Peter Harzem commented:

>Applause in those intervals [i.e.  between movements] would be an
>intrusion, an unwelcome disruption of all that.

I agree.  And once as a teenager I went to the Philadelphia Orchestra in
which there was a celebrated soloist.  Some poor member of the audience
had the temerity to applaud after the first movement of a violin concerto.
There was a searing chorus from a few people, with one particularly
resonating, scornful "No" as soon as the applause began.  The applause
quickly evaporated.  I sometimes think of implementing that technique
myself on occasion.

On the other hand, I also heard Ravi Shankar perform as part of a trio (I
think it was a trio).  He mentioned that the performers would give each
other audible feedback during a performance because they did not get that
(except after a work was completed) from American audiences.  He contrasted
this with the tradition in his native India.  I'm not even certain at this
point whether the response he received from Indian audiences was limited to
the interval between movements.

Larry