# Worse Than Applauding Between Movements!!



## Kezza (May 13, 2008)

Tonight I played a concert with my orchestra, we played Rinsky-Korsakov Russian Easter Festival Overture, Mozart Horn Concerto No.3 and after interval we played Dvorak Symphony no.9. The audience was pretty good for the first half, but for Dvorak they were so adamant on not applauding between movements that after we finished the piece, a fairly epic piece at that, the audience just sat there... Waiting for the next movement, which didn't exist.

It felt so hurt  especially after my awesome fff all accented notes solo just near the end on my timps.

Anyone ever seen such a catasrophe? 

In the third movement I forgot to notice the D.C. Scherzo e poi Coda so I missed about 80 bars because I had NO idea where we were lol, anyways I mentioned that I missed it and one of the bassoonists (not a very crash hot player that I only hear the occasional squeak out of) has the nerve to tell me that I also missed some repeats, which I didn't and so that didn't go well after the audience not applauding.

I had a terrible night at our end of year concert. How is everyone else?!


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## R-F (Feb 12, 2008)

I'm a percussionist, so I understand your pain! Some people don't understand how hard it is just having to sit for x number of bars and then play one crucial triangle note. I play other instruments, and in a way it can sometimes be easier if you're continuously playing- at least that way you have muscle memory to back you up!
I had to play in a concert that kept changing time signature, was very syncopated and had many bars rest. I had to do 1 symbol crash- _1_ symbol crash- and it just never came! I was sure I had counted the bars right, but as I picked up the symbols and went to crash- the piece ended. I just slowly put the instrument back down and pretended to look satisfied!
Keep your head held high my friend- they're just jealous because we get to hit things all night!


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## Guest (Dec 14, 2008)

Yes it is better to receive applause between movements than none at all and remember it was quite common, indeed the accepted thing in the days of the 18 cent and into the 19th I think,
*R-F *regarding your experience there is an excellent recorded talk bringing in various musicians on how they view 'Bolero' and the Trombonist made the remark that the TBone has to sit through not playing at all then come in on a note [form cold] that is very difficult for the TBone, I wish I could give a link to it but I can't find one.


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

Andante said:


> Yes it is better to receive applause between movements than none at all and remember it was quite common, indeed the accepted thing in the days of the 18 cent and into the 19th I think,


Speaking as a listener, if applause between movements happens because of a few people in the audience who don't know what is customary at a classical concert it's 50% semi-funny and 50% semi-annoying, but if it happens because the audience is genuinely enthusiastic about what they hear and wants to show it's appreciation it doesn't bother me in the least. If anything - it adds to the excitement.






What bothers me far more is the coughing that goes on during quiet passages in the music and slow movements.


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## marinermark (Aug 23, 2008)

I attended a concert Saturday night - my first in this town. Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto and the Shostakovitch 10th Symphony. I was surprised when many people clapped at each movement's end. Maybe it's a "local custom" or related to the concert's being a "classical access" concert by a semi-pro orchestra. The music director prefaced each piece with some insightful comments about the music or the composer. Clapping seemed to be expected, so I joined in after the first one. No one seemed to mind.


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## Lang (Sep 30, 2008)

Andante said:


> *R-F *regarding your experience there is an excellent recorded talk bringing in various musicians on how they view 'Bolero' and the Trombonist made the remark that the TBone has to sit through not playing at all then come in on a note [form cold] that is very difficult for the TBone, I wish I could give a link to it but I can't find one.


Sorry for a slight detour.

I don't know whether this is true or not, but it's something I heard from a clarinettist many years ago. In one of Elgar's orchestral pieces, the first clarinet is instructed to play something quietly during a loud orchestral passage. It is inaudible, and seems pointless, but apparently immediately afterwards the clarinet has an important solo. As he hasn't played for some time, the preceding passage warms up the instrument nicely.

As I say, I don't know whether or not this is true, but certainly Elgar was a very painstaking in his approach to orchestration.


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## PostMinimalist (May 14, 2008)

Kezza said:


> Anyone ever seen such a catasrophe?
> 
> How is everyone else?!


I saw this happen after a performance of Mozart Requiem! Just inexplicable!

Everyone has bad experiences after concerts now and again. I was chatted up by the ugly gay soloist with halatosis at the tender age of 18 after a gig and ended up walking home in the rain without my shoes! Don't ask! (I don't have anything against homosexuals; it was just a bad experience... that happened after a concert)


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## R-F (Feb 12, 2008)

Funny you should mention that, at the same concert the trombonist who I know was talking about that very note with a look of distinctive horror on his face. 
I suppose you don't get the same problem of warming up if you play something like the piano (although warm fingers help!). The brass band I play in was rehearsing for a concert, and there was a point where the solo cornet comes in on a high note, from having played nothing beforehand. The chap did the job well most times, but the night before the concert he managed to hit the note beautifully, then waver down about 3 tones, panic, then shoot up to some stratospherically high note, then break down in a fit of giggles. I was backing him up of glockenspiel and even I couldn't play, I was laughing so hard!


