Applause....I know, I know..........

[kernelbogey]

Not at all. An intense atmosphere has been created, which should not be broken by a handful of people doing their own thing. It should be broken by the hushed opening of Saturn.

Perhaps the applause was begun by a group of politicians....

[PhilipT]

I'm sure we have all heard people engage in a demented competition to be the first person to shout 'bravo' at the end of a performance.

Oh gosh yes! For two or three Mahler 6's there was an individual in the Stalls below the Door 9 exit who would shout 'Bravo!' as soon as the music finished. We dubbed him the 'Bravo buffoon'. And then we had a conductor (Sinaisky, possibly) who only put in two bonks on the box rather than three and that seemed to confuse him into missing his cue.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Oh gosh yes! For two or three Mahler 6's there was an individual in the Stalls below the Door 9 exit who would shout 'Bravo!' as soon as the music finished. We dubbed him the 'Bravo buffoon'. And then we had a conductor (Sinaisky, possibly) who only put in two bonks on the box rather than three and that seemed to confuse him into missing his cue.

There was a period when promenaders would cheer wildy as soon as any work was over, including the end of Tchaik 6.

[Beef Oven!]

There was a period when promenaders would cheer wildy as soon as any work was over, including the end of Tchaik 6.

I have cheered wildly at the end of Parsifal and Tchaik 6, as did the rest of the audience (and not necessarily at Proms). Does this no longer happen?

[cloughie]

I have cheered wildly at the end of Parsifal and Tchaik 6, as did the rest of the audience (and not necessarily at Proms). Does this no longer happen?

I hope you had the decency to let the final notes die away with the gravitas they deserve before letting rip to your cheer, beefy. Certain works require respect as well as vociferous congratulation.

[Beef Oven!]

I hope you had the decency to let the final notes die away with the gravitas they deserve before letting rip to your cheer, beefy. Certain works require respect as well as vociferous congratulation.

Of course I did.

[MrGongGong]

Perhaps the applause was begun by a group of politicians....

Written by someone who seems to be the inhabitant of a place in Orkney?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Written by someone who seems to be the inhabitant of a place in Orkney?

... and one who has seen Stravinsky's opera "The Rite of Spring" at Glyndebourne.

[MrGongGong]

... and one who has seen Stravinsky's opera "The Rite of Spring" at Glyndebourne.

The one with "no tunes"?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The one with "no tunes"?

Oh - you've seen it, too?!

[David Underdown]

There were people applauding around me between movements in the Pastoral Symphony on Sunday, and I was in the arena. Prommers are a variable group, it's not as if they are all grizzled veterans - even at the front - so you can't expect them all to behave the same way. I have never heard a mobile go off in the arena, though, and dropped items of glassware can be safely blamed on some inebriated box-dweller.

Sure, people in the arena will join in once it's started, but it's not normally there where it's kicked off

[Nick Armstrong]

Sure, people in the arena will join in once it's started, but it's not normally there where it's kicked off

That's my experience too.

[french frank]

... and one who has seen Stravinsky's opera "The Rite of Spring" at Glyndebourne.

Good reply, among others:

"As another northerner living in the south, I sympathise entirely with Bernard Ingham. What’s more, when I saw The Rite of Spring, t’buggers didn’t even try to sing, but just jumped about a lot.

[pureimagination]

I was going to try to avoid commenting on audience behaviour this season - little has changed since last year when there were plenty of comments on this forum. My own preference is silence from the audience between movements (the orchestra/whoever's performing can and do tune up but generally don't break the spell). I know i said the same thing last year but as someone has already commented here the moment can be spoilt by distractions at the wrong time. Applause ,seems to occur for various reasons - some don't know the piece hasn't finished, some are just following others and at other times a good section of the audience feels it right to pay their respects to a soloist for their playing for example. What irritates me more is that some audience members can't sit through a few seconds of silence and have to clear their throats which totally breaks the mood or even encroaches on the first notes of the next movement. As anyone knows who goes to the RAH the slightest sound can be heard from right across the auditorium. I don't offer solutions because there doesn't seem to be a consensus of opinion

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I was going to try to avoid commenting on audience behaviour this season - little has changed since last year when there were plenty of comments on this forum. My own preference is silence from the audience between movements (the orchestra/whoever's performing can and do tune up but generally don't break the spell). I know i said the same thing last year but as someone has already commented here the moment can be spoilt by distractions at the wrong time. Applause ,seems to occur for various reasons - some don't know the piece hasn't finished, some are just following others and at other times a good section of the audience feels it right to pay their respects to a soloist for their playing for example. What irritates me more is that some audience members can't sit through a few seconds of silence and have to clear their throats which totally breaks the mood or even encroaches on the first notes of the next movement. As anyone knows who goes to the RAH the slightest sound can be heard from right across the auditorium. I don't offer solutions because there doesn't seem to be a consensus of opinion