Coughing in concerts and some other stuff

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Okay, so the other day, I was at my first legit concert ever!!!  I saw Lang Lang perform a Bach Partita, a Schubert sonata, and all of Chopin's 12 etudes in opus 25.  But there was one big problem:

EVERYONE WAS COUGHING!!!  

I knew that people cough a lot at concerts, Horowitz recordings are often DESTROYED by people coughing in concerts.  I understand that a cough or two here or there is okay, but this was redicilous!!!  Like what the heck is wrong with you people?!  Hold it in!!!  Just because you don't know how to take care of your body doesn't mean that you can ruin a concert.  And there was the one guy, he sat right behind me and he was coughing, sneezing, laughing, snorting, farting, and throwing up at the same time for the whole concert!!!  It got to the point where a friend of mine told him to shut up and raged at him because he was so out of control!  But yeah like, everyone was telling other people to Shhh and there was like a war between the stupid coughers and the other guys saying shh, it was so ugly what the heck?!

And then someone's cell phone went off!!!  What the heck is wrong with you?!  Do you think your cool or something?  They had to stop the concert because of that stupid girl!  They ended up taking her purse away and she felt extra salty!!!  I hope they robbed her of everything they had in there.  Idiot...  What I do to my phone, is turn the volume all the way down, put it on silent, turn it off, take the battery out, and put it in the other pocket!  These Imprudent douchebags piss me off...

I don't have much of a problem with this issue, but after a while, it got kinda annoying.  Everyone was clapping in between every movement of the Schubert sonata and the first six Chopin etudes?!  Despite the fact that you're only supposed to clap at the end of the work, I had no problem with the Schubert sonata.  There was like four movements and each movement was long so it was a long sonata.  That's reasonable.  But what bothered me was when people were clapping every two minutes in the Chopin!  Let him finish playing for gods sake!  

This last thing doesn't really bother me too much, but I'm curious on whether or not it bothers you.  You know like the screen that shows the arial view of the pianists hands?  Do any of you find that distracting?  When I was on the main floor, I didn't have much of a problem with it, but then I switched during the intermission and I thought it was a little distracting.  I think it's a good idea, but it distracts Me. How about you?

But yeah, I think they should give you a not-to-do list at concerts to prevent imprudent trolls from ruining them.

[rangerx]

I have one that I can't understand
the opening to the new Montreal Symphony hall, someone brought a 4 year old baby of coarse cried during the parts when you can hear a pin drop

[rachmaninoff_forever]

I have one that I can't understand
the opening to the new Montreal Symphony hall, someone brought a 4 year old baby of coarse cried during the parts when you can hear a pin drop

What the heck?!  These guys are so rude!  How dare you bring a crying baby to a concert hall!

[drexo]

Oh yes, I can fully relate to that and I go to quite some concerts each year

I always think, if you really can't hold the coughing coming up, atleast try to do whatever you can to reduce the volume of it. Quite some people just don't seem to care and cough as loud as they want. Sometimes I even think it's purely to annoy the pianist, an act to show people don't like the pianist playing. With that also ruining the concert for other people and possibly the recording being made for a new release.

[j_menz]

Imprudent douchebags
imprudent trolls

Methinks you mean impudent.

Coughing and other poor behaviour happens.  Nothing you can do about it other than keep your own behaviour impeccable.

Or take a gun. 

[rachmaninoff_forever]

With that also ruining the concert for other people and possibly the recording being made for a new release.

Scriabins 9th sonata by Horowitz is ruined by someone coughing THE WHOLE TIME!!!  I think it's from his concert in 1968 so it's likely that it was going on for the whole concert.

[p2u_]

EVERYONE WAS COUGHING!!!

someone brought a 4 year old baby of coarse cried during the parts when you can hear a pin drop

They must have read Top 10 Ways to Ruin a Classical Music Concert

P.S.: Judging from the reactions on YouTube, some may actually be paid to ruin a concert by Lang Lang. Bad culture, all those distracting sounds, yes. I once saw one of the great pianists (not important in this context who that was) in Amsterdam who just stopped the concert, slammed the door (!) and did not return until after the concert manager had addressed the public to please be a little considerate when art was speaking. I tell you - as if by magic, all coughing stopped...

Paul

[j_menz]

They must have read Top 10 Ways to Ruin a Classical Music Concert

Cool. I'd never thought of the torch! 

[rachmaninoff_forever]

They must have read Top 10 Ways to Ruin a Classical Music Concert

P.S.: Judging from the reactions on YouTube, some may actually be paid to ruin a concert by Lang Lang. Bad culture, all those distracting sounds, yes. I once saw one of the great pianists (not important in this context who that was) in Amsterdam who just stopped the concert, slammed the door (!) and did not return until after the concert manager had addressed the public to please be a little considerate when art was speaking. I tell you - as if by magic, all coughing stopped...

Paul

I heard about something like that happening.  That pianist is so boss for doing that!

[j_menz]

It's been going on for a while. Here's Paderewski on his approach:

"I established a certain standard of behaviour, that, during my playing, there must be no talking. When they began to talk, I would stop. I would say, 'I am sorry to interrupt your conversation. I deeply regret that I am obliged to disturb you, so I am going to stop for a while to allow you to continue talking.' You can imagine the effect it had..."

[p2u_]

It's been going on for a while. Here's Paderewski on his approach:

"I established a certain standard of behaviour, that, during my playing, there must be no talking. When they began to talk, I would stop. I would say, 'I am sorry to interrupt your conversation. I deeply regret that I am obliged to disturb you, so I am going to stop for a while to allow you to continue talking.' You can imagine the effect it had..."

Actually, before Paderewski, Franz Liszt already made attempts to re-educate the crowd in a similar fashion. You've probably heard the story: In his days, musicians were generally merely regarded as the servants of the aristocracy. In one famous incident, Liszt just stopped playing because the Czar of Russia dared to speak while Liszt was giving a concert! Liszt just paused and said, "Even music stops when the Czar speaks!"

Paul