Stephen Hough: No phones, please, between bars 123-176; 185-199…

Stephen Hough: No phones, please, between bars 123-176; 185-199…

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norman lebrecht

May 03, 2024

The pianist has issued the following advisory to musically informed audiences at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall:

The bars he cites amount to the total contributions of the soloist in this concerto.

Comments

  • STEPHEN BIRKIN says:

    So basically, no filming!

    • RW2013 says:

      But plenty of purely orchestral bars for the zombies to film while Sir. S. is “relaxing” at the keyboard.

  • Pianoman says:

    Bravo Stephen, you speak for all of us.

    • Carl says:

      Not I. I enjoy filming and bootlegging performances to share on social media later. As I see it, I’m sharing the gospel of classical music with others. A still photo just doesn’t carry the same weight in Instagram, and certainly not on TikTok.

  • Marion Berghahn says:

    What a wonderful sense of humour! This is not only annoying for the artists but also for people in the audience. I hate it when the bright lights of phones come up.

    • AD says:

      I don’t have the score on hand, but are the bars where the audience is “allowed” to be filming those where he is not playing? If so, his answer is really a great one.

      I imagine people in the audience scrolling frantically the score waiting for the right point to start filming…

      🙂

  • Ian Cole says:

    Presumably Ms Stelling will arrange for a screen to display a bar count for us to make it clear when we can get our mobiles out – strewth !

  • Sally says:

    Too detailed – which audience member is going to remember that list? He should have opted for either phones or no phones. Personally, I would always go with the latter. You’re there to listen to the music, not film it as if you were at some dreary festival gig in a muddy field.

    • Nick says:

      Mr. Hough is making a joke. He has written out every single bar that he plays in during the piece. Thus, he is humorously asking people to not film him at all while he is playing.

    • Graeme Hall says:

      I think you may be missing the joke.

    • Jonathan Z says:

      Sally Did they forget to fit your sense of humour at birth? I think Sir Stephen didn’t intend anyone to pay attention to the specifics of his list but instead to focus on the absurdity of the CBSO’s stance and the sad desire of audience members to use their phones in this way.

      • Petros Linardos says:

        We need the other Sally to weigh in.

        • Sally says:

          She’s not that heavy, I have been told.

          • John Borstlap says:

            I’m bloody serious when it’s about humour. I therefore totally disagree with Mr Hough, it should be the other way around: filming the parts when he plays so that we can listen to him finally without all the hollaballoo of all those people interrupting the music! I really prefer nice piano tinkling just before going to bed, it’s so relaxing, and that orchestra is mere pretentious pomp keeping you awake.

            Sally

      • Sally says:

        I thought I would make a deliberately provocative comment to let the earnest know-it-alls to have their say. Improves NL’s hit rate as well.

    • M Adams says:

      I think you have somehow missed the whole sardonic point. The bars listed account for every second the soloist is playing. So there’s is nothing to remember…

    • Christopher Morley says:

      You didn’t get the magnificent irony from that Titan of an intellect.

  • Bostin'Symph says:

    Excellent!! I will follow with my score and have my camera ready! 😉

    The encouragement to film and take photos has now been toned down and suggests it only occurs between the music, and not if it is likely to disturb other patrons.

    I’m looking forward very much to Stephen Hough’s Brahms First Piano Concerto, and hope that Ian Bostridge can be tempted back to Symphony Hall – we promise to behave ourselves!

  • Tim Walton says:

    Well said Stephen.

    The CBSO management is going to have fun controlling this one. It proves how short-sighted (Stupid) their current ‘Dictats’ are.

  • Carolyn says:

    Quite right ! This obsession with filming everythibg is a pain ! Just enjoy the performance and let the pianist concentrate on bringing us the best they can. It IS hard work performing in public – and with an orchestra – and there are enough distractions from an audience
    ( coughing etc !) without anything else. Let the music speak for itself !
    Good for you Stephen !

    • David A. Boxwell says:

      Documenting the experience IS the experience now.

      • Susan Bradley says:

        That is the truth of the matter. It no longer matters that one attended something, concert, exhibition, whatever. It matters that one can prove one attended. “Pix or it didn’t happen” – the infuriating catchcry of the disbeliever.

      • petros.ilnardos@gmail.com says:

        Like people at museums who instead of looking at art, take pictures of it on their phones?

  • Michael Martin says:

    Well done Stephen, good man! Sorry it had to take fine soloists to finally highlight this absurd policy!

