A genre once intended for popular consumption has been monopolised by the old, rich and powerful, says Melanie Lust. It’s time to make classical concerts sexy again.
In 1824, a crowded Vienna concert hall eagerly awaited the premiere of Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9.” The audience went nuts after just the first movement. A couple measures into the second movement, they were so excited that they whooped and clapped while the orchestra was playing, and the conductor had to start over. Right up until the conclusion of the finale, they never bothered to restrain their applause—people were out of their seats, screaming, crying and cheering.
In 2019, the sold-out crowd at Pick-Staiger concert hall held its breath as the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra began to perform Beethoven’s Ninth. For more than an hour, we watched with rapt attention. Coughs and grunts punctuated the otherwise dead silence between movements. I nearly fell asleep in my chair. The only evidence anyone enjoyed the performance was the standing ovation at the end — after an hour of sitting completely still.
This change in etiquette harms audiences, performers and the entire classical music industry. To understand why, it’s important to understand how that change occurred...Keep reading on North by Northwestern
In 1824, a crowded Vienna concert hall eagerly awaited the premiere of Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9.” The audience went nuts after just the first movement. A couple measures into the second movement, they were so excited that they whooped and clapped while the orchestra was playing, and the conductor had to start over. Right up until the conclusion of the finale, they never bothered to restrain their applause—people were out of their seats, screaming, crying and cheering.
In 2019, the sold-out crowd at Pick-Staiger concert hall held its breath as the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra began to perform Beethoven’s Ninth. For more than an hour, we watched with rapt attention. Coughs and grunts punctuated the otherwise dead silence between movements. I nearly fell asleep in my chair. The only evidence anyone enjoyed the performance was the standing ovation at the end — after an hour of sitting completely still.
This change in etiquette harms audiences, performers and the entire classical music industry. To understand why, it’s important to understand how that change occurred...Keep reading on North by Northwestern