# Tilson Thomas tosses cough drops during CSO Mahler 9



## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

Bravo Maestro!

_Michael Tilson Thomas found a novel way to deal with bronchial Chicago audiences last weekend.

Last Thursday night's opening performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 9 with Tilson Thomas leading the Chicago Symphony Orchestra was plagued by audience coughs, which proved especially distracting in the hushed pages of the final movement.

On Saturday night, there was even more coughing throughout the first movement. The conductor went offstage and emerged with two large handfuls of loose cough lozenges, which he tossed underhanded into the main floor audience seats. He said he hoped that would solve the problem and encouraged audience members to pass them on to those that need them.

Celeste Wroblewski, the orchestra's vice-president of public relations, confirmed the details Monday, adding, in an email, that "the audience responded in the same good-natured spirit, with laughter and applause."_

http://chicagoclassicalreview.com/2013/11/tilson-thomas-throws-out-the-first-lozenge-for-noisy-cso-audience/


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## ahammel (Oct 10, 2012)

Bravo indeed!

I'm tempted to say that if you're that tuberculous, maybe you should stay home. But really, if I had tickets to see Tilson Thomas conduct the 9th, I'd probably go if I was bleeding out of my eyes.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Apollo was attributed with the properties of both music _and_ healing


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## ahammel (Oct 10, 2012)

PetrB said:


> Apollo was attributed with the properties of both music _and_ healing


And shooting people with arrows.


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

I prefer this option, I must say:


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Why do they even bother performing Mahler with an audience present.


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## Blake (Nov 6, 2013)

That's just splendid. It can be ridiculous how much people cough at a concert. Are they completely ignorant to the fact that they are tarnishing the show and recording? Shut-up, get up, and take a long walk off a short pier.


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## Guest (Nov 26, 2013)

Well, I rarely find myself disagreeing with Vesuvius. In fact, I believe that this is the first time.

I used to agree with this, of course. But realistically, you have to understand that there are two big balls or _spheres_ of existence operating here, the private sphere, which you alone inhabit (and maybe a few close friends--but probably not; just you), and the public sphere, which you share with others (including those close friends, now).

And as soon as you leave your house (or your room), aka "the private sphere," the rules change. Suddenly there are other people all around, people with different needs, different desires, different expectations, and, possibly, different bronchial conditions. Some may even be bleeding from their eyes. It could happen. The people who got into the concert hall did so by paying money. For the most part. I agree that they should try not to cough during Mahler's ninth. But there it is. And aside from the one's with comps, they all paid for their tickets and so belong right where they are. None of those coughers are me. And I'm not at home, by myself. I've elected to come out into the public sphere. There's bound to be some stuff to put up with.

Nothing I could do or say would turn any of those others into myself--Gott sei dank--ergo, they will continue to be different from me. Oh well.

[By the way, I first thought of skipping over Vesuvius' post and making some cool response to Couchie's brilliant idea. No good. I'm not smart enough or funny enough. Still, I'll say "hilarious" and leave it at that.:tiphat:]


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Couchie said:


> Why do they even bother performing Mahler with an audience present.


Because no one would pay to come if they were performing Wagner's Symphony in C.


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## Tristan (Jan 5, 2013)

I wouldn't be surprised. MTT is touchy about Mahler and I don't blame him at all. I remember one time when I was at Mahler's 8th with MTT (which was being recorded), and the children's chorus didn't come in when they were supposed to and I could tell MTT was really pissed. Poor kids; I don't know what their problem was. There went _that_ recording.


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## Blake (Nov 6, 2013)

I'll admit, my comment was an emotional response lingering from a recent experience... one of listening to a recording while constantly being distracted by the audience's coughing and tinkering. I've been to several concerts where the coughing isn't a bother. But I'm also aware that it can get out of hand... where there seems to be an absurd collective of sickly and restless people in one hall.


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

Easily solved movie plots #176:









"where's Michael Tilson Thomas when you need him... *COUGH*"

I wonder if you can sue if you get hit by one of MTT's cough drops.


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## Guest (Nov 26, 2013)

I would say it is one of the risks of attempting a live performance. And certainly at certain times of the year, you are going to likely have a higher percentage of people with some kind of respiratory illness. As some guy said, it is what it is.

If, however, the tossing of the cough drops was meant in good fun, then I see no harm in that as well. Perhaps it would be a good practice for concert halls to have bowls of them outside for people to grab as they enter. Sure, you might end up with the definite odor of menthol wafting throughout the hall, but the listening experience might improve.


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## Blake (Nov 6, 2013)

For sure, a level of slack should be given when being in a social setting with such varying individuals. But I'm commenting more on the extremes here. I don't mind a little coughing and moving around.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

A funny gesture, but not actually novel. Keith Jarrett has done this for some time. Not only has he distributed cough drops to the audience he has actually stopped playing in the middle of a live performance and then participated in leading the audience through a 'group cough'. I can somewhat relate but in Jarrett's case I feel this is somewhat ridiculous as he is quite well known for adding a lot of grunting, humming and what I would consider 'extra musical' sounds to his performances anyway.


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

I understand when at a performance you're in a public sphere so you have to expect to hear the people, not just the orchestra. And people buy their tickets long before they get sick. 

