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Conductor Stops New York Philharmonic Concert After Cell Phone Interruption

Alan GilbertGustavo Caballero, WireImage

Whether you're at the movies or the symphony, before the show you are always prompted to do one thing: Turn off your cell phone. But at a recent performance of Mahler's Ninth Symphony at the New York Philharmonic, someone did not heed the warning.

According to the Daily Mail, venerable conductor Alan Gilbert was on the final page of the chilling piece. The strings had come to roaring crescendo as some of Mahler's most emotional music sauntered toward the end. Suddenly, the calming silence was broken.

A marimba sounded. But not just any old marimba -- an iPhone marimba.

A front-row spectator had not turned off his phone, which chimed and chimed during the Philharmonic's epic climax. Classical music blogger Michael Jo reports, "When we reached that passage, as Alan Gilbert turned to the first violins and the sound grew ever more hushed and veiled, the unmistakable chimes of the iPhone Marimba ringtone resounded loud and clear throughout Avery Fisher Hall."

In most circumstances, the conductor, musicians and audience will try their hardest to push the offending sound out of their minds. But the marimba didn't stop chiming, which aggravated Gilbert beyond belief. The conductor stopped the orchestra, turned to the cell phone owner and said "Are you finished?" The man did not audibly answer the maestro, causing Gilbert to say "Fine, we'll wait."

While the spectator tried to shut off the clanging phone, several audience members shouted "Thousand dollar fine!" and "Kick him out!" while others shushed the crowd to remain calm. Gilbert finally received confirmation from the accused that it wouldn't happen again, and then spoke directly to the audience, "I apologize. Usually, when there's a disturbance like this, it is best to ignore it, because addressing it is sometimes worse than the disturbance itself. But this was so egregious that I could not allow it."

The hall erupted in applause as the Philharmonic prepared to begin again. The piece finished triumphantly without any other interruptions, but fans were noticeably annoyed and disappointed by the dreaded marimba.

According to Jo's Thousandfold Echo blog, the front-row attendee had allowed his phone to clang in an earlier movement and did nothing to stop it. Mahler's work is especially important to the Philharmonic, as he conducted the famous company during the final years of his life. Now he is quite possibly rolling in his grave.

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Anthony

Cell phone victims and an Academy Award performance of sorts.

My wife and I were dining in a restaurant with friends and as typical cell phones were going off every few minutes across the dining room. Its rude enough to hear someone's phone chiming but the situation only tends to worsen when the people receiving the call talk in a raised voice allowing anyone nearby to hear one side of the conversation.

Two men were siting at an adjoining table, one of them who was obviously into sales kept receiving repeat calls from someone with the phone negotiation focused on purchase options and time frames.

Our friends who were obviously annoyed jokingly apologized to us and without missing a beat launched into a loud choreographed discussion about prostitution services and the need to pay up the additional money or find another woman willing to act out the fetish for less.

The salesman was horrified this conversation was going on in the background of his call while he was trying to negotiate details as it alluded he was in a bordello. The man promptly hung up his phone, made rude comments to all of us and stormed out of the restaurant with buddy in tow. Everyone else in our area of the dining room appeared to be on the verge of applause, and we suspect his friend was also.

Our friends carried this anti-cell phone charade off without missing a beat and I can only imagine the man trying to later explain what had occurred.

January 15 2012 at 8:55 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
mark

How about when your just hanging out with a friend who conitinually takes cell phone calls,thereby interrupting your activity ?What I just described is jerk-like behavior IMO unless there is some kind of emergency or employment related communication going on.I have ended friendships with people who continually do this along with other jerk-like behavior.

January 15 2012 at 7:45 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Pearl Nestor

What a selfish thing to do. I honestly think that some people do it on purpose just to get some attention. Oh look everybody I got a cell! It's no big deal anymore, everyone has one. The same thing at Bingo when I go, they let it ring and ring and ring, if you're not going to answer it why have it on??? I always wondered, but I'm pretty sure it's just that some people want the attention. What I started doing at Bingo is saying "hello, hello, anybody home? Hello, hello.." I'll keep saying that till they answer their stupid phone. One day I'm going to lose it and drop the offending contraption in their coffee! Sometimes I want to seek out the person who invented the damn thing and give them a piece of my mind! Honestly, just because we have something now that only Capt. Kirk had back in the 60's and we are all enthralled with it, shouldn't make us unique anymore. Everyone has one.

January 15 2012 at 7:39 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
hman570

About time someone showed the people that a cell phone is not that big of a deal.. Gald that the Conductor left the stage with all the proformers!! People think that they need to have a phone on anywhere to bother others. No body is that important.

January 15 2012 at 7:22 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
brennemanbelkin

Mahler's 9th? The cellphone was probably more melodic.

January 15 2012 at 7:21 AM Report abuse -5 rate up rate down Reply
mccglf

BRAVO!! It was the SECOND time the jerk's phone rang. He should have been escorted out.

January 15 2012 at 7:20 AM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
ebneila

Cell phones are becoming not only an increasing annoyance, they are also becoming a hazard. It's hard to enjoy a consert, play, movie or even church service without some one's phone going off. Driving while texting or talking has led to many accidents, some fatal. I still don't understand what is so important callers can't wait to communicate later

January 15 2012 at 6:29 AM Report abuse +4 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to ebneila's comment
Pearl Nestor

I wonder about that too, after all how many Doctors are out there needing to be in contact every moment of the day? Very few conversations are a matter of life and death. I know it's sort of a status thing have the latest cell on the market and wanting to show it off, but it's getting people killed. How vein, and how selfish is that?

January 15 2012 at 7:47 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
SCOTT !!!!!!!!

I appauld the DIrector. I think the more people like this are brought out and Shamed. The more people will be willing to shame others who offend.

January 15 2012 at 5:03 AM Report abuse +9 rate up rate down Reply
Anita

good for the conductor when one is in a public venue like this one SHOULD shut their cell phone off its rude rude to other listeners who went to listen to some good music and rude to the conductor and orchestra who worked hard on said performance for the publics benefit i dont think he was out of line in any way

January 15 2012 at 4:48 AM Report abuse +7 rate up rate down Reply
Marie Speranza

The great Conductor did the best he could, until it was so bold & beligerent to the audience, his orchestra, and of course himself..so he tried to end, what obviously the front row seater, could not do. I suppose anyone can be foolish and not know what to do...this might give people the (hint) not to let this happen...and be extra cautious. This type of music is incredibly timed and beautiful, nothing should take away from its sound its power, beauty and timing. IMHO...

January 15 2012 at 4:18 AM Report abuse +5 rate up rate down Reply