In Tuesday’s (10/9) Los Angeles Times, David Ng writes, “When the Los Angeles Philharmonic launched its series of live broadcasts to cinemas in 2011, the organization touted it as an innovative program intended to broaden the popular reach of the orchestra and its star conductor, Gustavo Dudamel. But two seasons later, the orchestra has had to pull the plug on the series due to a difficult economic environment. Deborah Borda, president of the orchestra, said in a statement that the L.A. Phil Live series ‘was not able to garner the sponsorship required to move forward,’ despite corporate support from Rolex, the luxury watchmaker that was the official sponsor of the cinema series. Borda said that the broadcasts required ‘intensive financial and staff resources’ and that the orchestra was considering ‘future presentations on a one-off basis.’ … The high-definition transmissions were taped during live performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall, with the exception of the Feb. 18 broadcast of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 in Caracas, Venezuela, which was beamed to theaters around the world. The orchestra partnered with NCM Fathom Events, a Denver company that specializes in live cinema transmissions, such as the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series and various sporting events.”
Posted October 9, 2012
