<p>Thought you might be interested in the latest from British Columbia. While the Vancouver Symphony will be performing during the Games, and has recorded all the anthems, they were expected to pre-record the music for the Opening Ceremonies and allow other musicians to "fake" to the soundtrack. You can imagine the orchestra's reaction.
CBC</a> News - Music - Vancouver Symphony says no to Olympic opening</p>
<p>On another note, I was in the US when it was announced Chicago had lost the 2016 bid. Be careful what you wish for. Here in BC, thanks in no small part to the massive Olympics budget, the provincial government is cutting arts spending by 90% (you read that right). They have also eliminated or frozen all gaming grants to arts organizations. Very nasty.</p>
<p>Massive cuts are also being made to health and education.</p>
<p>:O That’s amazing that they’d do that just for some sports! (BTW I love it in Vancouver… Victoria is even better, but I do like Van…)</p>
<p>Disgraceful- thanks for bringing that to our attention and for posting the link. Perhaps its common practice to pre-record music for Olympic events, if we are to believe David Atkins, but it’s definitely not the case for other “internationally televised events”.</p>
<p>How about YOYo Ma at the inaugaration with Pearlman? I think that was prerecorded and bow synched</p>
<p>The difference is that Ma, Perlman, McGill and Montero recorded the music AND “synched” to it. That is not what is being proposd here. Ironically, the Premier of British Columbia, Gordon Campbell, stated there would not be a repeat of the famous synching incident from the Opening Ceremonies at the Beijing Games. VANOC has issued an apology, but the Vancouver Symphony will not be playing at the Opening Ceremonies. [CBC</a> News - Arts - Vancouver Olympic committee apologizes to symphony](<a href=“http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2009/12/20/bc-vanoc-apology-symphony-orchestra.html]CBC”>http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2009/12/20/bc-vanoc-apology-symphony-orchestra.html)</p>
<p>The Vancouver Symphony won a Grammy last year for its CBC recording with Canadian violinist James Ehnes of the Barber, Korngold and Walton concertos. The announcement of the award came simultaneously with the announcement of sweeping cuts to the CBC. The CBC Vancouver Radio Orchestra was disbanded; it was the last broadcast orchestra in North America. As well, most classical music was eliminated from CBC FM programming. Ehnes decried the cuts - he grew up in Brandon, Manitoba where his primary exposure to classical music was through the CBC.
It’s all heartbreaking.</p>
<p>A sad story but one that doesn’t surprise me. If they had the vancouver symphony synch to their own music, because they were afraid that in the cold of outdoor vancouver it would sound horrible (like with the inaugeration, where it was like 16 degrees out…sorry to all the purists, but it would be idiotic to play in that kind of weather with string instruments and a clarinet. Someone pointed out that brass bands played, brass is a lot more weather tolerant…)</p>
<p>As far as the cuts to arts funding, yep, that is the way it goes. Olympics are major league boondoggles (even a supposedly ‘successful’ olympics like LA in 84 ran in the red, it took a lot of finagling to show a profit), and the government often gets stuck with it. In down times arts are considered low man on the totem pole…last i heard the british were talking about getting rid of the tax they have on radio and tv equipment that helps fund the bbc, and one of the victims will probably be BBC3 radio which broadcasts classical music, including live telecasts of the Proms festival.</p>
<p>Ironically, the people who fought to get the Olympics to vancouver would tell you it would benefit everyone, that it would bring in money,new housing, new facilities and so forth, but in the end it is kind of like what Robert Moses did in NYC with his public authorities,it ends up costing the taxpayers a ton of money, leaves deficits in its wake,and then guess what happens…</p>
<p>Actually it is quite common for artists to synch to recordings at these large high-profile events. Anybody who think it otherwise are probably naiive and out-of-touch with how the real world functions.</p>
<p>As previously mentioned, they did it at Obama’s inauguration, and they did it in Beijing.</p>
<p>Also happened with Luciano Pavarotti at the Turin games and with the Sydney Symphony in the 2000 games. And I’m sure it happens way even more so, and we just don’t hear about it 'cause no one really cares.</p>
<p>Just be glad that we actually still have world class classical artists left to provide services. There are SO many logistics in behind putting on such successful high-profile shows, and those of us here on this board (living in our tiny niche of music-majors/parents behind music-colored lenses) should not be so naiive to actually think what we tab as artistic integrity should actually occupy anything near a high position on their priority lists. I, personally, would hesitate to climb up on such a high horse and start calling such practices “disgraceful”.</p>
<p>As stated earlier, having the Vancouver Symphony record the music, then having them synch it would be different. Having the Vancouver Symphony record the music while having others synch it (as in Beijing) is what is disturbing.
Ma, Perlman, McGill and Montero recorded their own music and synched to it. Ditto for Pavarotti.
That is the difference.</p>