Leipzig (dpa/sn) – On the way to more environmentally friendly operations, the Leipzig Opera and the Dresden Philharmonic are testing a tool for recording carbon dioxide emissions. With the introduction of the so-called CO2 calculator, more awareness of environmental protection and climate neutrality should be created within the industry, said the director of the Leipzig Opera, Tobias Wolff, on Wednesday in Leipzig. With the help of the data generated by the computer, companies should be able to reduce emissions in the future. After the test phase, in which the computer is to be adapted to the very different needs of the companies, the computer should be permanently accessible to all cultural institutions free of charge, it said.
The topic of climate accounting is new for the Leipzig Opera, but the attitude behind the topic is not, said Wolff in an interview with the German Press Agency. “We’ve always worked very sustainably – also because you just didn’t have that much material in the GDR era.” To this day, material is used sparingly, he said. His house also has a good storage system and a large fund from which directors draw.
The problem with the topic of sustainability is that it is primarily about rather unattractive things, such as storage space design or transport, according to Wolff, who has been in office since August 2022. “We have to get away from the idea that sustainability equals lifestyle.” A rethink is necessary, for example, when using standard parts: “Until now, it was still cheaper, for example, to build a staircase for production from steel and then scrap it. You still get a bit of money for the scrap metal, but it’s not sustainable .” In order to need less material in the long term, high investments are required, among other things to create a reusable construction kit for stage sets.
In addition to participating in the pilot project, the opera team is also working on a first production that is as climate-friendly as possible. In cooperation with the Federal Cultural Foundation, the team of directors think of the performance of the play Mary, Queen of Scots from a new point of view – for example, it could be inspired by existing material, according to Wolff.
The development and performance of the piece should also address the question of whether a climate-friendly production can also be a sensual, beautiful and opulent experience: “In the end, the best thing would be if the audience didn’t even notice the climate neutrality and – how always experienced a great evening at the opera,” said Wolff. At the same time, his house wants to set accents with the project.
