Applause after a first movement

[eschiss1]

this has been known to happen, at least in the past and famously so.

[Ilja]

Unfortunately I was once witness to a performance of Braga Santos' Fourth Symphony where the audience, apparently eager for interval refreshments, started their applause about five minutes too early, just before the finale. Even more a pity because it was a great performance and because it took place in the composer's home town, Lisbon.

[eschiss1]

More like applause after a -third- movement, and out of the best of intentions, but I hope this amuses a little...

There's a piano concerto for the left hand by a very well-known composer (later than our coverage period) which after the "usual three movements" - and after the third movement comes to a decisive-sounding close (in the wrong key- I mean, not the right key to close the piece, so to speak, at least by the rules this composer, too, usually followed... if one can hear such things- I couldn't, when I heard the piece live, back in 1987) - well, he adds a very, very brief finale, basically a recall of the opening movement. (Yes, this work is well-known. When I first heard it was also when I first heard of it; I think Leon Fleisher was doing the honors, at Tanglewood. I was a summer student at a math program in Massachusetts after my senior year of high school, and we went to Tanglewood twice on weekends that year- but anyway.) So of course... three movements- decisive-sounding close- what do you think happens?

You could barely hear the quiet brief finale for all the applause- including my own! - because everyone thought the work was finished!
Makes sense to me, alas.

[JimL]

More like applause after a -third- movement, and out of the best of intentions, but I hope this amuses a little...

There's a piano concerto for the left hand by a very well-known composer (later than our coverage period) which after the "usual three movements" - and after the third movement comes to a decisive-sounding close (in the wrong key- I mean, not the right key to close the piece, so to speak, at least by the rules this composer, too, usually followed... if one can hear such things- I couldn't, when I heard the piece live, back in 1987) - well, he adds a very, very brief finale, basically a recall of the opening movement. (Yes, this work is well-known. When I first heard it was also when I first heard of it; I think Leon Fleisher was doing the honors, at Tanglewood. I was a summer student at a math program in Massachusetts after my senior year of high school, and we went to Tanglewood twice on weekends that year- but anyway.) So of course... three movements- decisive-sounding close- what do you think happens?

You could barely hear the quiet brief finale for all the applause- including my own! - because everyone thought the work was finished!
Makes sense to me, alas.

Prokofiev 4?

[eschiss1]

Yup. That sort of Romeo-and-Juliet-ish (so I've heard it said) one.

[Amphissa]

I've sat through quite a few performances in which I really wanted to stand, stretch, yawn, talk to my neighbor, and skip any more of the noise coming from the stage.

I've also sat through some performances in which a bit of applause between movements would have awakened me. I would have been mightily perturbed about that, as I would then have had to once again go through the entire process of boredom, grogginess, drifting off, into snoring along with the music.

And this -- if people burst into applause after the first movement, it is a pretty good indication that they have not attended concerts before and are unaware of the rule against applauding between movements. Most likely, they are mortified by their error and many are dismayed at the constipated atmosphere of old farts sitting in abject silence. These newcomers often do not return.

Finally, why is it alright (and even expected) to applaud arias throughout an opera, but not great musical enjoyment during a concert?