Dave Runnion:

>Me, I kind of like it when an audience claps between movements.  Shows
>they like what they're hearing.

Many years ago, I attended a concert by the violinist Andre Gertler and
his wife, the pianist Diane Andersen.  They substituted a very unfamiliar
work - I think it was by Lawes - and although we didn't applaud between
movements, we weren't sure whether it had ended, so when it did end, nobody
applauded.  There was an awkward silence during which the audience felt
uncertain and embarrassed, and by some form of telepathy decided that
to start applauding late might suggest that we were not happy with the
performance and were only applauding to be polite.  Gertler looked
bewildered and decided the best thing to do was to play the advertised
Grieg sonata.  This was given thunderous applause, which included an
implied apology for our collective gaffe.

Richard Pennycuick
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