It's been five years since New York's Metropolitan Opera simulcasts first made a big splash in cinemas around the world. The popular "Live in HD" screenings have inspired a number of imitators, with broadcasts from opera houses in London and San Francisco, among others. And now a major orchestra has stepped up with a series of broadcasts.
L.A. Phil Live was launched on Sunday, in cinemas across North America, including 55 theatres in Canada from Victoria to Halifax. Simulcast from Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, this series of three concerts features the Los Angeles Philharmonic led by the orchestra's dynamic young conductor, Gustavo Dudamel. The first program consisted of John Adams's Slonimsky's Earbox, Leonard Bernstein's Symphony No. 1 and Beethoven's Symphony No. 7.
Canada's Cineplex Odeon chain, which presented the Canadian screenings, was probably hoping the concert would appeal to the same demographic that has embraced the Met's broadcasts. And at Toronto's Scotiabank Theatre, the audience looked like the opera crowd - only much smaller. The Met's operas have grown so popular that they sometimes sell out in advance, but for the L.A. Philharmonic, the theatre was two-thirds empty.
It's not as though there was anything wrong with the product that Dudamel and his players were offering. The orchestra sizzled under Dudamel's baton - and the only soloist on the program, mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor (in the last movement of the Bernstein), was a treat.
And except for a few minor glitches, the live broadcast was smoothly produced. Microphones captured everything from the soft whispers of lone bass clarinet to brilliant all-hands-on-deck outbursts. (Unfortunately, at the Scotiabank Theatre, the sound was occasionally marred by a low rumbling noise that seemed to be leaking in from another theatre in the building.)
Camera work was tasteful, highlighting various sections of the orchestra at appropriate times, and lingering on the interior of architect Frank Gehry's spectacular Walt Disney Concert Hall. Neither was Dudamel neglected: His well-coifed black curls bounced tirelessly throughout the concert, and his facial expressions ran the gamut from grave to blissful.
The 29-year-old conductor also appeared on camera backstage between pieces, speaking with enthusiasm, if not always great depth, about the programmed works. He even answered questions that were texted to him during the broadcast. When did he begin conducting? He first led an orchestra in his native Venezuela at the age of 11. Does he listen to other kinds of music besides classical? Yes - plenty.
Serving as a glamorous hostess for the broadcast was former Miss America turned pop singer and actress Vanessa Williams; making a cameo appearance as the proud mother of the event was Deborah Borda, the orchestra's president and chief executive officer. There was even a prerecorded intermission feature, with O'Connor singing for a small group of children and their parents.
Clearly, the L.A. Philharmonic pulled out all the stops for this initiative - so why didn't the idea catch on better with classical music fans? Perhaps it wasn't marketed well enough. Perhaps the repertoire of the opening concert was too American to appeal to Canadian audiences. Perhaps it would have helped if a big-name soloist had been brought in to play a concerto.
Or perhaps big-screen simulcasts of orchestras will never be as popular as opera. Opera isn't just music, it's also a form of theatre: Every staging is visually unique, and that's part of the appeal. By comparison, one orchestral concert looks pretty much like any other.
It's too early to declare the L.A. Philharmonic's series a failure. But judging by the response in Toronto, it has a long way to go before it could be called a success.
Special to The Globe and Mail