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## louella (Dec 9, 2008)

R-F hahaha.. that made me laugh.

I've been reading a book about Beethoven and the other day I read that he once accidentally forgot to pause and so played two bars ahead of everyone else. Though he didn't notice because of his hearing.

Another time he got so excited while conducting he knocked some lights that were near him so two guys had to stand there just in case he did that again... and he did, only this time he knocked one guy across the face at the same time.


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## Kezza (May 13, 2008)

Ahh Beethoven, an entertainer in more ways than one!


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## Yagan Kiely (Feb 6, 2008)

You felt hurt that the audience were ignorant and made a mistake?

Okay?


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## R-F (Feb 12, 2008)

Kezza, I find your threads very enjoyable to read and I will continue to post on them, so please don't be put off by any, frankly slightly rude, comments made about you.


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2008)

You have to be a mind reader to keep up or make sense of some of these posts!
Why not use the Bl**dY *quote* button and edit


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## Kezza (May 13, 2008)

Thanks R-F it means a lot to me. Us percussionists got to stick together!

And yes Yagan I did feel hurt. Music is my passion and poor my heart and soul into it and do it to entertain the audience as much as I do it because it's fun. There is nothing more satisfying then seeing the happiness on every ones face in the audience after you've just played your heart out FOR THEM.
So forgive me for feeling so, and I wanted to share my experience because I plan to do 100's even 1000's more concerts and I want to know what it's going to be like once I get out into the professional world.


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## Guest (Dec 20, 2008)

Kezza said:


> Thanks R-F it means a lot to me. Us percussionists got to stick together!
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> A ha, percussionists, that explains it all, allowances will be duly made in the future.


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## Yagan Kiely (Feb 6, 2008)

I still don't think it is reasonable to feel hurt because of someone else's ignorance, and the fact that they _were trying to do it properly_. They were obviously trying do clap where it appropriate in a classical concert to feel hurt by that...


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## Kezza (May 13, 2008)

Our conductor had to turn around and show them that they were supposed to clap, it was also all written out in the program so all they had to do was read a line or two.


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## Rondo (Jul 11, 2007)

I have seen this happen at concerts before. Ironically, the audience here obviously had no trouble.


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## confuoco (Feb 8, 2008)

Kezza said:


> I had a terrible night at our end of year concert.


I understand your dissapoitment, but what is for me the most surprising and even shocking at this case, is that audience (or at least part of it) didn't recognize the end of such popular and widely known work as Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 certainly is...hard to believe that they were truly waiting for the next movement...is there some possibility, that they just weren't satisfied with your performance? < 

If not, it is really strange...do you offer program notes on your concerts to allow people to be acquainted with work?


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## Guest (Dec 21, 2008)

Kezza said:


> Our conductor had to turn around and show them that they were supposed to clap, it was also all written out in the program so all they had to do was read a line or two.


What kind of concert was it? what were the pieces played? and were they an audience new to this kind of music ?


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## Orgel (Dec 29, 2006)

*Applause*

I'm enjoying this thread about applauding or not applauding, when, where, etc. I believe that the "custom" in the US is not to applaud between movements, but it is fine in Europe. Contrarily, people applaud at any time they want during the ballet, sometimes even egging the spiraling dancer to continue.

A few years ago in Seattle we had a noted pianist who, at the end of the first movement of a piano concerto (can't remember the name of either), practically flung himself off the bench as he put his English on the last chord. Nearly the entire audience gave a roaring standing ovation.


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## Kezza (May 13, 2008)

It is just a community orchestra that isn't too crash hot, our conductor is very awesome and very experienced, rumoured to have been a 1st violinist in LSO at one stage.
But the Audiece applauded after R-Ks Russian Easter Festival and after Mozarts 3rd Horn Concerto (but not between movements mind you) but after Dvorak they just sat there silently, it wasn't Isreali Phil but it wasn't "The really terrrible orchestra" from I think scotland either. We have a couple of weak sections but them alone wouldn't condone absolute 0 applause. It was good and enjoyable so I just don't understand!!


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## Kezza (May 13, 2008)

Andante said:


> What kind of concert was it? what were the pieces played? and were they an audience new to this kind of music ?


And it was a concert that we put on just for people to come listen to us.


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