Riffing on “The Applause Issue”

In yesterday’s post for his ArtsJournal blog, On the Record, Henry Fogel commented critically on the taboo against applauding between movements at a classical concert. I disagree with him…up to a point.
I’ve recently had two experiences at the NY Philharmonic where a group of people sitting in the back of the orchestra broke the taboo. I wrote about the first one in my post, Philharmonic Philistines, where I noted that the orchestra itself offers helpful advice on its website, regarding When do I applaud? (This link has changed since my previous post.)
My second recent applause-between-movements experience occurred one week ago, with a frail but still musically masterful Kurt Masur making a very emotionally moving return podium of the orchestra where he is music director emeritus. The very pronounced tremor in Masur’s hands contrasted with the energetic virtuosity of the very youthful solo violinist, Sergey Khachatryan, who wowed the crowd in the Sibelius Violin Concerto.
The soloist’s convention-defying casual dress for his Philharmonic debut was matched by the impetuous inter-movement enthusiasm of a group of high school marching band musicians from Chicago, sitting a few rows behind me. It was a great concert for them to attend, not only because of the talented role model onstage, only a few years their senior, but also because they will never again hear a better rendition of the march-like third movement of the Tchaikovsky “Pathétique” symphony.
I don’t agree with Fogel’s pronouncement that the tradition of not applauding between movements “is born of a snobbishness, a device whereby some people can feel superior by showing visibly that they know the piece isn’t over yet.”
I plead guilty to being a cultural snob, but I’m against a burst of extraneous sound within a piece for more substantial reasons: I prefer that my absorption in the music be uninterrupted. (And don’t even get me started on all the coughing and whispering that can also sometimes interrupt the flow of a piece.)
That said, if a loosening of protocol is what it takes to get more young people into classical concert halls, so be it.