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What's the big deal? He got a call, he had a new iphone, so it rang though he had the right intentions (he thought he had put it on silent, etc). It rang, the conductor being a d*** stopped the concert. The distinguished members of PW in addition demand that the guy be "outed". I really don't have a clue why. The world is a strange place.
IMO, I don't think calling the conductor a d*** is really called for..I mean, think about it. You listen to almost the entirety of an entire symphony, at almost the very end of the piece, when it gets super quiet, a cell phone goes off. Then the cell phone keeps ringing. I think it's perfectly understandable to not want to end the entire piece with a ringing phone. I'd argue that almost nobody here would want to do that as well - and would agree it's valid to stop the piece and try again. Regardless of whether you agree with how the audience member was addressed by the conductor, I think that you would agree the action of choosing to stop and try again is probably the best action, given the situation.
Yea..you're right. Being a d*** had nothing to do with stopping the concert, that was probably the right thing to do. Then addressing the audience member in the way he did was what I find a problem with. I would probably be pissed off too but I would just restart and apologize to the audience (and justify starting over again citing musical reasons. That was unprofessional behavior on his part.
The people on PW are also being unreasonable by wanting to know his identity. I don't understand for what purpose. You should all go back to practicing the piano and stop maligning somebody you don't even know.. nobody even knows the exact details of what happened that day. If it really was an honest mistake (new iphone, etc), that guy doesn't really deserve any of these discussions devoted to him on the internet (including people making comparisons with child molesters!! WTH?!). So I find some of the posts here more disgusting than what happened that day at the concert.
Who wants to know his identity? Who cares? I don't see anyone asking to know WHO he is. Why am I not the least bit surprised that you of all people would take the stance you have?
Last edited by stores; 01/13/1205:34 AM.
"And if we look at the works of J.S. Bach — a benevolent god to which all musicians should offer a prayer to defend themselves against mediocrity... -Debussy
"It's ok if you disagree with me. I can't force you to be right."
Some more from that recent NYT article, enough to make you feel really bad for the guy:
Quote
“You can imagine how devastating it is to know you had a hand in that,†said the man, who described himself as a business executive between 60 and 70 who runs two companies. “It’s horrible, horrible.†The man said he had not slept in two days.
The man, called Patron X by the Philharmonic, said he was a lifelong classical music lover and 20-year subscriber to the orchestra who was friendly with several of its members. He said he himself was often irked by coughs, badly timed applause — and cellphone rings. “Then God, there was I. Holy smokes,†he said.
“It was just awful to have any role in something like that, that is so disturbing and disrespectful not only to the conductor but to all the musicians and not least to the audience, which was so into this concert,†he said by telephone.
“I hope the people at that performance and members of the orchestra can certainly forgive me for this whole event. I apologize to the whole audience.â€
Good for him for owning up to it. He understands, unlike some people here.
"And if we look at the works of J.S. Bach — a benevolent god to which all musicians should offer a prayer to defend themselves against mediocrity... -Debussy
"It's ok if you disagree with me. I can't force you to be right."
It was a very unfortunate incident. While the cell phone greatly disrupted the concert, it was an accident. The article indicates that no one felt worse about the situation (and suffered more, not having slept for 2 days and counting) than the patron who caused the disturbance.
What's the big deal? He got a call, he had a new iphone, so it rang though he had the right intentions (he thought he had put it on silent, etc). It rang, the conductor being a d*** stopped the concert. The distinguished members of PW in addition demand that the guy be "outed". I really don't have a clue why. The world is a strange place.
IMO, I don't think calling the conductor a d*** is really called for..I mean, think about it. You listen to almost the entirety of an entire symphony, at almost the very end of the piece, when it gets super quiet, a cell phone goes off. Then the cell phone keeps ringing. I think it's perfectly understandable to not want to end the entire piece with a ringing phone. I'd argue that almost nobody here would want to do that as well - and would agree it's valid to stop the piece and try again. Regardless of whether you agree with how the audience member was addressed by the conductor, I think that you would agree the action of choosing to stop and try again is probably the best action, given the situation.
Yea..you're right. Being a d*** had nothing to do with stopping the concert, that was probably the right thing to do. Then addressing the audience member in the way he did was what I find a problem with. I would probably be pissed off too but I would just restart and apologize to the audience (and justify starting over again citing musical reasons. That was unprofessional behavior on his part.
The people on PW are also being unreasonable by wanting to know his identity. I don't understand for what purpose. You should all go back to practicing the piano and stop maligning somebody you don't even know.. nobody even knows the exact details of what happened that day. If it really was an honest mistake (new iphone, etc), that guy doesn't really deserve any of these discussions devoted to him on the internet (including people making comparisons with child molesters!! WTH?!). So I find some of the posts here more disgusting than what happened that day at the concert.
