Veteran Norwegian black metallers Satyricon will release their upcoming DVD Live At The Opera on May 1 via a newly-signed deal with Napalm Records.
In sync with the release of 2013’s self-titled, eighth studio album, the band played an exclusive, one-off show at Den Norske Opera & Ballett in Oslo, Norway on September 8, 2013, where they were joined by the Norwegian National Opera Chorus as part of the Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival.
Frontman Sigurd ‘Satyr’ Wongraven explains how the project came together.
He says: “The whole thing started with us doing one song, To The Mountains, a year and a half before the actual show. We performed at a closed event in the main hall of the opera with the Royal Norwegian Opera Chorus. It was very inspirational.
“I then said to the conductor that I would love to do a whole show like this. He loved the idea, I was serious about it, and he was serious about it. We spent approximately one and a half year working with composer and arranger Kjetil Bjerkestrand on the choral arrangements.”
Satyr continues: “For something that we planned for so long, put so much work into, and something this unique - of course it would be nice to film it and record it. But I made it very clear to the people around Satyricon that I`m not going to turn this into a recording session where you can buy tickets.”
“When you hear or or watch this recording you should feel like you’re there. This is not Satyricon - Best Of From The Opera, this is a show. The perfect parts need to go in there, but also the parts that are not so perfect. That’s the nature of it, that’s the real deal. It’s not a live album. It’s a celebration of what Satyricon stands for as a band.”
Live At The Opera will be available as DVD/2CD package and as a limited-edition 3LP vinyl set.
Satyricon are supporting the release with a European tour that will include two UK performances: April 7 at Sound Control in Manchester and April 8 at Scala in London.