  • Peter says:

    I wonder what provision for filming, if any, has been made in the soloist’s contract.

  • Ian Cole says:

    So we’ve now had two world class performers – Ian Bostridge and Stephen Hough criticising this ridiculous policy of the Chief Executive – one in the middle of a concert and the other in jest. I would hope that this combination ought to bring management to it’s senses – just admit you got it wrong and ban the use of mobile phones in the concert hall.

  • Johnny says:

    Brilliant!

  • Jack says:

    Stephen is making a joke. I too am tired of all the distracted and distracting behavior at concerts. Phones, video-ing, eating food, drinking beverages, whispering are maybe ok for TV in the living room, but this is a live performance of great music, and I’m there to hear a hopefully great live performance. I put things in my lap or on the floor, I sit slightly forward off the chair, and my eyes and ears are focused entirely on the performance in front of me. It’s an intimate connection between me and the performers. I’ve paid usually around $100 for the chance to hear this music, so I don’t really want to have some clueless boob getting in the middle of that.

  • Danny says:

    I wonder if I can sync my tablet with the score with the score on it to automatically stop filming during those bars? Will need to mount it on a tripod. Too bad for audience members behind. Got to get the film! Probably won’t ever view it but you never know…

  • Ruth says:

    Splendid post from Stephen Hough and thank you Norman for sharing it. This has certainly brightened up a dreary day.

  • Gina Bonvito says:

    What a baby. If you are one of the leading musicians in the world you should be able to concentrate and play with a few folks filming.

  • Bone says:

    We attended a play last weekend and the number of phones that went off – alarms, chirps, ringtones – was phenomenally high.
    Several very nice moments were ruined, including a sweet old lady a few rows behind us answering her phone to tell the caller, “I’m at the theater now.”

    • John Borstlap says:

      When I have to attend a concert or opera I always make sure that I sit at the back of the hall to be able to chat with my friends undisturbed.

      I always find concerts more bearable when they play loud music, like this Brukner or Mahleur type, so that I can’t be overheard.

      Sally

  • V.Lind says:

    Given the number of people here who did not get the joke, how many of those attending the concert will?

    Wonder how the CBSO likes it?

  • John says:

    Come on folks. Carl is obviously joking. Have your irony detectors been surgically removed?

  • Christopher Morley says:

    Absolutely brilliant, Stephen. I’m sure the conductor can also ask for no filming during all the bars which make up the orchestral tutti.. Mind you, when you talk about bars, some might be thinking of all the booze they can swill into the auditorium (PS listening to Brendel playing D960 as I write!)

  • operacentric says:

    Brilliant!

    I go to a performance to see the performers. I don’t want to see a constantly moving mosaic of lights.

  • Adam Stern says:

    Call me cynical, but I somehow can’t imagine that anyone who would make a video at a concert is capable of reading an orchestral score…

  • her Royal Snarkiness says:

    Nevermind filming. Last night at TCO Phones rang no fewer than four times.

  • Kenny says:

    Typically brilliant.

  • horbus rohebian says:

    Now this is going to present the orchestra with a problem. The policy is now to allow photography so how do you make an exception – an embarrassing announcement from the stage?

  • Jonathan Z says:

    Sir Stephen has made it clear that he doesn’t want anyone filming his playing. But can someone explain the position if the horn solo in the first movement is filmed by an audience member? If shared, does this infringe the player’s copyright?

    • Albert Beale says:

      Is there really a horn solo in the first movement of Brahms 1, as well as Brahms 2??

      (More) seriously – this fine piece of wit from SH needed saying, and it needs other performers at Symphony Hall to say it too (assuming many of them don’t stop accepting bookings there anyway), until the absurd policy is reversed.

      I go to concerts to _concentrate_ on the experience, as do most attenders I know (and I have little enough money that I can’t do so as often as I’d like); those who want to behave selfishly so I can’t make the most of the experience are robbing me of the possibility of enjoying my favourite art form.

      When I was at Symphony Hall in Brum last year – for the first time in some while – I was horrified at the “please behave like you’re at Glastonbury” message to concert-goers. I certainly won’t be going to any concerts there again until this policy is reversed.

  • Alan Oke says:

    Haha. Brilliant!

  • Alan Oke says:

    This ridiculous policy is exactly the equivalent of what happens in art galleries. Everybody taking pictures and not actually looking at the art.

  • Nicholas says:

    I don’t have to concentrate at any bars, and patrons are always welcome to film me.

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