Call me what you will, but I believe there\u2019s an inherent snobbery about how concert audiences are expected to behave.<\/p>\n
In the sacred cathedral that has become the Modern Concert Hall, audience members are expected to adopt an almost religious state of silent obeisance before The Music: they must enter the hall with trepidation and awe, with veneration in their hearts, and are expected to listen in a state almost bordering on ecstasy. Not until the end are they permitted to move a muscle, at which point they are then permitted to clap politely \u2013 nay,enthusiastically (although not too much of course) \u2013 and, if at a jazz gig or a promenade-type concert, they are occasionally allowed to whoop.<\/p>\n
Now don\u2019t get me wrong: I understand that listening to music is a deeply personal experience, and I can get as annoyed as anyone by inconsiderate or rude behaviour from someone in the same audience as myself. But if someone has been so moved by a piece that they feel the need to express this, why shouldn\u2019t they ? I have a fantastic live recording of a performance of Walton\u2019s First Symphony<\/em> <\/a>by the National Orchestra of Wales at the Albert Hall; for anyone who doesn\u2019t know this piece, the first movement is of such epic proportions (it\u2019s about fifteen minutes long) that it seems like a whole work in itself. It has pounding rhythms, stirring melodies, and a relentless energy that drives the music to a tremendous climax in a fierce final gesture, punctuated by timpani. In the recording, a smattering of enthusiastic applause breaks out spontaneously at the movement\u2019s conclusion amongst some of the audience who just can\u2019t help themselves: the music is so rousing, it just demands a response.<\/p>\n