communications
      • Design
      • Digital & Smart Technologies
      • Displays
      • Events & Awards
      • Lighting
      • New Venues
      • Operations
      • People
      • Refurbishment
      • Retail
      • Safety & Security
      • Seating
      • Software
      • Stage Technology
  • Features
  • Online Magazines
    1. 2024 Annual Showcase
    2. 2023 Annual Showcase
    3. 2022 Annual Showcase
    4. 2020 VOL 2
    5. 2020 VOL 1
    6. 2019
    7. Subscribe Free!
    Featured
    In This Issue header image
    29th November 2024

    In This Issue – 2025 Annual Showcase

    Online Magazines By Izzy Kington
    Recent
    In This Issue header image

    In This Issue – 2025 Annual Showcase

    29th November 2024
    In This Issue header image

    In This Issue – 2024 Annual Showcase

    23rd November 2023

    In This Issue – 2023 Annual Showcase

    2nd December 2022
  • Videos
  • Events
  • Supplier Spotlight
Auditoria Magazine
Audio & Communications

Bregenz Festival benefits from KV2 sound systems

Lauren DysonBy Lauren Dyson12th September 20235 Mins Read
Share LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email
Madame Butterfly, performed at The Bregenz Festival
Madame Butterfly, performed at The Bregenz Festival. Image: Bregenz Festival/Karl Forster

The Bregenz Festival (Bregenzer Festspiele) has been an icon on the European cultural landscape for more than 75 years. Hosting a wide range of musical and theatrical events during July and August in the Austrian city of Bregenz, the jewel in the festival crown is the Seebühne in the spectacular setting of the waters of Lake Constance.

The largest floating stage in the world, the Seebühne, with its 6,658-seat open-air amphitheatre, is the star venue for the festival’s musical and operatic productions, often with sets as stunning as the backdrop. This year’s production was Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, staged on a vast 23 x 33m 300-tonne set designed to represent a giant leaf of delicately creased Japanese paper.

The technical challenges involved in a production of this nature are enormous, with sound being amongst the most critical. This year, KV2 systems made up the core of the highly complex main system serving the Seebühne and its auditorium.

Kv2 sound system

“We have been using a point-source based system for many years now as we found it was the most efficient way to handle the various constraints of working on an outdoor production with a live orchestra and a complex set,” explained Clemens Wannemacher, head of sound for the festival. “I’d had my eye on KV2 since 2019 when I was working on another lake stage in Mörbisch am See and was looking to upgrade the front fills and main PA. Martin Lukesch, head of sound at the Volksoper Opera in Vienna mentioned that I should listen to KV2, so we organised a shoot-out amongst several brands. That’s when I heard KV2’s ESR212 and ESR215 for the first time. As luck would have it, Alwin Bösch, who has been working with Bregenz for over 28 years and is now my deputy head of sound, was also at the shootout. We were both impressed by what we heard that day.”

“When I started with Bregenz in 2020 and was looking into upgrading our loudspeaker setup, both Alwin and I immediately settled on the ESR212,” Wannemacher continued. “We loved the sound, even more than the ESR215, and we also loved the fact that you can rotate the horn in the 212. That comes in very handy as we have to hide the speakers in the set, and by rotating the horn we can use it horizontally which makes it very versatile.”

The loudspeaker setup is highly complex with more than 40 loudspeakers from four different brands being hidden in the stage alone including VHD1.21 and VHD2.16 subs from KV2 and three horizontally orientated ESR212s. They join a mix of other loudspeakers from Kling & Freitag, Adamson and JBL. “The stage has ‘holes’ with small platforms behind them that house the loudspeakers,” said Wannemacher. “The holes are covered with a metal grid, that is (partially) covered with plaster and then painted. There are no dedicated monitor-loudspeakers for the singers. They are effectively standing in front of the PA, so they pretty much hear what the audience hears.”

As for the rest of the PA system, it is equally complex, with loudspeakers mounted on a series of poles surrounding the listening zone. Four large poles next to the set (two per side) house four levels of loudspeakers including two KV2 ESR212s in the middle – which are supplemented by Kling & Freitag Spectra 212s top and bottom. Smaller poles surround the rest of the listening area equipped with three levels of K&F Spectra 212 and CA1001CX (along each side) and two levels of Adamson P12 (across the rear). There are also several K&F Linus loudspeakers placed beneath the seats in the middle of the audience zone as well as some JBL subs.

Madam Butterfly at The Bregenz Festival
Madame Butterfly, performed at The Bregenz Festival. Image: Bregenz Festival/Karl Forster

“There are a few reasons why we ended up with this loudspeaker mosaic,” said Wannemacher. “Firstly, we try to use speakers that are fit for the different tasks we require. For example, the KV2ESR212s on the poles and inside the set are primarily used for amplification of the orchestra. Here we need a powerful system with broad coverage, so we can reach a large audience area from the L/C/R positions. However, for the voices, we prefer loudspeakers with much narrower coverage to target specific areas of the audience where we can control the delay.”

To add a little more spice to the mix, since 2006, the orchestra has been housed in the nearby Festspiel hall rather than on an outdoor stage. This adds a further layer of complexity but gives Wannemacher and his team much more scope when it comes to creating an immersive experience for the audience.

“We’ve implemented a 3D sound system using different speakers at different heights, including under-seat speakers for middle stalls,” said Wannemacher. “I wanted to mirror this to capture room sound, so we set up microphones in a three-level arrangement to feed the three levels of loudspeakers. When combined with our 3D electronic acoustic room system we achieve a very realistic and pleasant-sounding room that benefits the entire audience. Thanks to an intricate setup of both microphones and loudspeakers, we’ve managed to create an immersive experience for the audience, even in an outdoor environment.”

Share. Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Email
Previous ArticleThéâtre du Splendid chooses Robert Juliat Sully modules for LED conversion
Next Article Geelong Arts Centre opens in Australia
Lauren Dyson

Lauren is a freelance technical journalist. Over the past 15 years, she has worked on a wide variety of B2B publications and websites, including a stint on Auditoria’s sister title Traffic Technology International, as deputy editor from 2014-2016. She has a degree in English from the University of Exeter. Lauren is mum to two busy little girls. She is always in demand!

Related Posts

close up of loudspeaker
Audio & Communications

Adamson’s new VGt to be debuted by StageMix at Palm Expo

29th April 20252 Mins Read
concert hall
Audio & Communications

DiGiCo consoles installed at Segerstrom Center for the Arts

28th April 20255 Mins Read
stage with audio equipment
Audio & Communications

Meyer Sound’s Panther chosen for Gallo Center for the Arts

15th April 20255 Mins Read
FREE MONTHLY NEWS EMAIL!

Get the 'best of the month' from auditoria-magazine.com direct to your inbox every month


Latest Posts
Musical theatre scene showing performers in white ABBA-inspired costumes surrounding a woman in pink dress sitting on a bed with heart pattern duvet.

Muriel’s Wedding the Musical brought to life with INFiLED displays

21st May 2025
large open-roof arena in urban landscape with trees

Live Nation to operate Colombian arena with Grupo Páramo

21st May 2025
Nighttime concert at outdoor amphitheatre with curved translucent roof. Large audience gathered before illuminated stage with city skyline visible behind performers.

Outdoor venue part of new design for Lincoln Center’s west side

21st May 2025
Supplier Spotlights
Getting in Touch
  • Free Email Newsletters
  • Meet the Editors
  • Contact Us
  • Media Pack
Related Topics
  • Stadia
© 2023 Mark Allen Group Ltd | All Rights Reserved
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.