Tenor stops mid-concert in Birmingham to stop phone snappers

The tenor Ian Bostridge shocked Symphony Hall Birmingham last night by stopping after the third song in Britten’s Les Illuminations to denounce the CBSO’s new audience rules, which read:

“We are very happy for you to take photographs and short video clips at our concerts, but please refrain from recording the whole performance.”

Bostridge, a thoughtful, courteous man, stepped forward and – clearly fuming – requested that audience members turn off their phone cameras. He said taking photographs was ‘extremely distracting’ for a performer.

The relaxation of concert etiquette has been a major reform brought in by the CBSO’s chief executive, Emma Stenning.

Regular audience members joined Bostridge in their dismay at last night’s disuptions. Several applauded Bostridge’s announcement. Others have written to slippedisc.com.

One attender writes: ‘It strikes me as extraordinary that Ms Stenning, the CEO, comes from a theatre background, and yet does not seem to know that phone cameras etc are the bane of actors’ lives. Why might she assume that musicians are different?

‘I would not be at all surprised if Mr Bostridge never returns to Symphony Hall. Bravo him for standing up on this one. But one cannot be surprised at this absurd situation if the CBSO management positively encourage this. Audiences are now getting mixed messages… Surely it would have been better to have left it as things were. It is the CBSO management who have caused this upset. Poor leadership here.’

Stenning was in the audience last night, looking uncomfortable.

Review here.