Categories
appreciation the orchestra world

omg

Tonight’s concert ended with the most recent of the Deryck Cooke realizations of the five movements of Mahler’s Tenth Symphony.  It’s a sprawling work, for the most part very austere in its orchestrations.  It begins with one of the most fearsome viola soli passages – over a minute where the violas play softly and unsupported, and where every sound of every person in the section is exposed for everyone to hear.  Two scherzos and one Purgatorio later, we arrive at the final movement, which begins with the somber thump of the bass drum, mournful songs from the bass tuba, and the keening, weeping song of the solo flute.  After a long journey from this quiet anguish, the end of the symphony concludes with a slow dissembling of the orchestration, ending at a barest whisper.  The world holds its breath…

UNTIL SOME CRAZY A-HOLE STARTS YELLING MANIACALLY THE MOMENT THE MUSIC ENDS!!!!

I’m normally very patient with some of the antics of our patrons.  Clapping between movements? Not a problem.  Coughing and sneezing? We all have to do it, and sometimes you just can’t control it.  Loud stage whispers during quiet passages? Well, they’re probably old and can’t hear how loud they are.  But yelling nonsense at the top on one’s lungs at the close of a long, emotional, and physically draining performance?  How little respect did this man have for the performers?  What about for his fellow patrons? He ruined a wonderful performance, and I’m mad as hell about it.  The entire orchestra played well, but he just threw crap all over the wonderful solo contributions of concertmaster Jun Iwasaki, principal cello Nancy Ives, principal viola Joël Belgique, principal flutist Alicia DiDonato Paulsen, principal horn John Cox, principal oboe Martin Hebert, principal trumpet Jeffrey Work, English hornist Kyle Mustain, principal clarinet Yoshinori Nakao, and principal tuba JaTtik Clark.  This person was clearly only interested in their own agenda (apparently this person had accosted music director Carlos Kalmar at his pre-concert talk, because he was offended at the realization that was being performed on the concert), and didn’t give a damn about the feelings of the performers or his fellow audience members.  Such selfishness.  Such boorish behavior.  Shame on him.

48 replies on “omg”

Wow! I am so sorry! That must have been very unnerving. Someday (I hope) you’ll look back at this and laugh.

He yelled “Alright! Lame! Lame!” and then the audience caught on and drowned him out. What a fool.

It certainly ended a wonderful performance on a down point. I thought the audience picked it up though, because the performance was masterful. My entire row was on the edge of its seats. I’m surprised that “security/guards” weren’t watching him a bit more closely. Your performance was masterful. I don’t think I’ve been so moved in a long time. Hopefully you heard me hollering out there yeah, yeah. Please think of it as a bonding experience with those who love your music and tell the rest of the orchestra that too.

I felt this way, totally in sync with the audience. Instead of a gasp or outrage, I felt a silent groan of regret from the audience at this interruption of our shared profound moment.

He was… concerned about the realization? No. Way. Even musicologists are not that zealous unless they are sniffing something.
Must be nuts, frightening and sad.
I’m really sorry I missed it- I’m sure you guys rocked it. All those patrons, I’m sure, feel lucky to have heard it. The nut will become an anecdote, a concert war story, and they will remember the Mahler.

We believe the word was “LENNY!” Like in Bernstein? The great Mahler interpreter, according to some, in Vienna.

I remember some crazy a-holes who yelled ‘hey’ in the middle of Tchaikovsky a few concerts ago… just sayin’

Thanks for commenting on this Charles, I’m finding it difficult to put my mixture of anger and depression into words.

I also thought he was saying “Lenny!” over and over, but only after yelling “Niiiiice!” less than one second after we finished. There is an explanation involving the pre-concert lecture, I heard. What a tool.

