Cello in Motion

All right, between jet lag and heading to Maida Vale to see friends I did not practice French today, but I thought about practicing, does that count?

Tonight I saw the cellist, Matthew Barley perform the first motion-capture "Live" performance at Kings Place. Barley came onto the stage in the beautifully designed performance hall dressed in the motion capture black lycra suit and silver sensors -- sorry no pictures as cameras were not allowed. But to see this world class cellist in cat burglar gear was a bit jarring (especially the black "knit" cap.) But this link has some of the footage: http://www.plushmusic.tv/channels/DH0/matthew-barley---xtreme-cello

Then the screen behind him came alive and we were treated to motion capture and the music. While most of the imagery was not equal to his amazing music, I did wonder what might come of this marriage of music, technology live performance and a great visual stylist, say a Terry Gilliam or some brainiac from PIXAR. We all felt, my friends and I that this was a form in its infancy but now the Genie was out of the bottle. Some day, the visuals will catch up with the music. But tonight, it was just perfect to let Barley be the star of the concert.

Another stunning day in London, by the way. Hyde Park, Oxford Street and that "lovely" London Tube (not) were jammed. So it was a day to walk and make hay while the sun shines.

J