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The Radio 3 Boards > The Music Boards > The Opera House > "Audience Participation"
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Reiner Torheit
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« on: 14:37:37, 22-05-2007 »
The FT in a piece about unwelcome levels of "audience participation" at the Met.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/353dc0de-02a9-11dc-a023-000b5df10621.html

The best incident I saw in person of this kind was at Helikon Opera in Moscow (where, for the purposes of this illustration, readers should know there is no orchestra pit - the orchestra takes-up the front 3 rows of the stalls, and the conductor stands perched in the aisle of Row 4 of the Stalls).  One couple, during a performance of THE TALES OF HOFFMANN, persisted in not only whispering, but holding an entire conversation.  They were so engrossed in their discussion that they didn't notice conductor Vladimir Ponkin leave his rostrum and walk over to them.  "For chrissake shut up!" exclaimed Ponkin, before returning to his podium...
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"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
-  Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
harpy128
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« Reply #1 on: 16:47:34, 22-05-2007 »
I've been to a children's opera performance as well (The Enchanted Pig) and actually I'd say he has a point: when everyone's making a racket it's somehow less irritating than when just one person is.
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trained-pianist
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« Reply #2 on: 16:54:46, 22-05-2007 »
I don't know how you can find such an interesting articles, Reiner.
It used to be that the audience was very polite for a while. There were periods with riots and loud protests and hissing. Then it was all nice and proper for a while.
May be there is a phase change now again.
« Last Edit: 17:00:35, 22-05-2007 by trained-pianist » Logged
harpy128
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« Reply #3 on: 16:58:37, 22-05-2007 »
Booing unconventional productions certainly seems to be popular here at the moment ("Pelleas et Melisande" and "Macbeth"). Not sure that was ever out of fashion though.
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Reiner Torheit
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« Reply #4 on: 17:18:44, 22-05-2007 »
I'm not altogether against kids making a bit of noise IF the production is a show dedicated for children.  Of course it would be better if they didn't make the noise...  but overall I'd rather they went to concerts or ballets or operas at all, and then learned (hopefully by good example there) not to make a noise during the performance.   

Having said that I went to the premiere of a new children's opera (THE LORD OF THE FLIES, to a score by Efrem Podgaits, one of Russia's most interesting composers) on Saturday,  and the kids in the audience behaved extremely well, considering it was a swelteringly hot day, and the show ran for over two hours.
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"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
-  Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
harpy128
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« Reply #5 on: 20:23:45, 22-05-2007 »
It's probably unrealistic to expect the average young child to keep quiet for hours on end, although at this one we went to there were some tiny tots who sat like mice (unfortunately my young companion wasn't one of them  Roll Eyes). As you say, once they get the idea they can then graduate to adult performances.
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