CYPRESS, Calif. – Alla Pugacheva, one of Russia’s most beloved singers, recently gave a concert before 6,000 people on the country’s most prestigious stage – the State Kremlin Palace – and two Christie D4K40-RGB projectors were there to enhance the show. The riveting performance brought the house down and marked her 70th birthday.
More details from CXhristie (www.christiedigital.com):
It also marked the Russian debut for the D4K40-RGB laser projector, which comes in a compact, all-in-one chassis. Evgeny Marinichev, Technical Director at Big Screen Show (BSS), Christie’s valued partner that installed the two projectors, said the two projectors were in use during several parts of the program.
Christie laser projection welcomes Russian superstar
“At the very start of the concert, as the audience waited with bated breath for the intro, the opening chords sounded and the letters P and S began gradually appearing and simultaneously disappearing on stage. They projected onto a black velvet curtain through rising plumes of artificial smoke. A dramatic opening is a crucial part of any show, so it was very important to us to have a high light output of 80,000 ANSI lumens. The D4K40-RGB allowed us to make the opening truly vivid and memorable.
“Right in the middle of the song ‘Head Spins,’ the entire set changed. While Alla Pugacheva was standing at the front of the stage, a tulle curtain was lowered behind her, and rain was projected onto it,” Marinichev continued. “Yes, that rain was also the D4K40-RGB’s doing! A minute’s realistic downpour in 4K resolution – and then the audience saw the singer standing in a restaurant and bar where previously there had been an empty stage.”
The next number, which would have been impossible without the Christie D4K40-RGBs, was one of the concert’s most touching moments. This was the premiere of the song ‘Overcoat,’ written by Pugacheva and dedicated to radio host Vladimir Trifonov – who discovered the then 16-year old singer and played her song ‘Robot’ on the radio
Marinichev explained, “A tulle curtain was once again lowered over the bar set on stage, and a black-and-white portrait of Trifonov was projected onto it. Given the size of the Palace, the image was comparatively small, at six by four meters (19.6 by 13.1 feet). However, here the 4K resolution and brightness were exceptionally important in achieving emotional impact.”
Combined with the music, the image came through clearly and according to onlookers, there was barely a dry eye in the house.
High praise for the Christie D4K40-RGB projectors
BSS has worked on hundreds of performances using Christie’s 3DLP projectors for the visuals. However, this concert was a new milestone for them.
“The Christie D4K40-RGB is a powerful little workhorse. Just two projectors were enough to give us the high level of brightness we needed. Combined with the 4K signal from the servers, the image projected onto the curtain was far more detailed and of higher quality than we could have achieved if we had used four or five standard projectors,” Marinichev added.
“The RGB laser produces more saturated colors and a wider range of hues, which allows the artist greater freedom in creating the content,” concluded Marinichev. “We are pleased to have been the first on the Russian market to test out the all-in-one, high-brightness Christie RGB laser projector. And now we are absolutely certain that our clients will appreciate this addition to our Christie range, and we will have quite a story to tell.”
