VR journey into the heart of music opens in Barcelona

Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel is the guide for a 'journey into the heart of music' in the new audiovisual exhibition premiering at Barcelona's CosmoCaixa until October 8.

No social distancing is required in this virtual reality (VR), which immerses the viewer right into the middle of an orchestra and even inside the instruments themselves.

The brainchild of Barcelona-based Igor Cortadellas, 'Symphony' aims to bring classical music to a new audience by taking it out of the concert hall and into a VR headset.

Speaking at the launch in the Catalan capital on Tuesday, Dudamel spoke of the power of music to help us get through tough times. "It's the inspiration we need in the times we live in."

The conductor, himself a product of the famous Venezuelan musical education program 'El Sistema', also stressed that music "is a powerful element of social transformation," and that this project is like a key to open the door for the next generation to enter so that they understand music better and don't think of it as something distant and ancient.

Visual poem

Writer and director Cortadella described the work as having the delicacy of a small music box. He said, for him, 'Symphony' is a visual poem that allows the viewer "to be carried away by beauty."

He also described the music, which evolves from a riot of sound to familiar melodies, as a kind of "zoom in from chaos to order, led by Dudamel."

Ten-year tour

The exhibition, which is free but ticketed, is made up of two mobile units that turn into two rooms of 100 square meters each. In the first, a panoramic film brings the viewer on a wordless journey guided by image and sound. The second room is dedicated to the virtual reality experience.

Following its opening run in Barcelona, 'Symphony' will tour a hundred cities in Spain and Portugal over the next ten years.