Soloist in the audience?

[Guest]

Just wondered if this was usual. CBSO at Victoria Hall Stoke last Friday. Nareh Arghamanyan was the soloist for Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini (& very well she played it too). Curiously to me though (& it seemed to some other audience members), during the interval she came & sat in the stalls - not even the posh seats! - to watch the 2nd half, Elgar's 2nd symphony. Wondered if it was a particular favourite, a piece she didn't know & wanted to hear or maybe she was travelling on the orchestra bus back to Birmingham & had nothing better to do!

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

I've seen this happen several times before. Hélène Grimaud came and sat next to me for the second half of a concert in which she'd been the concerto soloist in the first half at the Anvil, Basingstoke. She asked to borrow my programme! I've also spotted Ian Bostridge, Julia Fischer and Steven Isserlis taking their seats in the RFH to watch symphonic second halves.

[jayne lee wilson]

Alina Ibragimova appeared in the circle at the RLPO last May, with the chairman, after playing the Mozart 4th. I'm afraid she looked a little bored with Petrenko's fabulous Mahler 7th, but I don't recall if she joined the standing ovation.
Mind you, I was still drying the mascara...

[VodkaDilc]

Alina Ibragimova appeared in the circle at the RLPO last May, with the chairman, after playing the Mozart 4th. I'm afraid she looked a little bored with Petrenko's fabulous Mahler 7th, but I don't recall if she joined the standing ovation.
Mind you, I was still drying the mascara...

Am I the only person here who detests the whole un-English (?) business of standing ovations? To my mind they belong in foreign concert halls and British Party Conferences. I always feel I can show appreciation with very energetic clapping. Certainly in this part of the country I seem to be in a majority. When Brendel gave one of his "farewell performances" in our local modest hall I had expected the audience to leap to its feet at the end; I was delighted to see a more dignified reception with 90% of those present firmly in their seats!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Am I the only person here who detests the whole un-English (?) business of standing ovations?

I don't really mind how or when people applaud, just as long as the work in question has finished (completely).

[LHC]

I too have seen several soloists doing this. Indeed, I can't remember a concert when Mitsuko Uchida hasn't joined the audience in the second half of the concert.

[Suffolkcoastal]

The increase in standing ovations for performances is I think partly as a result of TV, where you see pathetic standing ovations every 5 minutes on things like the X factor, which in that programmes case is probably for someone managing to sing a note in tune or for one of the guest 'artists' managing to 'lip-sync' a whole phrase correctly.

[Don Petter]

Pascal Rogé sat next to us in the first half of a concert, before performing in the second.

[Ferretfancy]

I'm not too keen on the relatively new practice of applauding the orchestra as they walk onto the platform. I can understand it as a welcome for a visiting orchestra, but the habit has spread, and now we have applause for our own regulars. What usually happens is that clapping begins as the first players come on, but peters out by the time that the brass and winds arrive, so that it's curiously half hearted. After all, they haven't done anything yet!

[Ventilhorn]

Just wondered if this was usual. CBSO at Victoria Hall Stoke last Friday. Nareh Arghamanyan was the soloist for Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini (& very well she played it too). Curiously to me though (& it seemed to some other audience members), during the interval she came & sat in the stalls - not even the posh seats! - to watch the 2nd half, Elgar's 2nd symphony. Wondered if it was a particular favourite, a piece she didn't know & wanted to hear or maybe she was travelling on the orchestra bus back to Birmingham & had nothing better to do!

Soloist in the Audience? I can cap that one!

When the celebrated harpist , Nicanor Zabaleta, came to Bournemouth to play a concerto (Rodrigo? I don't remember) he insisted on joining the orchestra for the second half of the concert and played 2nd harp to our lady harpist in the Berlioz Sinfonie Fantastique.

He had a big grin on his face, but I wonder how many of the audience actually spotted him?

VH

[amateur51]

Nice story, VH

I've seen Alfred Brendel in the audience several times for the second half - nowadays he has to buy a ticket

And Gustavo Dudamel sat with the violas when Piotr Anderszewski gave a Bach encore after Brahms piano concerto no 1

[gurnemanz]

In my view, standing ovations should be reserved for the genuinely exceptional. I find it annoying if some people in front of me stand up, thereby obscuring my view. Sometimes I have stood up in these circumstances just in order to be able to see what is happening. Usually I remain resolutely seated.

[amateur51]

In my view, standing ovations should be reserved for the genuinely exceptional. I find it annoying if some people in front of me stand up, thereby obscuring my view. Sometimes I have stood up in these circumstances just in order to be able to see what is happening. Usually I remain resolutely seated.

American friends who have attended concerts in London and Birmingham are both surprised and delighted that British audiences often don't give standing ovations but instead clap enthusiastically from a sedentary position.They tell me that standing ovations are de rigeur in the USA and they find it very tedious

[mercia]

de rigeur

at a tangent, are encores now de rigeur where a soloist is involved? there seemed to be a lot of encores at the Proms for example, not that I'm complaining really, though I thought some of them spoiled the effect/atmosphere/mood of what had gone before.

[amateur51]

at a tangent, are encores now de rigeur where a soloist is involved? there seemed to be a lot of encores at the Proms for example, not that I'm complaining really, though I thought some of them spoiled the effect/atmosphere/mood of what had gone before.

I confess that I do like an encore, perhaps more than one, but not necessarily the Fest that dear much-missed Shura Cherkassky was wont to give