In the cinematographic word nowadays there are many conversations about digitally “replacing” movies stars and about the digital characters become more real, threatening to make actual actors less usable. I would like do not be engaged into the desiccation of cone and pros of the approach but it is no doubt in my mind that in 10 years the digital characters will be very much in use and very competitive. In another 10 years I will be no surprised if it will be 50/50 share between human actor and digital actors. Of cause I am not a specialist in film making and my estimate of years might be way off. However with progress of technology “digital characters” will get more and more market share.

What I am talking about? Well, pretend that it is 2025 and Hollywood roles out the Casablanca III with digital Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman that let say undistinguishable from the original acting. The power of the idea in my view that the talent of great actors might be used to create a new awareness, sort of use the programmatic inheritance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inheritance_(object-oriented_programming)

So, I wonder, if we will be able to do it with films then why we will not be able to do it with Music?

Let pretend me having 1.000.000 tapes of all imaginable recordings of each work. I have specific objectives how I would like to play a given piece. Now, let pretend that I have a way to slice all my 1.000.000 tapes on 1.000.000.000.000 fragments and to montage them in the performance that I feel shall be performed? The point is that with advance of technology it might be possible to synthesize everything. Sure, nowadays we can’t synthesize complex sound but we can’t synthesize the movement of the Bogart’s face. I am not talking about the face – we can’t synthesize the walking into fog in the end of Casablanca. But I am not taking about nowadays but about a far future when the subjective result of visual synthesis of people will be undistinguishable.

So, will we able to compose, conduct, perform and to play music from a laptop in 2025?  I personally feel that it will be great and if it possible I would like to work on something like this today…

zako wrote:

Yes we now can digitally replace the violin section and cello section,,and horn and bass,,and wind and tymponyss of an orchestra....I will now orchestrate a new Mahler Ressurection,,,,replacing Micheal Tilson Thomas with my version,,,,I wont have to pay those drunken musicions,,Or by a tuxcedo or a batton to wave around,,,I will be the greatest conductor in the world...Tear down Boston symphony hall..You wont need that old barn and replace with a used car lot,,,,,Your audio system at home will be your orchestra hall,,,,