In Friday’s (1/13) New York Times, Daniel J. Wakin follows up reports about Alan Gilbert stopping the New York Philharmonic’s performance of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony when an iPhone went off in the front row. “No one, it seems, felt worse than the culprit, who agreed to an interview on Thursday on condition that he not be identified—for obvious reasons. … 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. … Patron X said he received a call from an orchestra official the day after the concert. He had been identified by his front-row seat. The official politely asked him not to do it again, he said, and the man took the opportunity to ask to speak to Mr. Gilbert, to apologize in person. … 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. … Both Mr. Gilbert and Patron X found something positive in the episode. ‘It shows how important people still feel live performance is,’ Mr. Gilbert said. ‘This is something people either consciously or implicitly recognize as sacred.’ ”
Posted January 13, 2012
