On March 26, 1988, Daniel Flannery joined Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra as guest artist and scenographer for a sold-out engagement at Carnegie Hall. Flannery created a pioneering computerized lighting production designed to add dramatic and emotional dimension to the orchestral performance. Previewing the concert, Newsday described it as a “state-of-the-art light show” and reported that it represented the first use of sophisticated touring-concert lighting within a traditional indoor symphonic performance.
Rather than imposing literal imagery on the music, Flannery conceived what he called “tapestries of light,” using color, movement, searchlights and architectural patterns to suggest mood and imagery. Three lighting systems were suspended above the stage, with additional equipment installed throughout Carnegie Hall’s balconies. Moving beams swept through the auditorium, while shifting patterns and colors played across its walls and ceiling. An extensive sound system heightened effects including cannon fire, spacecraft, bird calls and whistles.
The visual production accompanied a wide-ranging program that included Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, Strauss waltzes, “Tara’s Theme” from Gone with the Wind, and music from Star Trek, Superman and other films. Flannery programmed the lighting in advance using Vari-Lite’s computerized system, then completed the installation and rehearsal at Carnegie Hall within an exceptionally limited four-hour period.
The Cincinnati press reported that the Pops “sizzled before sellout crowds in New York,” praising the production’s sophisticated effects and noting that the audience’s enthusiasm continued to build throughout the evening. The engagement sold out Carnegie Hall’s 2,800 seats on both nights. The event became an important milestone in Flannery’s development of the “visual symphony”—an approach that integrated orchestral music, theatrical lighting, sound and scenography while preserving the musical performance as the central focus.
Rather than imposing literal imagery on the music, Flannery conceived what he called “tapestries of light,” using color, movement, searchlights and architectural patterns to suggest mood and imagery. Three lighting systems were suspended above the stage, with additional equipment installed throughout Carnegie Hall’s balconies. Moving beams swept through the auditorium, while shifting patterns and colors played across its walls and ceiling. An extensive sound system heightened effects including cannon fire, spacecraft, bird calls and whistles.
The visual production accompanied a wide-ranging program that included Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, Strauss waltzes, “Tara’s Theme” from Gone with the Wind, and music from Star Trek, Superman and other films. Flannery programmed the lighting in advance using Vari-Lite’s computerized system, then completed the installation and rehearsal at Carnegie Hall within an exceptionally limited four-hour period.
The Cincinnati press reported that the Pops “sizzled before sellout crowds in New York,” praising the production’s sophisticated effects and noting that the audience’s enthusiasm continued to build throughout the evening. The engagement sold out Carnegie Hall’s 2,800 seats on both nights. The event became an important milestone in Flannery’s development of the “visual symphony”—an approach that integrated orchestral music, theatrical lighting, sound and scenography while preserving the musical performance as the central focus.
