Audiences: Please talk all you want

For those of us who get irritated by people who unwrap candy wrappers at the most hushed moments during performances or glare at people who talk incessantly through an entire performance or movie, it turns out that having such audience disruptions is a more authentic way to experience concerts.

According to this NYT article, during Liszt or Beethoven's time, it was normal to clap between movements or even talk during performances. In fact, according to said article (which is actually quoting a book about 19th century audiences by Kenneth Hamilton. Note to self: add to ever-growing "to read" list.), the pianist Alexander Dreyshcock "was criticized for playing 'so loud that it made it difficult for the ladies to talk'".

Two centuries later, we have an entirely different sort of audience. One that has been "reduced to subversive acts in a fascistic society" according to the same article. Fascistic society?

While people who occasionally cough during performances do not bother me so much, as a performer, I don't think expecting silence from an audience during the most intimate ppp sections in music is necessarily "fascistic".

In my case, whether audience behavior bothers me or not depends on the circumstances. I admit I'm rather inconsistent.

If a 3-year old child of one of my fellow singers happens to yell "mommy mommy mommy" during a performance, this does not bother me in the least. In fact, the last time this happened, the mommy, who stood next to me, looked mortified, but the rest of us couldn't help but smile. I even saw a smile break out from our conductor's lips.

If a 4-year old child is squirming and moving around and whispering loudly during the entire first half of a Cantabile holiday concert, more strongly than my sentiment to want to tell the child to sit still is my urge to strangle the parents who don't do anything about this distracting squirmy child.

If an old-ish gentleman walks out with his walker with much fanfare during our quiet a capella recessional. . . I am momentarily annoyed at his bad timing and will probably wonder why he couldn't have waited another 1 minute and 24 seconds to make his grand exit, but sigh and don't think much of it.

If middle or high school-aged children whisper/talk loudly amongst themselves during a production of San Jose Opera's The Crucible or a performance of Faure's Cantique du Jean Racine, I get violent urges to strangle people. :)

Did reading this article change my attitude?

Well, I'd be willing to put up with more audience distractions, maybe, so long as it's not during really hushed sections of music. Also, no cellphones, whatsoever. There were no cellphones during Liszt's time.