Pierre Paquin rants:

>The ultimate solution for senseless coughing is to have one or two guards
>on stage with rifles waiting willing to shoot anyone who dares to cough
>and preferably through the throat.

I probably express a minority sentiment among list members in believing
that people make too big a deal out of worrying about coughers in the
audience.  I actually rather enjoy some of my live recordings, such as
Richter's performance of Pictures at an Exhibition during which half the
audience seems to be suffering TB.  It is an extra-musical event that makes
the performance seem more personal and truly live to me.

I was at a recital last weekend in which the accompanying pianist had to
cough her lungs out between each movement.  It did not detract a bit from
my enjoyment of the music nor did the coughing of those few audience
members who felt compelled to cough along with her.

In a perfect world of course, everyone who attended a performance would be
in perfect health and there would be no coughing nor sneezing, and no one
would get restless and make squirming noises in one's seat.  Alas, a live
performance must take place before flawed humans, who sometimes don't
realize that they should have stayed in bed until it's too late or who get
caught off guard by a bit of dust in one's nose or larynx.  If you let it
ruin the performance for you, you aren't going to find many performances
that you do enjoy.

Paper rustlers, however, deserve no mercy.

Regards,
John Parker