This week, some members of the media began receiving mysterious emails with “Alan Gilbert” in the subject line and the word “Nekrotzar” in the return address. The messages—which linked to humorous, newly created YouTube videos featuring New York Philharmonic Music Director Alan Gilbert and a mysterious figure in black—are part of the Philharmonic communications department’s lead-up publicity to its May 27 through 29 concerts of Le Grand Macabre, György Ligeti’s satirical “anti-opera-opera.” Other multimedia efforts connected with the concerts included informal flip-cam interviews with performers and backstage crew, sent by email, and interviews with director Douglas Fitch and producer Edouard Getaz about the staged production. As of Thursday afternoon there were three short Alan Gilbert/hooded figure YouTube episodes, with the titles “The Maestro,” “The Hero,” and “The Ice Cream Man.”
Posted May 14, 2010
