new horizons in music appreciation

[thomascantor]

The Church of the Holy Name in West Roxbury is a venue I've performed in, a very big nave with decent acoustics. The pipe organ isn't the best in the world, or even the city of Boston, but one could be generous in pointing out that the space is half the instrument

Comments

[ellinor]

I am in favor of the innate silliness of human culture. This sounds cool!

[rogairedubh]

Not that I think all of us non-digital musicians will be out of a job anytime soon (or at least, not any more out of a job than I already am), but I worry about this a little. I think the idea is cool, and I'm definitely not dogmatic about what constitutes "real music" (hey, art is art), but on the economic side, there's something a little insidious about this...Of course trained musicians and savvy music lovers will always be able to tell the difference between a real orchestra and a synthesized one, but what about everyone else? Like so much in this stubbornly free-market society, cost is a primary driver of the arts. For the average person who only patronizes classical music because they think it's "nice", or because they think it makes them look cultured, wouldn't it be natural for them to choose the cheaper option? In our perfection-obsessed, instant-gratification world, why wouldn't the average consumer choose to hear technically "flawless" music at a discount? If enough people start making that choice, then making a living as a

[thomascantor]

Yeah, I hear what you mean. I don't think it's likely this will replace real orchestras on a big scale, but it gives reason for concern. I'm not sure this is aiming for "technically 'flawless,'" really--the conductor has to work to make sure it doesn't sound completely like a computer--but the idea of having a computerized, discounted option to hiring a bunch of real musicians is enough to make one pause