It is just a matter of what one wants!  I dont condone audiences applauding
in the middle of symphonies et al.  If its music in the park well good luck
to them, but in a symphony hall I think that is another matter.  Its not
something one sees everyday of the week, if at all these days.  Audiences
have become more sophisticated than some give them credit for.  Too bad the
Halycon days are long gone, when people went to concerts to listen and to
be entertained....basically.  If they're noisy during a concert, then that
is another story altogether.  Apparently some people dont mind the noise,
and I really feel the orchestra would find the noise distracting.  I even
think the BBC Symphony players go home after a Last Night at the Proms
concert with titanic headaches after being subjected to all the noise and
gaiety that is part of the tradition, but generally, NO!  It is bad taste
and should always be treated as such.  I am not a musician, but I was born
and raised by parents who were.  My Mother being a professional dancer and
my father a conductor of substance, so I do know a little about audience
behaviour, being there for so many concerts, especially during the bombing
of London in WW2 One never heard utterances from the audience even as they
tried to bomb the RAH!

Thanks Jeff