Concertus Interruptus...

The iPhone

The classical music world (at least in New York City and chronicled in the UK) is in an uproar over an incident at Tuesday evening's NY Philharmonic performance of Mahler's Ninth Symphony.  It seems as though a patron failed to silence his iPhone alarm which continued to sound into the morendo of the work's closing measures.  The complete (more or less) story can be found here.


The story has seemed to have gone viral, evidenced by commentary from:

• Norman Lebrecht:  http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2012/01/identified-the-man-whose-phone-went-off-during-mahlers-ninth.html
• Paul Pelkonen ("Superconductor" blog): http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2012/01/identified-the-man-whose-phone-went-off-during-mahlers-ninth.html
• The blog "thousandfold echo": http://thousandfoldecho.com/2012/01/10/concertus-interruptus/

vs. Alan Gilbert

And believe me, many, MANY more.  It is as if someone has committed the most grievous sin against music.

One of my former students even posted a comment last evening on Facebook, "This is what happens when you mix idiots with technology and let them go to concerts..... I get unbelievably pissed off when a cell phone ruins a Northern Iowa Symphony Orchestra concert... but the New York Phil? Wow.  I feel as though there needs to be a national movement to teach people how to be respectful concertgoers."

My own commentary follows:

I have read about 45 minutes worth of commentary on this incident and, as much as I loath the beeps, burps, coughs and even crying babies (that's the worst) I think that we in the "classical" world need to get off our high horse. So many of these "conventions" (expectations of behavior) in the modern day concert are historically incorrect AND continue to turn people away from the music and ensembles that we all love. Remember that, back in Beethoven's day, symphonies were not performed straight through and applause was expected. Later in the Romantic period, applause still appeared within movements of a symphony and frequently--as in operas--complete movements were encored!

If we desire to keep (and God help us, maybe even increase) our audience, then we need to also worry about the comfort of the neophyte concert-goer. At a CSO concert, I recall a patron shouting "Bravo" following the first movement of a symphony. The guest conductor--I believe it may have been David Robertson, now of the St. Louis Symphony--did the classiest thing I've ever witnessed. He turned toward the patron and said "thank you." A great way to turn a potentially uncomfortable situation into a pleasant moment. I can only imagine how differently the principal conductor (Barenboim at the time) would have reacted.

At one commentator that I've read stated, "If you want a perfectly quiet performance, buy a recording and sit in your living room. As for me, I prefer (a house full of) living, breathing and only occasionally noisy people with whom I and my ensemble can share this music we love so well.  

So there is my two cents worth.  I am certain that I am in the minority.