[…] Charles Noble just posted about a heckler in the audience at the latest Oregon Symphony performance of Mahler’s 10th Symphony.  Apparently the heckler REALLY doesn’t like Mahler 10, because he let the music director have it during the pre-concert lecture, and then at the end of what was apparently a great performance, began shouting, “Alright!  Lame!  Lame!” at the top of his lungs. Then, Charles was happy to report, the audience let HIM have it. […]

It was shocking. It came from near the top of the balcony. I hope that man is not allowed back in.
Other than that, though, the performance was outstanding. The orchestra is clearly playing at a world class level!

curiously, was the dip-wad in question the same tool that yelled out “bravo, maestro” the first nanosecond a piece ended last year?

while i must confess that a part of me enjoys “scandals” (rite of spring premiere, etc.), what you describe here is waaaaaaay beyond the pale.

one seattle composer friend would prescribe a “good ole fashioned ass-kicking” for such cluelessness.

then again, perhaps the man is truly ill. if so, i feel sorry for him and wish that y’all didn’t have to wade through his concert-soiling malady.

Yes, that person was most annoying but he could not ruin what I thought was one of the best performances by the orchestra that I’ve witnessed . I’d rank it with your Mahler 9 of a few seasons ago. Hard to say what Mahler 10 would have ended up sounding like had he finished it, but the performing version has much to admire, even if it can seem a bit episodic at times. It is difficult to single out any one moment over another but I must admit I was bowled over by Alicia’s flute solo. I hate to sound like a broken record, but she is a fabulous player. So much so that David Buck is rapidly fading from memory. I also liked the interplay between the tuba and drum. The strings also maintained amazing intensity throughout the evening. I was emotionally exhausted after the first movement (the anguish of Mahler seemed almost palpable) but still loved what came afterward. It was one of those concerts that will stay firmly in my memory (Hough was great as well).

I was in the balcony too, and he didn’t ruin it for me. How could he?! I had just listened to an hour-plus of gorgeous, startling, anguished, beautiful music, played fabulously. And the shouter only shouted for two seconds, surprising us and briefly upsetting our surface feelings, but then the ocean of appreciation rose up and drowned him. I LOVED the Mahler.

He didn’t ruin it for me, either. It was weird, of course, but in fact the whole episode played out in just a few seconds, though it may have felt like an eternity to the musicians up on stage. At first I thought it was just someone started to yell a “bravo” or something, which isn’t an unusual thing to hear at Oregon Symphony concerts. Then for the next few seconds I think we all sat there trying to figure out what he was trying to say. Then, just that quickly, it was all drowned out by the crowd’s cheering and pretty much forgotten.

So I’m a little surprised by the reaction. I suspect if he had shouted “Bravo! … Bravo! … Bravo!” instead of “Lenny! … Lenny! … Lenny! (or whatever), nobody in the hall would have given it a second thought.

I was at Saturday night’s performance, and I wholeheartedly agree that the heckler was beyond rude and disrespectful.

But Mahler’s Tenth Symphony was a terrible selection. I’m an early 40-something fan of many music genres, and I attended my first Oregon Symphony performance at age 20, and I selected a package of 6 peformance for the 2010-2011 season. (Yes, for this website’s audience, I do feel the need to impart the fact that I know a thing or two about music.)

People should try to keep an open mind about musical selections, and there is life beyond Mozart and Vivaldi, but for a general audience, this was a terrible choice of music. There were some fantastic musical themes that Mahler/Cooke touched on but never stuck with, and the piece is almost like a test of patience/endurance for an audience.

Please take away from this that the orchestra (including the featured performaners) did a fantastic job with this piece, as did the Maestro. And that the fool who yelled at the end of the performance should have just quietly walked away instead. As for the audience response at the end of the symphony, well, we were applauding the performance, not the piece of music, and the clapping lasted a bit longer than usual, because we were expressing support of the Symphony as a response to the yelling idiot. And I was one of the folks who continued to applaud during Kalmar’s 2nd re-entrance onto the stage after the piece ended.

The Oregon Symphony can’t and shouldn’t have to please everybody, and though I’m in the minority in the discussion on this website, I truly believe that you won’t find many audience members last night who would want to hear Mahler’s Tenth Symphony again, either live or recorded.

