What stuck out to me the most from Golan Levin’s lecture was the visualization of an orchestra that consisted of projecting close ups of peoples faces as they listened to the orchestra play a piece. When I think of visualization of music, I typically think of an animation that synchs up with the music and is carefully designed to extract a particular emotional response from the listener. This was very different, and the brilliance of the piece was how organic it was. Audience members listening to the orchestra could see in detail how the music effects others by looking at the projection, allowing them to compare their own experience of the music to that of others. They weren’t led into a specific emotional response based on the visuals, rather their listening experience was enhanced by adding visuals of natural human response to what they were listening to. By projecting several faces behind the orchestra, audience members can clearly see that everyone experiences the same piece of music differently, and not feel like there has to be a “right” way to experience an orchestral performance.
Nowadays, many orchestras are struggling with ticket sales and are trying to remedy the situation by adding modern twists to concerns including playing popular music(For instance the Pittsburgh Symphony’s FUSE concert series) and incorporating visual art into performances. While its great that orchestras are making an effort to find a place for themselves in the modern world, focusing too much on adding flashy visuals to a performance can take away from the music. Classical music is beautiful in its own right, and the example Levin presented in class is a great example about how technology can be used to enhance the experience of classical music, instead of overshadowing it.
Also, as an example of how the classical music concert can be modernized without ruining the musical experience, here is an example of how the Toronto Symphony cleverly uses graphic design to help audience members understand the structure of the pieces they are listening to