It was lovely. We need to do something like this more often..
Itzhak Perlman was as impressive as ever. I'm still astonished that our little theater was able to book a performer of his caliber. The room looked to be sold out.
There were three selections scheduled (no Mozart, alas), with an intermission between the second and third. We were rather surprised to see Mr. Perlman leave the stage after the first selection, but he was having difficulty with his bow. The tone quality of his violin was noticeably uneven, so I suspect he chose to leave the stage to select another bow.
When he resumed, he launched into Strauss' Sonata for violin and piano in E-flat Major, Opus 18. This piece has three sections. I'm sure he was surprised at the vigorous applause at the end of the Allegro (the first section). The audience quieted, and he went on. When they tried to applaud at the end of the Andante cantabile, he waived his hand in a little "no-no" gesture, and went on.
He'll probably remember my town as the "Hicks in the Sticks." It seems that a large part of the audience has not experienced a classical performance before. The rules of the road for this type of performance are that you applaud only at the end of the piece. Despite all this, I'm glad so many inexperienced concert goers attended. I hope they'll tell others what they learned.
Perlman was quite funny about the applause. He had to be coaxed onto the stage with extended applause after his third selection, Three American Pieces by L. Foss. At that point he had to announce the selections he was going to play for us. At one point, he said that he'd been talking to Mr. Strauss out in the back, and that Strauss said it wasn't necessary to applaud between movements. *G*
There must have been easily 1000 people in the audience, probably more. Of all of those people, just ten were poorly behaved. Just before Perlman started to play the Strauss, someone's cell phone rang, right at the front, near the stage! Someone else was rattling candy wrappers. Several other people felt it was okay to walk up the aisles as he played. This is another of those situations where I mourn the switch to more casual manners. Many of the members of the audience had no idea what was expected of them, but most rose to the occasion. It was delightful to see so many people enthralled with classical music!
Thank you, Itzhak Perlman, for a wonderful concert!
Comments (6)
What's the saying?
You can dress em up but you can't take em out.
Or something like that. Cell phones! the applause thing I can excuse but cell phones, candy wrappers and shuffling around - never.
Posted by janet | May 11, 2007 4:39 PM
Posted on May 11, 2007 16:39
I agree, Janet. The applause was harmless, and a very sincere way of showing the audience's appreciation. The rest of it was purely selfish, and inexcusable.
Posted by buffy | May 12, 2007 2:51 PM
Posted on May 12, 2007 14:51
A funny thought came to me while reading this posting and comments. There would be no such thing as a "show stopper", in light operat, if everyone awaiting an appropriate time to applaud. Since we do interrupt other forms of entertainment with applause, I suspect that trying to train all to refrain during a concert is a losing battle.
Posted by Cop Car | May 13, 2007 9:11 AM
Posted on May 13, 2007 09:11
Hmmmmm....you've made a good point, Cop Car. Perhaps we need to amend the comment about applause to read for "for classical music, and formal performances, not including light opera and pops performances." You're right. Each form of music has it's own expectation. I suppose if I was writing rules of the road for rock concerts, I'd have to say something like "Bring yer own Bic lighter." *G*
Posted by buffy | May 13, 2007 7:13 PM
Posted on May 13, 2007 19:13
Buffy, I'm reaaly glad you enjoyed the concert. Perlman is a wonderful violinist.
Applauding between movements is, in my opinion, not only unnecessary but is also ery disruptive. So many pieces of music are written so that the ideas in one movement flow effortlessly into the n=following movem,ent and a disruption like applause disrupts not only the flow of ideas but also the emotions aroused by the music.
The business about walking up the aisles surprises me. Over here it's forbidden and if someone arrives late they have to wait until a natural break in the music before they are permitted to go to their seats. Let's face it such movements not only disturb the audience but the performer too.
Posted by Adele | May 14, 2007 2:50 AM
Posted on May 14, 2007 02:50
Yes, Adele, all these guidelines boil down to either not interrupting the musician's performance, or not disturbing those around you. When you are on the stage, in the midst of a delicate piece of music, a cell phone can totally destroy your concentration. As a performer in a Symphonic Band, I was always aggravated when someone walked the aisles. That's discouraged here, but it needs to be more sternly enforced!
Posted by buffy | May 14, 2007 2:42 PM
Posted on May 14, 2007 14:42