To clap or not to clap

 

To clap or not to clap

When the music of Mozart and Beethoven and Brahms was being played, audiences regularly applauded when moved to do so, as well as eating and chatting during a performance, or yelling and throwing things if the music was not to their liking. By the late nineteenth century such behaviour was being discouraged by composers like Mendelssohn and Schumann, until it became the rule that no applause should occur until the end of the symphony or suite.

The debate continues to this day, with advocates of ‘no clapping until the end’ asserting that applause is distracting to the players and could break their concentration between movements. Their opponents say, with some logic, that if the music moves the listener to show appreciation, then that is entirely acceptable.

When asked what she felt about such applause, the violinist Elena Urioste said that she didn’t mind clapping between movements.  A comment made by a presenter at the Proms said that it indicated there were audiences new to the concert hall and that was surely to be welcomed. Isn’t music supposed to elicit an emotional response? That response may be internal and sober or elated and delirious, with many shades between.

A quick look at the reactions of professional musicians seems to confirm that they take pleasure in having their work appreciated and applauded instantaneously.

I don’t know whether concert etiquette is changing – you know, no clapping between movements - but the recording I have just watched seems to indicate that the audience is now allowed to applaud without stern looks being cast in their direction.

Maybe it was just this particular Proms performance, given by the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and conducted by the Finnish violinist and conductor Pekka Kuusisto, which allowed such spontaneity. I have never seen and heard Vivaldi’s Four Seasons played with such verve and joy. The whole of the Royal Albert Hall was so involved in the performance and Pekka Kuusisto’s improvisations segued seamlessly into the original, giving an altogether fresher sound.

It was a stunning performance, available on BBC iPlayer and is preceded by 'Birds of Paradise' by Andrea Tarrodi and Beethoven's First Symphony.

Pekka Kuusisto is an engaging and innovative conductor and a brilliant violinist. To transform the Royal Albert Hall audience into a choir, as he does during the Beethoven work, is quite some feat. I don't think I've ever seen so much pleasure on the faces of musicians in a concert as was displayed here. 

In addition, he has a Swedish folk musician, Ale Carr, playing with him, on a cittern, a stringed instrument that looks like a lute, based on a Renaissance instrument. The whole concert is a delight and one I shall watch again and again.