Miguel and Paula Azguime and the New Op-Era

Abstract

ABSTRACT Miguel and Paula Azguime are prominent figures in the contemporary art realm with a significant track record of interconnecting sound, text, poetry, movement, video, and live electronics. Together, they founded a new concept/project entitled New Op-Era that introduced a multimedia and creative collaboration in which the music and text of Miguel Azguime coexist with the staging and video composition of Paula Azguime in a truly symbiotic and innovative format. This paper examines whether the New Op-Era concept constitutes a new form of music theatre by reflecting upon the multimedia and electroacoustic opera Salt Itinerary created by Miguel and Paula Azguime between 1999 and 2006. This one-hour-long piece combines live audio and video processing along with an artistic, vocal, and theatrical performance by the composer himself to produce an extraordinary visual and sound experience that transcends traditional artistic conventions and crosses the boundaries prevailing between music, theatre, opera, performance, new media art, and sound poetry.