Is the YouTube Symphony Orchestra in Tune?
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There is something almost too calculated about the YouTube Symphony Orchestra: a Chinese composer writing music for a Western-style symphony that draws its membership from a global community? But if you can get past the glaring PC-ness of the project, what awaits you is a sweet-natured experiment — albeit a perhaps unnecessary one.
The official web site for the project is frankly cool. A Flash interface guides you through the various sections of the orchestra, allowing you to click on their chairs and learn more about each performer on their individual YouTube channels. And the introductory video is a well-paced, 6-minute compilation of winners saying hello and finding amusing ways to represent themselves and their home countries in a brief span of time.
Drawing together this group of performers, all of whom exhibit some serious skills but whose experience ranges from amateur to professional, is in concept a great idea, a wonderful experiment that will undoubtedly help to build YouTube’s musical community while also highlighting the site’s global reach. And for the musicians chosen by viewer voting, it must be an extraordinarily exciting opportunity.
But, like other events such as YouTube Live, is it ultimately anything more than just a publicity stunt for the company? I enjoy composer Tan Dun’s work (the Symphony channel has favorited a simulation of a full orchestra performing Eroica, the piece he arranged for the auditions), and the musicians selected are adorably gung-ho. But once they’re all playing under the same roof, the YouTube Symphony Orchestra is just an orchestra with an unusual origin story — and no guarantee that the musicians selected will be able to gel together.
The truth is that I am far more interested in watching the promised mash-up video that will debut at the concert April 15 and online April 16. That’s what makes this project part of the online video realm — because as interesting as it is to watch individuals perform, you can’t truly judge a symphony until you hear it as a whole.
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Comments
elastictime, March 31, 2009 at 4:40 AM
Like you, I am intrigued by the mash-up. Unlike the orchestra that will be performing live at Carnegie Hall, the mash-up will have the videos of many more contributors. And judging from what I saw prior to the public voting stage, many of those are very good. I understand that variances in pitch can be compensated for, but without people playing around you, it was very difficult for individuals to follow the beat just visually whilst recording their part for Tan Dun’s piece. Musicians feel a beat. During the creation of these individual contributions destined for mash-up, there were none of the usual auditory anchor points, unless, as some did, they listened to the LSO’s recording in an earpiece.
Will the orchestra gel? It plays together for the first time just two days before the live concert, so it is a tough challenge for everyone. But all the participants have either a lot of diverse playing experience or are young and malleable. I have no doubt that these musicians will, by April 15th, develop a common sense of “now” and feel a synchronous rhythm, as well as establish an agreeable pitch.
In the meantime, YouTube are doing a great job creating an esprit de corps for this virtual team with a mail list that has been going for a month, a dedicated secure web site for the winners, frequent communications out and the compilation of winner’s autobiographical videos. The orchestra members have had their music for this ambitious concert for a week already. Between members there have been a lot of bilateral and multilateral communications. They have had their individual music parts to practise for a week already. There is even a documentary being made so the orchestra (and you) can get an even more intimate look at some of these people (www.harmonyfilm.com).
And yes, it is an extraordinary opportunity and a huge privilege to be part of this experiment.
Jim Moffat
Technology sales channels consultant
Horn player with the YouTube Symphony Orchestra (& the oldest guy in the band)
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