Donald Satz wrote:

>Mark Ehlert wrote of live performances:
>
>>Ettiquette be damned.
>
>What a statement!  Bold, yet voiced by many - concise, yet boundary
>breaking - and most important, a view I support.

I tend to agree with Don here.  There was a thread about this some time
ago, and I now fall in the middle somewhere.  In many contexts the best
format for concerts is the one we have now, buy your ticket, sit in a
quiet (except for the candy-wrapper conspiracy) space and concentrate
on listening and nothing else.

However, I am a big supporter of alternative settings for classical music,
always respecting the music, but adding elements such as food, multimedia,
discussions, open rehearsals, etc.  Especially such things that create more
of a bond and immediate communication between the artists and the public.
Things like this are more suited, of course, to a chamber music setting
rather than orchestral.

David Runnion
Mallorca