# Passé concert etiquette of applause between movements: list of audio evidence



## Fenestella (Oct 4, 2015)

Kenneth Hamilton's _After the Golden Age: Romantic Pianism and Modern Performance_ has a chapter on the subject of the passé etiquette of applause between movements (of multi-movement work). Masters born in the 19th century lamented the phaseout of the tradition in the 20th century. A case in point: Moriz Rosenthal says that a non-finale movement with virtuosic emphatic ending like the second movement of Schumann's Fantaisie in C Major ought to be "crowned with Dionysian applause" - I agree.

Please help expand this list of live recordings in which applause between movements is heard:
1935 Vladimir Horowitz, Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 (applause btw Mvt I & II)
1936 Josef Hofmann, Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2 (btw Mvt I & II)
1943 Hofmann, Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 (btw Mvt I & II)
(Don't have exact dates with me) A few of Horowitz's live recordings of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 (btw Mvt I & II)
1943 Herman Krebbers, Brahms Violin Concerto (btw Mvt I & II)
1943 Zino Francescatti, Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto (btw Mvt I & II)
1945 Hofmann, Anton Rubinstein Piano Concerto No.4 (btw Mvt I & II)
1947 Heifetz, Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5 (btw Mvt I & II)
1948 Horowitz, Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 (btw Mvt I & II, btw Mvt II & III)
1953 William Kapell, Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 (btw Mvt I & II)
1953 Leon Fleisher, Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 (btw Mvt I & II)


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

The trouble with introducing applause is, not only would it break up the connections between the movements of a work, but after a while, it would be routinely expected, so it would be just another imposition of the obligatory without much sincerity. Out here in Nashville, the protocol is polite clapping before the intermission, then a standing ovation at the end of the concert, regardless of how good or bad the performance was. Obligatory clapping and perfunctory standing O's bother me. 

But personally, I'm all for spontaneous eruptions in recognition of the remarkable. I know a guy who heard Renee Fleming, and he was so moved that at the end, clapping wasn't enough, so he went to the edge of the stage and pounded his hands on the proscenium while shouting his approval.


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

The only concert I’ve ever attended featured the Brahms second piano concerto with a brilliant young Finnish pianist. This was a relatively small town orchestra with a crowd not versed in etiquette, so after the epic first movement which was absolutely torn into by the pianist, everyone - and I mean EVERYONE - burst out in ecstatic applause and half the place even stood up. He absolutely rocked the house. It took about a minute until people started to realize there was still a half-hour left in the concerto. It was a cool moment, but IMO the effect of applause after a tremendous performance is more pronounced when it is reserved until the last note.


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## JAS (Mar 6, 2013)

Many works are played with little or no formal pause between movements (whether or not that is called for by the score), which makes the audience uncertain about what to do. I think applause has also been discourage because many orchestras record their concerts, even if they don't necessarily release them to the general public. I have certainly attended concerts where there was lots of applause for a soloist, or a particularly impressive performance of a movement. A lot of that in one concert can be exhausting.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Many many years ago I heard a Brahms Fourth at Tanglewood, and the conductor (Leinsdorf), realizing applause after the scherzo was inevitable, just leapt around and bowed enthusiastically as soon as it's last chord sounded. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.


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