But Can It Tell Viola Jokes?
Classical-music critics may be an endangered species, but last night a humanoid robot served notice that orchestra conductors may also be a dying breed. Asimo, made by Honda, made its (his? her?) conducting debut at Detroit’s Orchestra Hall, leading the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in “The Impossible Dream” from “Man of La Mancha.” Damn, where was Asimo when Zubin Mehta was conducting the New York Philharmonic?
