Posted on 01/23/2009 5:21:15 PM PST by My Favorite Headache
NEW YORK – To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, here we go again.
The revelation that millions of people who saw the inauguration of President Barack Obama were actually listening to recorded music instead of the actual performance of the Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman-led quartet has led to comparisons of lip-synching (though, in this case, might the correct term be hand-synching?) and drawn comparisons to other infamous cases, including Ashlee Simpson's "Saturday Night Live" debacle and perhaps music's most famous pantomimes, Milli Vanilli.
But Carole Florman, a spokeswoman for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, says she doesn't understand what the fuss is all about.
"I think this is a whole lot of nothin'," she said on Friday. "These are world-class performers who are playing in 19 degree weather and the technical requirements of their instruments made it impossible for them to have their music amplified and know that it would be in tune. So they made, what I think, was probably a difficult decision to play to tape."
A representative for Perlman echoed her comments Friday with the following statement: "Mr. Perlman was deeply honored to be a part of the inauguration ceremony. The brutal cold created the distinct possibility of broken or out of tune instruments and, in order to avoid a weather related issue detracting from the majesty of the day, a decision was reached to play along to the recording that the quartet had made earlier in the week."
Cellist Ma, violinist Perlman, pianist Gabriela Montero and Metropolitan Opera clarinet player Anthony McGill performed "Air and Simple Gifts," a piece arranged by Oscar-winning composer John Williams. Montero was wearing gloves, but the rest of the quartet played their instruments barehanded in the frigid 28-degree weather.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I happened to walk by a TV while the big dog and pony show was going on but all I heard was someone trying to strangle a cat.
The Jonas Brothers are a hack act too.
It helps when you know what notes being played on a guitar should sound like.
I notice that whenever I play my guitar in cold weather, the tuning gets all messed up.
Which is why I listen to old rock bands.They’re still recording new music and still touring. And it’s always them playing the music live.
I caught a bit of this in my boss’s office, and commented that I was astonished the clarinet sounded so in tune given the weather.
Well, now I know why it was in tune. Duh!
I have been well aware of all of what you said for decades now...but Britney’s is the worst...really really bad...lol.
Didn’t the organizers think of this when they booked Yo Yo and Itzhak? I mean this is January weather in D.C.
Why didn’t they book someone who could actually play live? Small marching band? Electric piano artist and singer? Harmonica solo?
I do understand their not wanting to hurt the instruments. No problem. All the more reason to book someone else.
I don’t like faking music. Should have let Yo Yo and Itzhak play later in the day at one of the indoor dinners.
Animal Farm. Chapter 1.
Yours is the most sensible comment made on this thread so far.
I've got to agree...she can't sing or dance. Especially after the laughing stock she made of herself at the MTV Awards (barf!) I'll forgive the Rockettes for the integrity of the art and the show. But Britney... I agree really, really bad!
I've got to agree...she can't sing or dance. Especially after the laughing stock she made of herself at the MTV Awards (barf!) I'll forgive the Rockettes for the integrity of the art and the show. But Britney... I agree really, really bad!
"Are they nuts, the weather will destroy their instruments".
And this was mostly regarding Springsteen's Fender Telecaster. That is NOT an off the rack $600.00 guitar. And for those classical musicians, dam, some of those instruments are 'priceless'.
So I *hope* they got all their stuff from Pawn Shops and Yard Sales. They 'faked it', whoopee.
(Politics aside you DON'T wantonly ruin an instrument.)
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