Andrew Druckenbrod of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette revisits the topic of applause between movements, an old chestnut at this blog. Leonard Slatkin is another major musician unopposed to applause whenever audiences feel moved to supply it. Recently, at an LA Phil performance in Disney Hall, I noticed that the audience provided a smattering of applause after each movement of the Mahler Seventh. A brief conversation with a couple of the musicians afterward revealed that they weren't terribly concerned about the issue. For them it was a positive sign, indicating that there were new people in the hall. Applause between movements at a chamber concert proved, however, disconcerting, and a request for silence was made before a performance of the Quartet for the End of Time.
