Hey all,
This past Friday, instead of our usual studio (i.e., an informal recital where anyone who wants to can sign up in advance and play a movement or two for everyone), my clarinet teacher, "Claire," and her quintet (let's call them Flora Flautist, Otto Oboist, Basil Bassoonist, and Helga French Hornist), came to do a special lecture-recital on contemporary Canadian music. Well, the performance was absolutely beautiful, and I can't *wait* until the CD comes out (Claire said she could get me an advance copy, since I'm her student), but during this wonderful performance, there was an older couple in the front row who kept LOUDLY talking to one another, and pointing and admiring the architecture in the recital hall. Now, normally, all performances on campus are open to anyone who wants to go, even people from the community, but it's just assumed that people know how to behave at these things. Anyway, at one point, Flora Flautist actually looked straight over at the offending husband and wife, and GLOWERED at them with all her might, while still playing, and one of my friends later said that it "sent shivers down her spine," but the architecture afficianados were completely oblivious, so Claire actually had to make a "general announcement" between movements, and say "Please don't talk during the performance, we can hear you, and it's very distracting."; in both English AND French, but EVERYONE knew who the announcement was for, because 90% of the people in that hall were either music students, or music profs, who knew perfectly well what it was like to be up on that stage, and how distracting even the tiniest background noises can be when one is performing. Claire thought it was pretty funny afterwards, but seriously.....what is with people like that? Is it age, ignorance, or just plain old garden-variety entitlement?
