When we opened the doors of La Seine Musicale to the Parisian public for the first time 10 years ago, I knew that I wanted a venue for my orchestra – Insula – capable of hosting any kind of multi-disciplinary project. Just because we are a historically-informed orchestra, we didn’t want to be limited to a venue for chamber orchestra performances. We needed a fully-adaptable performance space which could host any kind of staged event, whatever we could dream up, no matter how outlandish that could be.

Over the years, we have experimented with a transparent aquarium on the stage for Adam and Eve to swim in for Haydn’s Creation directed by Fura dels Baus. For Mozart’s Requiem in partnership with Yoann Bourgeois, a choreographer who defies gravity, we had a rotating stage and a giant slide positioned at a 85-degree angle for acrobats to throw themselves off into a metaphorical hell for the Dies Irae. And two years ago, we collaborated with British artist Mat Collishaw on Sky Burial setting Fauré’s Requiem to an unsettling vision of the cycle of life – the old dying in a dilapidated tower block repurposed for their eventual bodies to be offered to the vultures in the Tibetan ritual of sky burials.

Blending imagination and digital technology with a classical orchestra has been a core principle for us. We believe that using technology in creative, large-scale, and educational ways resonates with audiences, while promoting human values. For Beethoven’s Pastoral for the Planet, we gave our audiences the choice for voting (through an app on their phones) for their preferred ending to the musical programme – either a doom-laden environmental collapse or a hoped-for salvation of Earth’s precious natural resources.

Last year, we undertook our most adventurous project to date with film director Antonin Baudry – Beethoven Wars, a manga opera with an immersive 2D/3D film projected onto a giant, custom-built screen (50 linear meters by 10 meters high) and curved over 200 degrees.

The story, whose title is inspired by Star Wars, follows Stephan and Athena as they face the end of a world devastated by war. Freely-adapting from the original plays King Stephan and The Ruins of Athens, which are linked to Beethoven’s forgotten musical dramas the film with live music, depicted a space quest to return to Earth after an epic intergalactic battle.

Manga stories often explore themes of power struggles, resistance and the fight for a better world – values that align closely with Beethoven’s stage music for King Stephan and The Ruins of Athens, composed in 1812. These pieces were written for the inauguration of a theatre in Pest, celebrating peace, law, and the importance of the arts.

The use of manga enhances the messaging by making it visually engaging, especially for younger audiences, and by reinforcing the dystopian, yet hopeful, universe of the story. The librettos of both Beethoven’s works resonated particularly with today’s audiences, in the wake of global turbulence caused by pandemic, wars and climate change.

When we presented Beethoven Wars at La Seine Musicale last May, 63% of the audience were first-time attendees, and 50% were under the age of 20. This confirms that immersive multimedia projects are a powerful tool to attract new audiences to classical music.

By combining Beethoven’s music with manga and digital technology, we’ve managed to bridge the gap between tradition and modernity. The audience was captivated by the experience, proving that this approach can make classical music more accessible and engaging.

Our vision for Beethoven Wars extends far beyond a single live performance. We are already developing a VR version of the project, set to launch in 2025, which will allow audiences to experience the show in an entirely new way. The film will also have an independent life, in cinemas or immersive venues. Looking ahead to 2027, Beethoven’s anniversary presents a perfect opportunity to expand the project internationally.

Ultimately, our goal is to continue exploring how classical music can intersect with digital innovation, reaching broader and younger audiences while staying true to the profound artistic values at the heart of Beethoven’s work.

Beethoven Wars tours to Rouen on February 28 and March 1, Aix-en-Provence on March 22 and Hong Kong Arts Festival from March 26 to 28. Beethoven Wars lasts 1 hour.

Laurence Equilbey's new recording with Insula of Beethoven's King Stephen, The Ruins of Athens and Leonore Prohaska is out digitally now: Beethoven: King Stephen