big bundle of sticks to the rescue

[Contratrombone64]

A fascinating snipet from a man I admired years ago ...

Billions watch Olympic opening ceremonies and most expect success - indeed the sponsors demand it, the politicians require it and the viewers provide marketing opportunities. So why is there this nit-picking about the Chinese using miming and other established theatre techniques to ensure success?
At the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics, the Sydney Symphony was playing at the water cascade. When the carriage with the flame momentarily stalled on the way up, part of the apparatus was derailed and the plastic membrane which contained the cascading water was breached. Water flooded the performance area and the heavy-duty backstage power installations. Huge power-carrying cables running across the floor under the feet of the musicians were becoming submerged, and the moment the music finished the musicians were moved to less dangerous territory as the rising water saturated plugged connections.
Do we imagine that if the orchestra had been removed earlier, the show would have stopped? Or that if it had rained, the musicians would have sat there playing the music while moisture destroyed millions of dollars worth of instruments?
The fact is the ceremony was guaranteed to proceed by good production planning. The music was fully recorded in the preceding weeks and the Sydney Symphony was miming on the day. Director Edo de Waart was conducting to prompts and click-tracks in his headphones. It simply didn't matter on the night if the musicians didn't play a note, provided they looked like they were. I know because I was there.
This is normal for mega events and the big outdoor pop concerts around the world. China is not the inventor of this technique - they learnt from those who have done it before.
But worse than this duplicity, the two little girls have each been needlessly robbed of their individual pride: "I sang at the Beijing Olympics" has been rendered by brainless critics into "I am an ugly duckling" and "I am a fraud for miming".
We have some monster glass houses in this country and we should take care that China doesn't throw our stones straight back at us. Our media commentators richly deserve it for their one-eyed, simplistic, indecent China-bashing beat-up.
Martin Foster (Sydney Symphony contrabasoonist, retired), North Sydney

[rojo]

I missed the brouhaha over most of this business, but my Dad took me out for dinner tonight, and he mentioned the girl's miming part of this story.

I thought it had become fairly common practice to use pre-recorded orchestral music at these kinds of mega-events. If I remember correctly, Pavarotti mimed a performance at a major event like this; may even have been for an Olympics. I'll see if I can find something about that.

I don't have a problem with miming. Generally it's the person who actually does the singing that does the miming though. My Dad pointed out some exceptions to this, however. In film, for example. In the movie Singing in the Rain, Debbie Reynolds mimes for a big leading lady who has a terrible voice. But actually, Reynolds only sang one song in the movie using her own voice. So she mimed while playing the part of a mime. I love that movie.

I hope these girls don't feel one iota of shame for this. That would be the worst. They did as they were instructed to do. I'm sorry I missed the performance; I bet they both did great. I'll go see if I can find it on Youtube.

Everyone's a critic.

CT64, I'm not sure I'm getting the bundle of sticks reference. Can you enlighten me?

[marval]

Well I agree to a point. I do feel sorry for the Chinese girl who actually sang the song, fancy saying she wasn't pretty enough.

But I expect all Olympic ceremonies have done some cheating, let's be honest you can never rely on the weather, especial 2012 in England. (That's if the 2012 prediction doesn't get us first.)


Margaret

[rojo]

I looked up the case of Pavarotti's lip syncing, and it was at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Easy to find info if one wants to look.

Harder to find info on the lip syncing in Singin' in the Rain, so I'll post a link to an article that I found that mentions what I spoke about.

http://www.pictureshowman.com/articl...ginginrain.cfm

For those having difficulty finding the reference, I'll post the paragraph too.

"When the Debbie Reynolds character is supposedly dubbing the singing for the Jean Hagen’s character, Debbie’s voice was, in fact, dubbed by Betty Noyes. In several scenes the Debbie Reynolds’ character is supposedly lip–synching and rerecording Jean Hagen’s speaking–voice. In actuality, Jean Hagen’s real voice was much more cultured than Debbie’s voice, so Jean dubbed Debbie dubbing Jean’s character."

[marval]

Thank you Rojo

That was very interesting.


Margaret

[Corno Dolce]

Sorry, but I'm having a very hard time deciphering CT64's reference to a *bundle of sticks* - However, looking up the term in the *Urban Dictionary* revealed this:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=faggot

CT64, what say you now dear fellow?

Many bundles of sticks can be used to construct lodging or storage space or as a barrier.

[rojo]

You're welcome Margaret.

And thanks CD for unraveling the mystery. So the big bundle of sticks is a reference to the contrabassoon.

[Corno Dolce]

Hi Rockin' Robin RoJo,

Yeah, Contrabassoons make great firewood

Could also be a pack of cigarettes

Cheers,

CD

[Contratrombone64]

Sorry, but I'm having a very hard time deciphering CT64's reference to a *bundle of sticks* - However, looking up the term in the *Urban Dictionary* revealed this:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=faggot

CT64, what say you now dear fellow?

Many bundles of sticks can be used to construct lodging or storage space or as a barrier.

A big bundle of sticks? Simple ... the contrabassoon. Remember in German it is Contrafaggot ... fagot = bundles of sticks, hence a contrabassoon is a...oh I give up.

[Contratrombone64]

Can I help it if my parents and grand parents and great grand parents (on my mother's side) for generations all were masters at cryptic crosswords and word puzzles and it rubbed off on me?