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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.
devilboy
rok2id's avatar
rok2id
7,820 posts
 
"Wow, alot of assholes like Classical lol"

Well since only a small percentage of people like classical, that means most assholes like other genres.
chadnliz
3,736 posts
 
They dont complain about how a sneeze ruins the whole show. If a sneeze or a cough ruins your night, you are likely a pretty miserable person.
bjesien
1,240 posts
 
Why are you being such a classhole!
chayro
2,930 posts
 
That's funny - I've heard audiophiles go on forever about how their system is so resolving they can hear a cough in the audience or someone drop something in the studio. The cough becomes more important than the music. Or the squeak of Art Blakey's hihat or the creaking of the clasical guitar player's chair. Nobody's ever satisfied.
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,573 posts
 
In keeping with the OP's point, more and more people think class is something that they skipped in school. Be it a night at the orchestra, watching a movie, or even attending a funeral or cemetery, class and dignity seem to have taken a back seat to more selfish ways of expression. Common courtesy used to be the bar set for comporting oneself but now its so low that even a knuckle dragger can miss it.
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