I have just seen the future in the NY Times, and I really doubt that it's
going to work.

Anthony Tommasini has an article today about Operaworks, a unique opera
company founded by one David Leighton in 1983.  Leighton has found an
effective way of bringing down the high cost of producing opera: he has
singers in his company and a conductor to conduct them, but the orchestra
is only virtual.

For a recent performance of Salome, Tommasini reports, the computer
expert of the outfit, J.  Patrick Casey, spent somewhere between 360 and
600 hours piecing together the whole orchestral score, note by note, from
sampled sounds of the individual instruments.  The theory is that the
result is then played back in the theater through speakers, while the live
singers sing along.  Does it work in practice? Not according to Tommasini,
and I readily believe him.  It must sound horrible, but he says that he
found some audience members at the Salome performance (yes, there actually
were live people who attended) who actually had positive reactions.  "One
man who professed enthusiasm claimed to be an avid operagoer."

His article concludes thusly: "We have virtual special effects in the
movies, virtual simulations of space travel at science parks and now the
virtual orchestra.  What next? A virtual soprano to sing Salome? Don't
laugh.  It may be coming." I'm sure that it is coming.  My question is:
now that we have gone this far, wouldn't we get a much better experience
by just staying home and listening to a conventional opera CD? If you want
the social experience, invite a few friends over.  You can even dress down,
snack on popcorn, and chat during the performance to your heart's content.

Jon Johanning // [log in to unmask]