Hailed by some as an amazing display of hypnotic technique, a hypnotist recently put the New York Philharmonic Orchestra into a trance where they would be able to play music without reading the score. To prove his point, he had each member of the orchestra place a brown paper grocery bag over their heads while they played “The 1812 Overture.” The critics were all agog but I found it just another mindless display of sacks and violins on T.V. Sign in to see full entry.