Who wants to know his identity? Who cares? I don't see anyone asking to know WHO he is. Why am I not the least bit surprised that you of all people would take the stance you have?
There were people here wondering if he would reveal his identity and if he did, would he come up with a defensive story, etc. Who cares? Exactly, but apparently some people do. Others in this thread have led the discussion on to child rapists and such. Me of all people taking the stance that I did? What stance did I take? Did you understand it in the first place? The stance I took was not that it was appropriate for the phone to have rung.
Good for him for owning up to it. He understands, unlike some people here.
We have been getting along somewhat alright for some time now. If you want to keep that going, I suggest you don't make such statements without completely understanding what I had to say. Not that I care too much, just wanted to put it out there.
"...this episode made the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams."
And Scott Pelley gave it a mention on the CBS Evening News. It would be easier at this point to make a list of who hasn't carried the item, rather than who has.
The gentleman made a very handsome apology, and I hope that is good enough for everyone.
Also I still do not get how you can have things "covered". Sure an adult could be in charge but wouldn't you rather get a (vibe) call or text and get the heck out of there if need be, the conductor non-withstanding? If I could not be reached during concerts, I would definitely not go as frequently as I do now.
Here in the sticks, we call it family. I don't feel a pressing need to be available 24/7 and consider it one of the evils of modern technology that I'm expected to be.
Actually, I agree with that, even though I'm relatively young (20). I absolutely hate the fact that I have a phone sometimes. But I need it for work (gigs). I didn't grow up with a cell phone, and I didn't know what internet was until I was 15.. life was in a way more enjoyable. Just different.
I really don't think anyone would suffer so greatly if they didn't have their phone for 2 hours.
"The eyes can mislead, the smile can lie, but the shoes always tell the truth."
Ever since I discovered, to my astonishment, that the alarm on my phone could ring even if it was switched off, I have made a point of never using the alarm on the phone. I would be too worried that the alarm might just be set to ring during a concert.
I discovered this ring-through property of the alarm just recently (of course, during a movie and it happened twice: the first time I didn't understand why it had gone off). After that I completely turned off the phone, instead of merely silencing it. I should run some tests to verify that completely turning off the phone really does silence the alarm.
Piano*Dad, I don't think I'm a technophone, but with a new phone I might fumble for a bit to figure out how to turn off an alarm or a ring.
The NYT just published an interview with "Patron X" :
"Actually, Patron X said he had no idea he was the culprit. He said his company replaced his BlackBerry with an iPhone the day before the concert. He said he made sure to turn it off before the concert, not realizing that the alarm clock had accidentally been set and would sound even if the phone was in silent mode.
“I didn’t even know phones came with alarms,†the man said.
But as Mr. Gilbert was glaring in his direction, he fiddled with the phone as others around him did, just to be sure, pressing buttons. That was when the sound stopped. It was only in the car going home that his wife checked the settings on his phone and found that the alarm had been set."
Now hang him, says PW.
I think we should burn him at the stake and televise it.
Also I still do not get how you can have things "covered". Sure an adult could be in charge but wouldn't you rather get a (vibe) call or text and get the heck out of there if need be, the conductor non-withstanding? If I could not be reached during concerts, I would definitely not go as frequently as I do now.
Here in the sticks, we call it family. I don't feel a pressing need to be available 24/7 and consider it one of the evils of modern technology that I'm expected to be.
Actually, I agree with that, even though I'm relatively young (20). I absolutely hate the fact that I have a phone sometimes. But I need it for work (gigs). I didn't grow up with a cell phone, and I didn't know what internet was until I was 15.. life was in a way more enjoyable. Just different.
I really don't think anyone would suffer so greatly if they didn't have their phone for 2 hours.
I don't do classical gigs, but my rock gigs are always booked through email these days. Nobody wants to talk anymore.
What's the big deal? He got a call, he had a new iphone, so it rang though he had the right intentions (he thought he had put it on silent, etc). It rang, the conductor being a d*** stopped the concert. The distinguished members of PW in addition demand that the guy be "outed". I really don't have a clue why. The world is a strange place.
IMO, I don't think calling the conductor a d*** is really called for..I mean, think about it. You listen to almost the entirety of an entire symphony, at almost the very end of the piece, when it gets super quiet, a cell phone goes off. Then the cell phone keeps ringing. I think it's perfectly understandable to not want to end the entire piece with a ringing phone. I'd argue that almost nobody here would want to do that as well - and would agree it's valid to stop the piece and try again. Regardless of whether you agree with how the audience member was addressed by the conductor, I think that you would agree the action of choosing to stop and try again is probably the best action, given the situation.
Yea..you're right. Being a d*** had nothing to do with stopping the concert, that was probably the right thing to do. Then addressing the audience member in the way he did was what I find a problem with. I would probably be pissed off too but I would just restart and apologize to the audience (and justify starting over again citing musical reasons. That was unprofessional behavior on his part.
