Do projection screens with close-up shots of the orchestra really enhance the live concert experience?Last night I heard the Philadelphia Orchestra perform a great concert that included the beautiful Prelude and "Liebestod" from Wagner's Tristan and Isolde, as well as Schoenberg's lush orchestration of Brahms' Piano Quartet No. 1 (GORGEOUS!!!). It was a wonderful evening of music, but the concert was supplemented with something I've never experienced in a live indoor classical event - two large screens that flanked the stage with magnified footage of the performance (I took the above picture during intermission, and you can see one of the screens over the stage).
Dubbed 'Live Image Magnification,' the projections provide the audience with the same video footage that would be shown in a live PBS airing, with close-ups on soloists and different sections of the orchestra in appropriate times of the performance. While I thought it was cool at first, the novelty soon wore off. I couldn't help but think, isn't the whole point of seeing a live performance to experience something more than what you would see on television? I found the screens to be more of a distraction than an enhancement, and I didn't observed only a handful of people in the audience watching them at any given time.
In my Public Policy class, we've discussed the economics concept of 'option value' in terms of the arts. For example, many individuals are in favor of supporting the arts because they know they have the option to partake in them at some point and time, even if they are not currently participating. Does option value similarly play into Philly's 'Live Image Magnification?' Would patrons prefer to purchase tickets to such concerts because they can choose to look up at the screens if they like? How does this experience compare to a 'traditional' concert setting for them? Are there differences in perceptions between experienced and casual concertgoers?
I hope these are questions the Orchestra's marketing department considers regarding the impact of 'Live Image Magnification' concerts, rather than just trying to do something new and 'cool' without rationale, justification and feedback from patrons. The Orchestra could be investing in a project where expenses far exceed perceived benefits of the audience as a whole.
P.S. Why not use the screens to project advertisements before the performance and during intermission, boosting ancillary income? Nonprofits need income from as many reliable sources as possible, especially in our current economic climate. Lexus is a huge corporate sponsor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and I'm sure they'd love to present a few minutes of nice LS460 footage...especially to that clientele.
