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Please (Don't) Hold Your Applause

Last night we went with friends Gary and Lori to see the RPO perform a program titled "Grace and Triumph." The program consisted of Elgar's Suite from "The Wand of Youth," Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 17, and Walton's Symphony No. 1.

I really enjoyed the Elgar and the Walton, neither of which I had heard before. The Walton was particularly interesting. It could probably be described as overblown or bombastic by its detractors (let's just say the performers earned their money last night), but I found it envigorating. It's hard not to have an opinion one way or the other about a piece in which one movement is marked for a presto, con malizia¹ tempo.

In fact, the only problem I had with the concert was the grumpy-pants couple sitting two rows in front of us. Kari and Lori whispered excitedly to each other at a couple points during the performance and drew glaring disapproval from the couple. They seemed more interested in turning around to stare down any rustling of programs, cleared throats, or whispered voices than in actually enjoying the concert.

But maybe I was just especially attuned to the stuffy atmosphere of the concert hall. I've recently read some of Alex Ross's comments on lack of applause between movements of live classical performances. The tense, restrained silence that washes over the audience when the music stops was particularly noticable during the Elgar piece where each movement seemed specifically constructed to end in a ta-da! The music practically begged for applause.

This attitude is bothersome to me (but of course I didn't want to stand out by applauding). Many jazz fans are just as serious about their music as the most devoted classical music fans, but the audience is a much more willing to share their appreciation. So what gives?

I'm not convinced that this insular attitude of classical music audiences is entirely responsible for the decline of popular interest in the music--jazz clubs aren't exactly overflowing these days. On the other hand, a more enthusiastic attitude could go a long way to helping convert the casual concertgoer into a regular concertgoer.