The people on PW are also being unreasonable by wanting to know his identity. I don't understand for what purpose. You should all go back to practicing the piano and stop maligning somebody you don't even know.. nobody even knows the exact details of what happened that day. If it really was an honest mistake (new iphone, etc), that guy doesn't really deserve any of these discussions devoted to him on the internet (including people making comparisons with child molesters!! WTH?!). So I find some of the posts here more disgusting than what happened that day at the concert.
Who wants to know his identity? Who cares? I don't see anyone asking to know WHO he is. Why am I not the least bit surprised that you of all people would take the stance you have?
There were people here wondering if he would reveal his identity and if he did, would he come up with a defensive story, etc. Who cares? Exactly, but apparently some people do. Others in this thread have led the discussion on to child rapists and such. Me of all people taking the stance that I did? What stance did I take? Did you understand it in the first place? The stance I took was not that it was appropriate for the phone to have rung.
It seems to me you felt the conductor was the one out of line. I came to this conclusion after you called him a d***. Of course, I'm clueless and probably don't have the faintest idea of what I'm talking about.
"And if we look at the works of J.S. Bach — a benevolent god to which all musicians should offer a prayer to defend themselves against mediocrity... -Debussy
"It's ok if you disagree with me. I can't force you to be right."
What's the big deal? He got a call, he had a new iphone, so it rang though he had the right intentions (he thought he had put it on silent, etc). It rang, the conductor being a d*** stopped the concert. The distinguished members of PW in addition demand that the guy be "outed". I really don't have a clue why. The world is a strange place.
IMO, I don't think calling the conductor a d*** is really called for..I mean, think about it. You listen to almost the entirety of an entire symphony, at almost the very end of the piece, when it gets super quiet, a cell phone goes off. Then the cell phone keeps ringing. I think it's perfectly understandable to not want to end the entire piece with a ringing phone. I'd argue that almost nobody here would want to do that as well - and would agree it's valid to stop the piece and try again. Regardless of whether you agree with how the audience member was addressed by the conductor, I think that you would agree the action of choosing to stop and try again is probably the best action, given the situation.
Yea..you're right. Being a d*** had nothing to do with stopping the concert, that was probably the right thing to do. Then addressing the audience member in the way he did was what I find a problem with. I would probably be pissed off too but I would just restart and apologize to the audience (and justify starting over again citing musical reasons. That was unprofessional behavior on his part.
The people on PW are also being unreasonable by wanting to know his identity. I don't understand for what purpose. You should all go back to practicing the piano and stop maligning somebody you don't even know.. nobody even knows the exact details of what happened that day. If it really was an honest mistake (new iphone, etc), that guy doesn't really deserve any of these discussions devoted to him on the internet (including people making comparisons with child molesters!! WTH?!). So I find some of the posts here more disgusting than what happened that day at the concert.
Who wants to know his identity? Who cares? I don't see anyone asking to know WHO he is. Why am I not the least bit surprised that you of all people would take the stance you have?
There were people here wondering if he would reveal his identity and if he did, would he come up with a defensive story, etc. Who cares? Exactly, but apparently some people do. Others in this thread have led the discussion on to child rapists and such. Me of all people taking the stance that I did? What stance did I take? Did you understand it in the first place? The stance I took was not that it was appropriate for the phone to have rung.
It seems to me you felt the conductor was the one out of line. I came to this conclusion after you called him a d***. Of course, I'm clueless and probably don't have the faintest idea of what I'm talking about.
I had to call someone a d*** (for all the nonsense being said in this thread), if I were to call you a d***, you'd probably ping your friends in high places. Didn't want that.
Cell phones should simply be prohibited from concert halls. Take your pick: the concert or the phone. Not both.
I can't take 4 ounces of shampoo onto an airplane. It must be left behind. So I see no hardship in leaving the phone behind at a concert.
TSA searches at the door would be obnoxious and expensive. So I propose an honor system ... punishable upon violation. You screw up, you're thrown out. No refund. Just my boot print on your butt.
I wonder if a behind-the-scenes bidding war is going on between news outlets over who gets the scoop and publishes the offender's name--- surely it is known. Sometimes those fifteen minutes of fame are dearly bought. Silence is also sometimes bought for a high price, although blackmailers are notoriously unreliable business partners.
Well, as long as you are entertaining an audience of hundreds or even thousands of (unfortunately) imperfect human beings, there are absolutely going to be issues occasionally. I would say that if you can't deal with that possibility you are in the wrong business.
There appear to be many very holy people here, at least they think they are.
Here's a wonderful video that's gone viral (1.2 million views on youtube so far). I think we can at least agree that this is a great way of handling a cell phone interruption. Lukáš Kmiť, violin.
![[Linked Image]](https://www.pianoworld.com/ABF_Medals/1medal.jpg)
