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Berlioz Trip AR is an augmented reality video game for smartphones and tablets, inspired by the composer’s Mémoires. The user shares in the auditory and visual hallucinations that haunted Berlioz while he composed the final movement of his Symphonie fantastique. It’s an opportunity to grasp what lies beneath the creation of a musical work—while stepping into the composer’s shoes. In fact, it is the player who will complete the score!
The work offers a unique acoustic and sensory experience for everyone. The sound spatialization technology developed specifically for the project allows players to physically immerse themselves in the Symphonie fantastique—something previously only possible by installing dozens of speakers in a dedicated space, or by sitting among the musicians of an orchestra. In other words, players navigate Berlioz Trip AR primarily through hearing. Yet no matter how advanced, technology cannot stand alone. That’s why it is embedded in a precise narrative framework: the story of Hector Berlioz. The game’s construction in separate, spatialized tracks gives users the time to deconstruct the fifth movement of the Symphonie fantastique, to connect each sound to its associated idea, and thus to become the protagonist of a story told through music.
By drawing on video game logic, interactivity, and immersion, Berlioz Trip AR aligns with the current movement among cultural institutions to diversify and modernize the way classical music is introduced to middle schoolers, high schoolers, and university students. The decision to develop the project in augmented reality on tablet devices was a natural choice to facilitate engagement with these audiences. The flexibility of the medium and scenography allows the piece to be presented both in schools and in performing arts venues.
It’s worth noting that this experience is part of a broader multisensory exhibition produced by our team, offering total immersion into the creative universe of Berlioz. Audio and video projections, interactive musical games, and participatory workshops enrich the journey!
