Concerts of classical music can be breathtaking. But, there are certain customs that, though centuries of tradition, the audience must observe. Here are the two basics.
You don't enter or exit the concert hall during a performance.
You don't clap between movements of a piece or between pieces in a set.
Which is all fine. Until the performer plays for an audience that didn't get the memo.
Several years ago, I saw an undergraduate student from a world-class conservatory perform at a high school. It was a concert of alumni and current high school students. The audience was mostly parents and students.
He performed a set of Beethoven bagatelles.
He played beautifully. In fact...he received a standing ovation from the entire audience of at least 100 people after the first bagatelle.
It was obvious that this audience simply didn't know tradition.
But, the pianist did not look up from the piano. And this standing ovation went on for an awkwardly long time. Like, a good 15-20 seconds.
The entire time, the pianist looked down at the keyboard, expressionless. Not so much as acknowledging there was a crowd applauding him and singing his praises.
It wasn't his fault. The conservatory trained him this way. You don't bow or do anything between movements. And that's just the way it is, because that's how it's been done for hundreds of years.
The problem? From the audience's perspective, the pianist may as well be giving them the finger.
And that, my friends, is where tradition breaks down. This is what holds classical music back.
Music school's response has simply been to attempt training the audience.
We have to make them understand!
Let's educate them!
We can save classical music!
And the collegiate "music appreciation" class was born. It isn't working...
There was a time when the classical concert was entirely different. Food and drink were allowed. You could come and go as you please. You could applaud during a movement, let alone between.
It is said that Mozart even intentionally included "breaks" in his concerti where he expected the audiences would applaud.
But then, the upper class that was paying for it all decided that this music needed to be "sophisticated," and slapped all these restrictions and rules on us.
They stopped the party.
But, until the classical realm takes what modern audiences enjoy seriously (like, not treating them like they just swore in church if they clap between movements), it will forever struggle.
Which is why we are trying things differently.
To share music rather than put it on a pedestal.
To create community rather than intimidate.
And if people clap at any time, we acknowledge it with a smile and a nod at minimum.
We even included a joke contest on our last live recital. I think that was one of our most popular experiments.
People of today aren't interested in tradition. They want to be transported, entertained, and delighted.
Tradition has its place. But, the audience must come first.
Those are the people who will tell everyone else that there is music worth listening to. And an experience worth having.