Is the future of live classical music recitals to turn them into a multimedia experience that is somehow more “familiar” to a generation raised on video screens. Here’s a report from Lang Lang’s concert in London over the weekend:
He is not the first classical pianist to give a solo Albert
Hall recital but few of his predecessors brought along in-your-face
amplification and multiple screens relaying close-ups of his hands at
work. The sonic perspective rendered his Steinway clangorous and the
only way to make the sound seem “natural” was to watch the screens,
transforming the experience into a TV broadcast rather than a live
performance.
Strange but I have been approached by an orchestra to do exactly the same. Normally I am a professional photo editor, but I have been asked to film a live classical concert, broadcast it simultaneously, plus mix in pre-recorded and edited footage too, like a video dj. At least their concept is not to mess with the audio by amplification.