A recent post by belizairec noted the “focused light” of the final performance at the “Fall for Dance” program.
It reminded me of the Russian composer Scriabin, who claimed to have synesthesia, and duplicated his experiences by projecting colored lights corresponding to the notes of his music. At the turn of the twentieth century his innovation was revolutionary, and it continues to inspire artists today.
Lincoln Center is showing a program entitled “Spectral Scriabin” which implements Scriabin’s original techniques. The musician Eteri Andjaparidze performs the pieces by Scriabin, and Jennifer Tipton designs the lighting.
There is another (living American composer) named Michael Torke who also has this disorder. Quite a few of his pieces focus on the “color” aspect of music that he perceives:
http://www.passionato.com/album-detail/au4b0701dbd5815/
Scriabin seems to be the father of musical light shows. There are tons and tons of artists who use lights during their performances, focusing on certain colors for differing moods and speeds of the music. Light is often used to convey emotion.
This phenomenon has become increasingly popular among electronic bands such as Daft Punk, and Deadmau5, and metal acts such as Rammstein. While this idea was novel for Scriabin, it has since then become a standard for live performances. here is an example of the kind of utilization that modern concerts make of lighting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pSz1Hm3Z4k