The Lausanne opera house was built in 1871, and was then drastically modernized in 1930. The latest upgrades were made to the stage, the backstage, orchestra pit, the interior design of the public areas, and an extensive expansion. Winners of the expansion contract, architects and Ines Lamuniére and Patrick Devanthéry delivered the design challenge with grace. The result is a lyrical contemporary facade worthy of comparisons to any of the great European Opera Houses.
The venue also received an all new technical upgrade. The choice of technical components including the PA system was specked by audio consultant Jacques Moyal and assisted by Vincent Taurisson. The design was built around an Adamson Metrix system controlled and amplified by Lab.gruppen PLM10000Q. Two left and right arrays of three Metrix 5-degree boxes take care of the main floor level, on the same array one sub and two specially aimed Metrix 5 degree boxes cover the balconies.
The PA Systems have been fully integrated into the venue with each level boasting its own distribution system incorporated into the small balconies just left and right of the stage. A custom painted centre cluster was added for fill. The terracotta red speaker array made up of one Metrix sub with 4 Metrix W's was designed to cover the centre from the very top to the floor and it appropriately disappears into the magnificent classical valance of the stage. The integrated processing Lake amp can independently manage each group of speakers.
Audio distribution and PLM control is implemented using an optic fiber network running the Dante digital audio network protocol, keeping the signal path from console to amplifier purely digital.
(Jim Evans)