I still had a great evening: I enjoyed the first half of the program – would have liked to hear a longer piece by Stephen Hough – was exposed to a symphony I hadn’t previously known, and got to spend an evening with my sweetie. Pretty cool. Hanging out with the Oregon Symphony is a great way to spend an evening, even in the midst of the folks who keep Portland weird. 🙂

Chris – thanks for coming, and I totally understand what you’re saying about choice of programming. But I think that’s kind of the fun part of going to a concert – you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get. It might be an old favorite done in a different way, or something that you’d never heard before. Now you know that you’re not a big fan of Mahler’s Tenth, and that’s cool. I hope it doesn’t sour you on the rest of the upcoming programs that you’ll be attending!

By Post Author

I don’t agree with your opinion of Mahler 10,Chris, but I do appreciate the intelligent way in which you expressed your thoughts. The world would be pretty dull if we all thought the same way. I hope you keep coming and continue to express your views.

Thanks Charles and Curtis – there’s definitely room for disagreement in the world of music, and I’ll keep attending the Oregon Symphony. If I was concerned with the possibility of not liking a piece of music with which I wasn’t familiar, I’d try to find a snippet of it online before purchasing tickets, but I do enjoy being surprised (though, again, not by the outburst last night – ack!). I’ve still got sets of tickets for four more performances in the 2010-11 season – yeah!

I agree with Charles’ comment in his reply to Simon that “Just because it’s legal doesn’t make it acceptable”, and that can apply to mammamia’s experience as well. At a classical event in another town a few years ago, I was sitting next to someone who expressed their pleasure rather loudly during several parts of the performance, and it can be quite stressful for other audience members, especially when they’re louder than the performers. Whether pleased or displeased with a performance, a sense of decorum should certainly be expected at venues such as the symphony, the opera, church, etc.

i just got a note from a friend that says:

“at least he cares. better that then the snoozing herd.”

Do you think you could be over-reacting here?

The guy waited until the performance had finished and surely in “the land of the free” (quote are not meant as an ironic questioning of the assert that the USA is Free) he has some constitutional rights to express his opinion no matter however absurd or out of step with the rest audience? It’s no way near as horrendous as the suffering of the Jerusalem Quartet at the Wigmore Hall last year – now I would agree with anyone getting bent out of shape had something like that happened (the interruptions, not necessarily the politics) here: see http://www.standpointmag.co.uk/node/2894

Just another thought …

No, I don’t think I’m overreacting. Just because it’s legal doesn’t make it acceptable. It was akin to someone throwing acid on a Rembrandt. And I, like many other performers, find that amazing silence after the conclusion of an incredibly quiet and profound piece to be a sacred place – what we spent years of our lives preparing for. Please don’t tell me that you just don’t get it.

By Post Author

The problem, Simon, is that he did not wait until the piece was over. The appropriate time to respond would have been when Carlos’ baton was lowered. It wasn’t and the premature response negatively affected the ending of the piece. I don’t have a problem with expressions of disapproval from paying customer’s when they are expressed at the appropriate time. That person could have restrained himself for a few more seconds. It appears to me that he just wanted to make sure he was heard without regard to anyone else in the hall.

i wonder what mahler’s reaction would be to cooke’s realization?

my sense is that “he” would probably say something along the lines of, “thanx, but no thanx.”

personally, i can live just fine with the adagio movement that mahler actually completed himself.

what more does one really need?

Maybe it’s the middle school teacher in me, but I’m wondering if there was a little bit of a mental disability going on- and in his reality what he did was completely acceptable. I remember sitting next to a woman during a Carmina Burana performance- she was writhing in ecstasy and moaning and laughing loudly. She was borderline schizophrenic- I didn’t feel comfortable with her outbursts- but it was her reality, not mine.

It’s possible, but this person was berating Carlos at the preconcert talk and was given a warning about any additional outbursts. Not sure how ‘with it’ he was since I wasn’t at the lecture.

