Friday, January 23, 2009

Obama Inaugural quartet: world-renowned musicians "finger-synched" to a recording


Itzhak Perlman and Yo Yo Ma saw away as recorded music plays

It's been revealed that the quartet of famous musicians who played just before Barack Obama took the Oath of Office were faking it -- playing along as the crowd listened to music they had recorded a couple of days before.

OK, I know this is no big deal, but it's really kind of annoying, isn't it? In the extreme cold of January 20, the musicians, particularly violinist Itzhak Perlman and cellist Yo Yo Ma could not have played as well as they would wish on such an occasion, and their valuable instruments would have been at risk (the violin and cello they used for the "visual" were cheaper substitutes).

Since the Presidential Inauguration is set for January 20 in the Constitution, didn't anyone anticipate that it might be cold? And since this Inauguration cost $170 million, couldn't those responsible (Dianne Feinstein, that means you)have figured out some way for some of the world's leading musicians to play shielded from the cold? How about a transparent plastic structure with heaters inside? How much could that have added to the bill?

If you're going to try to inject a bit of lofty music into such an otherwise totally live national ceremony, why not do it right?

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