If you are, you’re not at a classical music concert after a concerto performance. Standing ovations are automatic after concertos, and also after the last piece on the program.
The same thing happens when Jimmy Kimmel or Jimmy Fallon walk out on stage at the beginning of their late-night TV shows. It also happens when each of their guests first appears during their shows.
Back in the day, standing ovations were not immediate or automatic. If they did happen, it might come after the second or third curtain call.
They happened if members of the audience felt performances met certain criteria — the quality of the performance, their expressivity, virtuosity, interpretation, and that special “something,” not necessarily definable by words. They stood up, perhaps, when the full weight of the performance had set in
Of course, some performances are so electric that audiences leap to their feet. #yujawabg #timeforthree #shekukanneh-mason #philadelphiaorchestra
There’s a difference between leaping and merely standing while in autopilot mode.
My former Boss at NPR talked about the audience for performances by their hometown orchestra, describing them being“ like toast. When the performance was over, they’d pop up.”
Maybe you remember those classic Smith Barney commercials with actor John Houseman.