By Post Author

Curtis thanks but this is actually very different from what was described in the blog entry,I quote:

UNTIL SOME CRAZY A-HOLE STARTS YELLING MANIACALLY THE MOMENT THE MUSIC ENDS!!!!

The moment the music ends. That piece is so testing for all of the band and emotionally draining for all – I can totally appreciate how vile (& shocking) this man’s reaction to piece was to 99.99% of all present but your description is different – can someone actually clarify did the music (sound) actually stop or did he shout over the last notes of the piece? I think there’s a huge difference between them both. I could almost buy the analogy to destroying a Rembrandt if it was as Curtis describes but either way substance of the work can survive this and whilst shock most people will recall the substance of the music, its impact on them in all levels and will still appreciate the length and strengths of all the performers.

I can understand your reaction, Charles, but for what it’s worth, I agree with the other commenters from the audience who called it a momentary annoyance. No acid on that Rembrandt, just a splash of cold water—I walked away wanting to hear the performance again and thinking the incident was trivial (and I’m also inclined to think some degree of mental illness was involved, so I didn’t elaborate on it in my review).

well, this topic certainly has had some dandy post-concert “resonance.”

one day, i’ll tell y’all about two of my concert going transgressions that might amuse and/or invoke your wrath . . .

in the meantime, one of the best DURING concert reactions of the last 20-ish years has to be when some bloke in boston yelled out during one of steve reich’s many over-long works, “I Confess.”

whoever that is, he’s one of my heroes.

Oh dear, I realize this comment is a ways back now, but I realize wish Chris wouldn’t say “we were applauding the performance, not the piece of music.” It is really better to just stick to speaking for yourself and not generalize your feelings to the audience. While I have mixed feelings about the ethics of assembling someone else’s symphony, I enjoyed and admired the music itself immensely. Many people I spoke to afterward felt similarly.

Last night, in happy contrast to Saturday, nobody made a peep for a good long time after the music ended, which was wonderful.

I, too, was at the Saturday concert. I found the Mahler/Cooke symphony very moving, with sweetness sprinkled among the pathos that served to heighten the grimness of the latter. I was shocked and offended by the yeller. He ruined the feeling of the ending of the piece. And since the question has been raised, he started yelling as the last note was being played–not after it was over. If it is possible, he should be excluded from all future concerts.

Elizabeth Dyson

I too, experienced this incident from row X upper balcony, as well as having seen said man upon entering the hall prior (with security escort, btw). I believe those of us able to comment here, need to be grateful we have our minds, hopefully our hearts, though this man did not at that moment. I am disappointed that security did not assist the man out of the hall prior to the concert, yet I am mindful of the recent political climate concerning those who are mentally ill. The concert, beginning to end, was stunning, and the work of the orchestra is noted with great appreciation. Interestingly, upon return home northbound I-5, a driver in center lane caused similar upset, by bouncing amongst three lanes, frightening all those on the road. Especially with poor weather and the holidays, please drive wisely, and do not drink when you’re getting behind the wheel.

We came down from Olympia on the train specifically to hear the 10th. (Sorry, Chris, you don’t speak for me either.) My wife fell in love with it after hearing Ormandy perform it in the late 60s. I only had the record. (We now go all over to hear Mahler, including several trips to Philadelphia and San Francisco.) We loved your performance. We were really upset by that selfish outburst, but were the first on our feet to applaud so as to try to make it better for the performers, who looked truly stricken. They had gotten us that far, and we needed to repay them a bit for their wonderful performance.

Dear Steve,
I loved reading your comment. To be able to bring live Mahler to people like you and your wife is why I play in an orchestra! Thank you SO much for attending and traveling from Olympia. I am so pleased you enjoyed the performance.
Best,
Alicia Paulsen

Oh, Alicia, I’m Steve’s wife and I just found you in the roster of orchestra members — you’re the principal flute! It must have been you who played the brilliant last-movement solo! That part always takes my breath away, and your performance was incredibly beautiful — we commented on it at the time.
I envy you, creating and being in the midst of all that aching magnificence on that stage, and I truly thank you.

Comments are closed.