Nick Jones wrote:

>What could be more unnatural than to sit through a bravura barn-burner
>like opening movement of the Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto, which
>tries its darnedest to elicit an unstoppable release of emotion, and
>then sit there in silence while the performers collect themselves to
>go on!

I agree. If I were to put my finger on it, I'd say that the biggest
annoyance for me at concerts is distractions by people who seem to be
sending subliminal signals (not subliminal enough!) that they'd rather
be somewhere else.  When not much seems to be happening with the music,
people start squirming in their chairs.

At one concert, someone in front of me spent most of the first three
movements of Beethoven's 6th flipping back and forth through the program.
The arrival of the storm put a stop to that, as she was so startled by
the timpani that her arms jerked up and she dropped the program.  (It
was the CSO at Symphony Center, and, unfortunately, we were sitting
behind the players, about ten feet away from the timpani.)

By contrast, when I heard the BPO/Abbado play Mahler's 9th in Chicago,
everyone in the audience seemed mesmerized.  The final breath of sound
from the strings in the last movement left the audience silent for at
least a minute before applause broke out.  No "standard of decorum and
etiquette" was being observed, it just seemed right.

Not to be contentious, but I'm repulsed by the idea of "standard of
decorum".  I prefer that concert goers be allowed to express their
appreciation in whatever way seems appropriate to them (within reason,
of course).  If you want to have a tailgate party after a Boccherini
concert, then go for it!

Weighing in,
Mike Leghorn, Evanston, IL.