February 7, 2005
Wireless technology will help concertgoers know the score
More PDA than cell phone related, but so fabulous I'm including it here. It does for concerts what subtitles have done for opera.
The Concert Companion (CoCo for short) developed in the US, embraces wireless technology to help concertgoers understand what is going on as it happens, reports The Guardian.
"An operator sits at a computer in the hall and, on cue, transmits programme notes to every mobile device.
CoCo, which uses a standard PDA (personal digital assistant), has already been on trial with five orchestras in the US, including the Philadelphia and the New York Philharmonic, and will be used regularly by other orchestras throughout the 2005-06 season.
You take your seat, and Stravinsky's Firebird begins. As the music proceeds, you glance down at the small screen in the palm of your hand and read: "Stravinsky's virtuosic orchestration reaches a climax in this passage, where the illusion of WHOOSHES! is created by passing lines quickly from instrument to instrument."
Some observers are already hailing it as a potential saviour of the classical concert because of its potential for winning new audiences by demystifying Bach and Bruckner - or even Birtwistle."
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