In Monday’s (6/4) Independent (London), Rob Hastings reports, “Musicians in the London Symphony Orchestra will have to mime their performance in the opening ceremony of the London Olympics because a live performance is deemed too risky. The shape of the Olympic stadium and worries about the weather mean that a performance recorded six weeks ago will be played during the show while the players go through the motions, apparently against the wishes of Danny Boyle, the artistic director. … The decision was criticised by orchestra members. ‘The LSO is one of the best orchestras in the world and we’re being asked to mime in front of a global audience of billions,’ one anonymous musician told the Mail on Sunday. A spokesman for [London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games] said: ‘Due to the complexity of staging the ceremony, it is not possible for all music to be live.’ ”
Posted June 4, 2012
