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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPeople expecting to see scenes from the Madagascar films were instead treated to AI-generated images. (DreamWorks Animation)\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Winterhalt soon realized the videos accompanying the music mostly seemed to be images created through generative artificial intelligence. Instead of the zebra, tiger, hippo and giraffe from the Zimmer-scored Madagascar film series, the audience was shown \u201cfour janky-looking AI characters,\u201d Winterhalt says.<\/p>\n
While some audience members walked out, Winterhalt searched the company behind the touring production, Star Entertainment, adding to her regret at purchasing a ticket.<\/p>\n
In 2023, Howard Shore, the Oscar-winning Canadian composer, shared a note to his social media pages advising that he was not affiliated with the U.S.-based Star Entertainment\u2019s American and German tours playing his compositions from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film franchises.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Lord of the Rings composer Howard Shore has not authorized his music to be used by Star Entertainment.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cPlease be warned, Howard Shore has nothing to do with these concerts,\u201d said the statement. \u201cThere is a current lawsuit in process to have the concerts stopped. The music that is being played is assembled from unauthorized bootleg arrangements and not at the standard of quality insisted upon by Howard Shore.\u201d<\/p>\n Winterhalt took to social media Tuesday morning to make a similar call, noting that the event in Winnipeg was a standard venue rental, but questioning the underlying responsibilities inherent to a venue of historic repute to stand for artist rights.<\/p>\n \u201cI get it, sort of,\u201d she said, with regard to the venue\u2019s booking. \u201cBut if the concert hall doesn\u2019t stand up for good, beautiful art, then we\u2019re toast.\u201d<\/p>\n Before its stop in Winnipeg, Star Entertainment\u2019s touring production has seen other cancellations and reschedulings: last year, an April concert of Zimmer\u2019s compositions in Toronto was cancelled before being rescheduled to October; the show was rescheduled at least once more.<\/p>\n In March, Montreal\u2019s Rialto Theatre cancelled Star\u2019s stops in town; an ice storm prevented the company\u2019s travel from Toronto. In Winnipeg, this week\u2019s shows were originally slated for May 2025 before a series of delays on the production company\u2019s side held up the performances by nearly a calendar year.<\/p>\n \u201cThe music that is being played is assembled from unauthorized bootleg arrangements and not at the standard of quality insisted upon by Howard Shore.\u201d<\/p>\n The Manitoba Centennial Centre Corporation says the booking\u00a0was made in July 2024.<\/p>\n Manager of marketing and entertainment Gerry McDougal says Star Entertainment made assurances ahead of their performance that the legal challenges from Shore had been resolved, and that the company was compliant when it came to required venue payments and licences.<\/p>\n \u201cThe performances are a straight rental,\u201d says McDougal, who says any issues with the performance quality fall on the production company rather than the venue.<\/p>\n Michael Pollock, a Los Angeles-based assistant producer of the Star Entertainment tour, was reached by phone Tuesday afternoon. He fairly asserted that touring productions, especially ones that cross international borders, are subject to changing schedules.<\/p>\n A director of development for the company\u2019s film production team, Pollock says the company has heard Winnipeg consumer complaints and takes them \u201cvery seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf we don\u2019t live up to people\u2019s expectations, we want to try to make it as right as possible,\u201d he says, pointing to the possibility of free tickets for the company\u2019s next stop in the city or a possible refund.<\/p>\n At Monday night\u2019s performance, Pollock says, the touring company, which usually features 35 instrumentalists and as many as 10 singers, was hampered by a spate of illnesses, which led to \u201ca little bit smaller\u201d of an orchestra than normal.<\/p>\n When asked about the evening\u2019s visual element, Pollock wouldn\u2019t confirm whether artificial intelligence was used, deferring to the company\u2019s lawyers.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we don\u2019t live up to people\u2019s expectations, we want to try to make it as right as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe state very clearly that we aren\u2019t associated with the movie productions. We create mood imagery that isn\u2019t trademarked or copyrighted,\u201d Pollock says.<\/p>\n With regard to any cease-and-desist notices, Pollock assured the Free Press that there presently were none, and that the legal issue with composer Shore had been \u201csettled in our favour.\u201d<\/p>\n The Free Press reached out to Shore\u2019s manager, Jean-Jacques Cesbron of CAMI Music, to ask if that was the case.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d was the one-word response.<\/p>\n While there were some walkouts on Monday, McDougal says there were \u201cplenty of people who applauded,\u201d though he understands that the performance quality \u2014 \u201cas can happen almost any night\u201d \u2014 fell below some audience members\u2019 expectations for the home of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Manitoba Opera.<\/p>\n McDougal says he watched Winterhalt\u2019s video review, posted to her public Instagram, and would never begrudge an artist for sharing their opinion.<\/p>\n Regarding Tuesday\u2019s concert, and Winterhalt\u2019s call for ticket-buyers to request refunds, the centennial centre corporation says it has no plans to cancel the event at the 2,297-seat venue.<\/p>\n \u201cThe show will go on as planned,\u201d McDougal says.<\/p>\n However, the concert hall has no future holds in place for Star Entertainment to return.<\/p>\n Looking ahead to the venue\u2019s spring concert schedule, an authorized performance of Howard Shore\u2019s Oscar-winning score for The Fellowship of the Ring is slated for a two-night stand on June 19 and 20.<\/p>\n \u201cWe state very clearly that we aren\u2019t associated with the movie productions. We create mood imagery that isn\u2019t trademarked or copyrighted.\u201d<\/p>\n Those shows will be soundtracked by the FILMharmonique Orchestra, a Canadian touring company that has accompanied artists including Zimmer, Stevie Wonder and Patrick Watson.<\/p>\n Joining FILMharmonique will be dozens of singers from Manitoba\u2019s Prairie Voices, Winnipeg Boys Choir and the Winnipeg Youth Chorus.<\/p>\n With trademark approval from the Saul Zaentz Company, Tolkien Enterprises and New Line Productions Inc., the score will be performed live to sync with the motion picture, which will play in high definition.<\/p>\n Tickets are still available for tonight\u2019s concert, with a pre-purchase note from the concert hall: \u201cThe Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and The Rings of Power are trademarks of their respective owners. This concert is an independent event and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the studios, production companies, or respective trademark owners.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/benwaldman<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Ben Waldman Ben Waldman is a National Newspaper Award-nominated reporter on the Arts & Life desk at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Ben completed three internships with the Free Press while earning his degree at Ryerson University\u2019s (now Toronto Metropolitan University\u2019s) School of Journalism before joining the newsroom full-time in 2019. Read more about Ben<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Ben produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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