I feel your pain. At a recent performance of Brahms' 2nd, a guy behind me's phone rang. He 1] answered like a *&^%$ idiot and 2] proceeded to confirm a doctor's appointment for the next day. It took EVERY ounce of strength for me not to climb over my seat and beat the living daylights out of him. Instead, I clinched my jaw and prayed that God would smite him with some horrible, painful affliction (or that his doctor would at least diagnose him with a dreadful disease).
Fed up with people making noise at classical shows
Last night I heard Vladimir Feltsman perform Chopin's Ballades at the Perelman Theater in Philadelphia's Kimmel Center. My excitement was building as my favorite part of the first Ballade approached. Immediately before the key was struck, someone sneezed. It was at that moment that I asked myself, "What the hell am I doing here? I have this at home, recorded by three different pianists." Throughout the performance were the sounds of coughing, sneezing moving in one's seat, dropping of programs, and talking.
I know this is the chance you take when attending live classical concerts and I LOVE hearing live music, but frankly I'm sick of it. I'm sick of paying money for traveling and the ticket itself just to be annoyed for two hours. Last Tuesday night a ringing cell phone disrupted a performance by the New York Philharmonic to the point where the conductor actually stopped the orchestra half way through Mahler's Ninth and addressed the moron who wouldn't shut it off.
Once, DURING A PERFORMANCE, someone got out of their seat, walked up to the stage and began "conducting the orchestra" with an imaginary baton.
As I said, I love attending live music, but when things like this happen, I'm ready to just stay home and save myself the aggravation.
Sorry, just had to vent.
I know this is the chance you take when attending live classical concerts and I LOVE hearing live music, but frankly I'm sick of it. I'm sick of paying money for traveling and the ticket itself just to be annoyed for two hours. Last Tuesday night a ringing cell phone disrupted a performance by the New York Philharmonic to the point where the conductor actually stopped the orchestra half way through Mahler's Ninth and addressed the moron who wouldn't shut it off.
Once, DURING A PERFORMANCE, someone got out of their seat, walked up to the stage and began "conducting the orchestra" with an imaginary baton.
As I said, I love attending live music, but when things like this happen, I'm ready to just stay home and save myself the aggravation.
Sorry, just had to vent.