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Der Mond – Ein kleines Welttheater

CARL ORFF Festival Andechs / OperA

Der Mond (The Moon) by Carl Orff – Immersive Opera Projection Mapping & Video Design

In 2015, Carl Orff’s Der Mond (The Moon) was transformed into an immersive opera experience through large-scale 270° projection mapping, video design and digital scenography. Raphael Kurig, later founder and Creative Director of WE ARE VIDEO, and Thomas Mahnecke transformed the historic Florian-Stadl at Andechs Monastery into a fully immersive visual environment. Critics described Der Mond as a “cinema-like immersive experience” and a “floating visual world” – an extraordinary interpretation of Carl Orff’s opera that pushed the boundaries of video design in music theatre.

For this new production of Der Mond (The Moon) at the Carl Orff Festival Andechs, the future creators behind WE ARE VIDEO transformed the Florian-Stadl into a monumental 270-degree projection landscape. Through large-scale projections, cinematic visual environments and the complete integration of the venue’s architecture, opera, theatre, light art and digital media merged into a single artistic experience.

Directed by Marcus Everding, Raphael Kurig and Thomas Mahnecke developed a video design concept that went far beyond traditional stage projections. The walls of the Florian-Stadl became part of the narrative itself. Heaven, earth and the underworld were no longer represented by physical scenery, but through moving imagery, light and architectural space.

The production also marked the final season of the Carl Orff Festival Andechs, which from 1998 to 2015 was considered one of Europe’s most important festivals dedicated to Carl Orff’s work, attracting thousands of visitors every year.

Der Mond (The Moon): An Opera Without Boundaries Between Stage and Space

Carl Orff described Der Mond as “Ein kleines Welttheater” (“A Little World Theatre”). The Andechs production expanded this idea into an immersive spatial experience that completely surrounded its audience.

The projections extended the architecture of the Florian-Stadl and blurred the boundaries between reality and illusion. Landscapes, star-filled skies, shadow worlds and sacred spaces appeared not only on the stage itself but throughout the entire venue. Orchestra, choir, soloists and projections became part of one unified visual and musical composition.

Particularly remarkable was the visualization of the opera’s three central realms: heaven, earth and the underworld. Instead of traditional stage constructions, the projections created a floating visual world that made the different worlds of Der Mond visible in their original three-dimensionality.

Opera critic Klaus Billand highlighted the achievement of the video design in his review:

“They created a floating visual world instead of fixed stage constructions and presented the different worlds of the moon in their original three-dimensionality on stage. The imagery that also incorporated the side wings of the Florian-Stadl – most impressively the dark vaults of the underworld – possessed remarkable intensity. Subtle colours and carefully crafted lighting created atmospheric scenes and transitions throughout the performance.”

The complete integration of the Florian-Stadl’s architecture made the production particularly unique. The projections extended beyond the stage backdrop and incorporated the side walls and architectural structure of the entire venue. Monumental visual environments emerged, surrounding the audience and dissolving the boundaries between stage design, film and architecture.

Even the official festival programme announced Der Mond – Ein kleines Welttheater as a production centred around an elaborate video installation, positioning digital imagery as one of its defining artistic elements.

Critical Reception of Der Mond (The Moon)

The combination of opera, architecture and immersive video design received significant attention from both critics and the press.

German newspaper Münchner Merkur described Der Mond (The Moon) as far more than a conventional opera staging and referred to it as a:

“cinema-like immersive experience”

Particular attention was given to the integration of the side walls of the Florian-Stadl, which allowed the projections to completely envelop the audience.

Opera critic Klaus Billand praised the visual design as a “floating visual world” and emphasized how the projections made the opera’s different realms – heaven, earth and the underworld – physically tangible.

Following the festival season, the production continued to be highlighted as an example of the successful fusion of light, music and staging. Long-term festival partner BMW Group reported enthusiastic audience responses to the 2015 performances.

Der Mond (The Moon) as an Early Milestone in Immersive Opera

Today, projection mapping, digital scenography and immersive media art have become important tools in contemporary theatre and opera productions. In 2015, however, such approaches were still relatively uncommon in German-speaking music theatre.

By transforming the entire architecture of the Florian-Stadl into a projected performance environment, Der Mond (The Moon) became an exceptionally immersive interpretation of Carl Orff’s work. The video design functioned not as decoration, but as an independent narrative layer within the production.

The project demonstrated how digital imagery, historical architecture, music and performance could merge into a unified storytelling experience – an approach that continues to define the work of WE ARE VIDEO today.

Looking back, Der Mond anticipated many of the principles that now shape contemporary immersive theatre installations, opera projection mapping and digital scenography projects around the world.

Der Mond (The Moon) and the Development of Video Design

The impact of the production extended far beyond the stage itself.

An image from Der Mond (The Moon) was selected in 2015 as the reference image for the German Wikipedia article on Video Design and remains there today as an example of video design in theatre and opera.

Notably, the Wikipedia article itself was largely developed by Raphael Kurig under his former artist name and Wikipedia username “Indivisualist”. According to Wikipedia authorship analysis, the vast majority of the article’s content still originates from his contributions.

As a result, Der Mond became one of the most visible German-language references for the combination of projection, architecture and visual storytelling, documenting an important moment in the development of digital video design for theatre and performance.

The project therefore not only influenced audiences and critics but also contributed to the broader understanding and documentation of video design as an emerging artistic discipline.

Press Articles

Credits

Production: Carl Orff Festival Andechs (2015)
Work: Carl Orff – Der Mond (The Moon)
Director: Marcus Everding
Video Design: Raphael Kurig, Thomas Mahnecke
Lighting Design: Georg Boeshenz
Venue: Florian-Stadl, Andechs Monastery, Germany