Broadway sings blues over synthesizer invasion (Space Daily)

[Drew Wilson]

While audiences at Broadway's "West Side Story" thrill to the on-stage drama, musicians in the orchestra pit are fighting a battle every bit as vicious as the Sharks-Jets rivalry.

This is gang warfare of a high-minded sort, pitting some of New York's best live musicians against a synthesizer they fear will usurp the job of playing Leonard Bernstein's pulsating score.

Sophisticated synthesizers and computer-manipulated recordings are increasingly taking over orchestras. Sounding almost like real players, while costing much less, they're especially popular with provincial or touring companies.

But until mid-July -- when "West Side Story's" producers announced that a synthesizer was replacing three live violinists and two cellists, or half the orchestra's string section -- staff violinist Paul Woodiel thought that at least the classics would be immune to the trend.

"It was the last straw for me," Woodiel told AFP.

"I was a student and a friend of Leonard Bernstein and it's almost certain he wouldn't have allowed this. This isn't dinner theater, it's not Las Vegas. It's Broadway and Leonard Bernstein was the greatest American musician."

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Um, it's kind of obvious that synthesizers can sound like real orchestral players. Just listen to these demos if you think orchestral sound can never be synthesized.

[Signa]

I can understand the frustration, but not the anger in the quote. Sure he's losing his job, but just accept that the average audience isn't going to care whether it's live or synth. As a producer, you are going to go for the biggest bang for your buck.