Article on classical music

[BerlinExpat]

8. Kids in the audience: NO, NO and NO. There are enough special kid's concerts for this.

Three years ago in Metz I attended a performance of Gouvy's Mateo Falcone (Fortunato) and just before the start I feared the worst when a large school group of teenagers arrived. I didn't know they were there until the interval! So, one shouldn't be too prejudiced. Adults can also be annoying.
Two weeks ago I attended a concert with the DSO in the Philharmonie, Berlin and two women immediately in front of me persisted in whispering to each other all through John Foulds' Dynamic Triptych and applauded after each movement! That has happened to me so often that I have even considered abandoning going to concert halls and theatres. But when something like that DSO concert comes along I relent.
Last year in Wexford I lost my temper with a couple next to me who laughed out very loud at every single comic gesture on stage during the first part of Cagnoni's Don Bucefalo as if they had heard a joke in a pub and I suggested on the way out for the interval that they didn't return for the second part. It worked, there were only a few muffled laughs after the interval.
Amusingly every time I've been there the national anthem is clapped!

[eschiss1]

Pet Peeve then ?? --
People who patronize (in the negative sense) music they don't know (be it by Bartók or by Alkan) (paraphrase, as I recall from the people next to me- that nice Mr. Hamelin must really believe in that Alkan symphony, too bad it wasn't worth his while) - it's fairly predictable they're going to have this attitude no-matter-what they actually hear (even the Music of the Spheres...)- so they can surely forgive themselves for, and should, leaving/leave and not hearing the work at all, or else having the consideration of being silent while there. A lack of applause is fine (in fact, much much preferable to applauding everything and anything, rather than just the exceptionally good, but that's another topic!!) - rudeness to fellow audience members etc., not so...