How dare they?!
A concert was “spoiled” after one apparently unclassy and uneducated fool clapped several seconds too early during the end of an orchestra performance at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on Friday.
The Hong Kong Arts Festival opened with a concert performed by the Staatskapelle Dresden, one of the world’s best orchestras, conducted by Christian Thielemann.
Right as the orchestra was finishing the last, intense chords of Richard Strauss’ Metamorphosen, an audience member made the mistake of showing their appreciation for the music by clapping before they had finished.
The German musicians looked “displeased” as they left the stage.
“Get out, you get out!” yelled one angry concert-goer, only about nine metres away from the original clapper, reports the SCMP.
Another person across the 2,000-seat concert hall chimed in and shouted their displeasure at the concert having been completely and utterly ruined.
Thank god for these defenders of basic decency and cultural highbrowism. Bullies have never been so high-class.
“I’m sorry, but if I don’t do that, I’m afraid many performers will never come here,” said the first person who shouted, who claimed he’d had enough of such early applauders after a similar experience during last year’s festival
Meanwhile, he’s also ensuring that cultural events will remain the domain of the elite, unwelcoming to the masses.
The audience, which included Chief Executive CY Leung and his wife, clapped only when allowed for the remainder of the performance. Phew.
Photo: Pete Prodoehl via Flickr
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