Audience etiquette matters if the purity of classical music is truly valued

Jonathan Harvey's ideas to enliven classical music are like inviting a football match crowd to join in on the pitchThe question of concert behaviour, like most codes of conduct, depends on where you are. Who are you upsetting by ignoring etiquette? Does that etiquette have any purpose beyond crusty tradition? As far as classical music is concerned, the answer is yes. The need to sit still and pipe down is purely practical: to enable everyone to hear properly and to respect the performers, as wel...

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