Buying a ticket and heading out to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles isn't the only way to see the Los Angeles Philharmonic perform live these days. With the help of new virtual reality technology, the LA Phil will soon be coming to you.
Starting September 11, the LA Phil will host a special virtual reality experience called VAN Beethoven — a touring truck designed to give visitors a little slice of what it's like to actually visit the Walt Disney Concert Hall and see this world-renowned orchestra perform. Step inside the truck and use the Oculus Rift with the Samsung Gear VR headset to watch the opening four minutes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. You'll feel as if you're actually watching it live from the audience of the Walt Disney Concert Hall — complete with actual carpet and seating from the venue.
The LA Phil used a spherical camera essentially made up of eight modified GoPro cams to capture the footage of the orchestra performing inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall, which it then put together to create a stereoscopic 360-degree image. As Motherboard describes, VAN Beethoven even lets you experience how the sights and sounds of the LA Phil change as you move to different areas of the concert hall, from the front row to the balcony and even onstage with the musicians. While you look around the Walt Disney Concert Hall, you'll also be able to see CG wisps of color floating through the air that provide a visual representation of the music.
You can find the VAN Beethoven truck in different parts of the greater L.A. area from September 11 to October 18. It will mainly be located outside of the Walt Disney Concert Hall and at outdoor events, such as the L.A. County Fair, L.A. Korean Festival and Brewery Art Walk. Locations and organizations can also request a VAN Beethoven stop through the LA Phil's website.
For those not in the L.A. area, you can still see what VAN Beethoven is all about through a free app called Orchestra VR that will be available for download from the Oculus Rift and Samsung VR app stores.
