ETC Halcyon Titanium HF’s colour accuracy and Hog control shape the lighting for ‘Always ABBA’

The RTVE Orchestra and Choir's Always ABBA concert brought the 42nd edition of Veranos de la Villa in Madrid to a close, featuring more than 100 musicians, four solo vocalists and an extensive lighting rig incorporating ETC Halcyon Titanium HF fixtures and Hog lighting control systems.

Held on 29 August at Enrique Tierno Galván Park, the outdoor concert attracted more than 8,000 spectators and was later broadcast by RTVE, Spain's public broadcaster.

Technical lighting production was handled by AVL Technical Projects, with Alfonso Torrealba and Luis Drake responsible for the lighting design and technical installation. Lighting operation was handled by Óscar Gallardo and Ezequiel Nobili, both members of AAIV, the Spanish Association of Lighting Designers. The equipment, including the Halcyon Titanium HF fixtures and Hog control systems, was supplied by ETC distributor Video Cine Import (VCI).

Lighting for the stage and cameras

As the concert was also being produced for television, the lighting had to deliver outstanding results both for the audience in the park and for the cameras. The Halcyon Titanium HF fixtures were used as key lighting for the musicians and singers, providing the colour accuracy and beam control required for broadcast capture.

For this production, we needed a lighting system that could meet the demands of both the live performance and the television broadcast. Halcyon Titanium HF gave us the colour quality and control we needed for the musicians and singers, while Hog provided a familiar and flexible platform for running the show, explains Nobili.

The fixtures' High Fidelity LED engine delivers a colour rendering index (CRI) of more than 93, while their 6°–60° zoom range allowed the team to adjust lighting coverage across the large outdoor stage without compromising light quality.

Lighting control with Hog

The show was programmed and operated using the ETC Hog platform, with a Stage Hog and a Tour Hog console. Both consoles provided Gallardo and Nobili with a familiar workflow for managing lighting cues, timing and the complex lighting looks required for an outdoor production of this scale.

Always ABBA was organised by Madrid Destino as the closing event of Veranos de la Villa, one of Madrid's major summer cultural programmes.