But, some performances sound like we're at an emphysema convention.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

You all should come to Korea. Lovely audiences. Plus, almost no matter how poor the performance is, they demand at least one encore.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

ahammel said:


> And shooting people with arrows.


...of which his sister, Artemis, made her career


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

science said:


> You all should come to Korea. Lovely audiences. Plus, almost no matter how poor the performance is, they demand at least one encore.


In Holland, the audience gives a standing ovation for almost every performance of anything, regardless.


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

science said:


> You all should come to Korea. Lovely audiences. Plus, almost no matter how poor the performance is, they demand at least one encore.


What a boredom of political correctness.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

aleazk said:


> What a boredom of political correctness.


You know nothing about me. I'm not concerned with political correctness. Or if you meant to insult Korean audiences, hey, at least there's not a bunch of fretting about whether the orchestras are going to have to shut down.


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

science said:


> You know nothing about me. I'm not concerned with political correctness. Or if you meant to insult Korean audiences, hey, at least there's not a bunch of fretting about whether the orchestras are going to have to shut down.


Yes, I meant to insult the Korean audiences. But if they want to be masochistic, so be it.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

aleazk said:


> Yes, I meant to insult the Korean audiences. But if they want to be masochistic, so be it.


Well, we can't all be as tasteful or insightful as you are. I'm sure you and I both can take comfort in that thought.


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

-nevermind- it would be silly to fight for such a thing.


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## Kevin Pearson (Aug 14, 2009)

Couchie said:


> Why do they even bother performing Mahler with an audience present.


I often ask the same thing about Wagner! :devil:


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## SimonNZ (Jul 12, 2012)

tdc said:


> A funny gesture, but not actually novel. Keith Jarrett has done this for some time. Not only has he distributed cough drops to the audience he has actually stopped playing in the middle of a live performance and then participated in leading the audience through a 'group cough'. I can somewhat relate but in Jarrett's case I feel this is somewhat ridiculous as he is quite well known for adding a lot of grunting, humming and what I would consider 'extra musical' sounds to his performances anyway.


When I read the OP my first thought was the Jarrett "group cough" thing.

My next thought was: O for the days when all we had to worry about at classical concerts was coughing - now people have cellphones.

Also: did the cough-drops MTT gave out have crinkly wrappers on them? If so he's in for quite a bit more noise. He should probably dispense paper-wraped drops at the door on the way in for free.

edit to add: I am in all seriousness waiting to see how long it takes for the first live recordings to come through with cellphone jingles as an accepted element of ambient audience noise.


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## Copperears (Nov 10, 2013)

Krystian Zimerman stormed out relatively recently because someone was recording his performance on a cell phone. The live recording goes up on YouTube before the mastering engineer even gets through a first pass.


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## Copperears (Nov 10, 2013)

aleazk said:


> Yes, I meant to insult the Korean audiences. But if they want to be masochistic, so be it.


So politeness is now equated with "political correctness"?!

Are you working on legislation to allow automated weapons into concert performances, too?


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Copperears said:


> So politeness is now equated with "political correctness"?!


Politeness is when you restrain from booing performer who didn't do well, when you pretend that you loved what he did so much that you want to hear even more, well, that's not politeness, that's... Korea?


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## Copperears (Nov 10, 2013)

That's civilized.


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## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

Aramis said:


> Politeness is when you restrain from booing performer who didn't do well, when you pretend that you loved what he did so much that you want to hear even more, well, that's not politeness, that's... Korea?


...depends which side of the border you are on. In the south, it's politeness. In the north, it's self-preservation.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Refrain from booing? 

I've never heard a performance that even nearly deserved to be booed. So there's no politeness involved. Anyone who booed any performance that I've ever seen would've simply been a tremendous jerk. 

I think the Korean audiences have two things in mind when they demand encores. First, they're being supportive and expressing appreciation. Second, they're trying to get their money's worth on those tickets. I sympathize with both!


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## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

science said:


> I think the Korean audiences have two things in mind when they demand encores.


A bit like opera at La Scala. Except the encores begin after the first aria...and continue repeatedly until the tenor gets it right.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Couac Addict said:


> A bit like opera at La Scala. Except the encores begin after the first aria...and continue repeatedly until the tenor gets it right.


If nothing else, that's a beautiful line.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

You know, rock concerts don't seem to have this problem . . .


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## Rach Man (Aug 2, 2016)

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra places bowls of Ricola cough drops in the building and give them away for free to try to curb the coughing.


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## Clairvoyance Enough (Jul 25, 2014)

Weird thread to necro, but I appreciate the story. I still suspect that 99 percent of the coughing is just people trying to fill in awkward "silences" (any moment in which music dares to build up to or come down from a climax), the same way movie theaters get extra noisy when the lights and sound go off before the ads transition into the trailers.

I've always wondered if you could curb most of it by just sincerely appealing to the audience beforehand. As in, "Look, I know it's a little stressful and awkward to sit still for 40+ minutes, especially next to a bunch of strangers with little wiggle room. I understand the impulse to release some of that pent up tension and energy by making a noise. Just consider before you do it that hundreds of people may end up listening to this recording, and whatever moment you choose to cough is bound to be someone's favorite part of this piece. We're all adults here. You don't have to make a sound if you don't want to."


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