You’ve no doubt heard by now about the cellphone stare-down at the New York Philharmonic’s recent performance of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony between music director Alan Gilbert and a stubborn cellphone user in the front rows of Avery Fisher Hall. I was reading some of the comments to both the original blog posting about the incident and the New York Times blog posting (which now has over 150 comments), and I thought I’d expound a bit on just why an interruption of this sort is such a big deal to those of us who care about classical music in a live setting.
Symphonic performances are an immersive sensory experience. There is something special about the shared experience of listening to great music with hundreds or thousands of fellow music lovers. And in certain pieces of music, there is an almost cathartic, collective, and spiritual sense which overtakes everyone in the room. The final movement of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony exemplifies this type of musical event. It is 25 minutes of the deepest and most touching music ever composed, and at its close there is an unbelievably soft and exposed section of music that literally dissolves from hearing at the very end. If the performance has been a good one, then the entire audience will literally be transported as one to a place that, through the miracle of music, Mahler was only able to go to in solitude in the depths of his feelings and artistic sensibilities as a master composer. Audience, orchestra, and conductor will literally be almost holding their breath as these long, terrible fragile lines extend into a realm beyond our understanding as rational human beings. The flow of time slows, then almost stops …
RING, RING! RING, RING! RING, RING! RING, RING!
It’s all ruined.
There’s no way that you can get that feeling back. You were in that magical realm between waking and dreaming, conscious and subconscious, and now you’re thinking of the Verizon man saying “Can you hear me now?” Everything that you went to the concert hall to escape has suddenly intruded into your innermost thoughts. Some person just shat on your entire evening.
Tell me that’s not a big deal.
Imagine you’re at an NBA game and it comes down to a tie game with a foul shot in the final seconds to determine the winner. Suddenly, a fan runs onto the court and sprays the foul shooter with a fire extinguisher. That would really spoil the moment, wouldn’t it? People would no doubt complain, I’d wager. Or imagine that you’re at an incredible rock concert. It’s the song that the entire crowd has been waiting for, and someone pulls the plug right before the climax of the song. All the instruments go dead. I’d imagine there would be many, many chagrined fans in that situation, too. It’s disheartening that just by virtue of being classical concertgoers, our upset is considered illegitimate, and worthy of ridicule. So it’s gratifying to see more like-minded people speaking up in the comments sections of various online articles in support of the actions of both the conductor and the upset patrons. What do you think?
UPDATE: The New York Times has interviewed Patron X, who was the culprit, who was of course mortified by the whole thing – and explains that the kerfuffle happened because he had a new company-supplied cell phone with an alarm already set. Seems plausible.
12 replies on “going postal on cellphones”
one article i read mentioned that gilbert did exactly what mahler would have done.
incorrect.
from what i know of mahler’s character & artistic belief system, i think it is highly likely that mahler would’ve leaped off the stage & flat-out skewered that punk on zee spot.
that said, i thank gilbert for meeting the gravity of the occasion half-way.
ENUFF of this cellphone bullshit, already.
there is still the off button, which should be obvious on a newly issued phone.
agreed. off switch in the hall and at the movies…
Problem is, many phones’ alarms will sound even if the phone is in silent mode or switched off. The alarm wakes the dead, literally. I found this out the hard way, during a concert I was *playing in.* :O
hey y’all, remember how in the old days one had to check their “peace-makers” at the door?
ok, how ’bout everyone checks their “peace-disturbers” with the concierge?
slap a $5 surcharge on that service & bingo, another viable fundraising avenue opens right up.
Mmn is correct; after at least two years using my phone, after reading this article I tested it and found that even on SILENT profile,there is no way to mute the alarm clock if it is set to go off. For sure I will be checking that as well as my standard profile change (to SILENT) when I go to a concert!
Bill in Dallas
Of course it’s a big deal. People pay huge amounts of money to come to concerts in search of those moments of transcendence. And yes, everyone (with the possible exception of physicians on call) should turn phones off instead of just to “vibe,” which is still quite audible to those nearby. But frankly, I think the biggest offenders here are the phone manufacturers. “Silent” should mean just that. Not “kind of silent,” not “silent except for just this one thing.” Silent, period!!
so, let me get this straight, are you saying that “possibly” a dr. on-call should be allowed to potentially – and knowingly – soil the end of mahler’s 9th with his/her cellphone during a live concert hall performance?
As to the on call doctor item – most concert halls will hold pagers/phones at the coat room and an usher will get the patron if the device should go off during the concert.
excellent, charles, THIS i like – – – in the instance of ABSOLUTE emergencies ONLY.
and, isn’t the, uh, “vibrator” function still purdy darn distracting to those in close proximity?
so, return us to those days of yesteryear, check your “weapons of mass disruption”@ the door.
Bob – I think that she meant on the ‘vibrate’ function, not the full on marimba action!
My son the cello professor at a Southern university pulled this one at a summer music camp concert…
During the performance of his string quartet, a cell phone went off in the audience. The quartet stopped playing. He left his cello on stage and went into the audience and demanded the cell phone from the offender. He took the cell phone on stage and he and the rest of the quartet took turns stomping it into oblivion. He then said to the audience, “And that’s why you don’t bring cell phones to concerts!” After a few seconds he and the other quartet members and the offender in the audience started laughing…it was all set up beforehand, but the point was made. I tried the same thing with
my high school orchestra this year. I used a hammer to beat the cell phone to pieces. The shocked looks on the students’ faces were priceless. My secret plant and I high-fived and got kick out of the show. Now, all I have to do when I see someone reach for an electronic device is say, “I’m getting my hammer!”