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A Few More Thoughts on Applause: Why Can We Interrupt at the Met?

I have been having a wonderful time going to hear opera – this year at the Met, the thrill of an unforgettable Tristan and Isolde, a beautiful – and new to me – Thais by Massenet, and a deeply touching Eugene Onegin. During the Tchaikovsky I realized that the audience expectation and behavior is the complete opposite of what we are used to in the concert hall. At the end of virtually every aria, there was wild applause, which often had little to do with the actual action on stage and certainly no connection to the story line.

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Disney Hall

It is a real challenge for anything that is awaited with great anticipation to actually live up to the excitement. After the thrill of performing in the new Disney Hall, I can only say that for me, it has surpassed all my expectations. In the most exhilarating way, it inspires awe without forcing us to be reverent.

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When to Applaud

All of us love applause, and so we should – it means that the listener LIKES us! So we should welcome applause whenever it comes. And yet, we seem to have set up some very arcane rules as to when it is actually OK to applaud. I have been trying to find out exactly when certain listeners and performers decided that applause between movements would not be “allowed”, or at least would be frowned upon, but nobody seems to have been willing to admit that they were the culprit.

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Next Concerts

    November 3, 2026

    Lucerne Festival Strings

    KKL Luzern

    MOZART: Pas seul de M. Le Grand from the Ballet KV 367 from Idomeneo KV 366
    MOZART: Concerto No. 25 in C major, K. 503
    RIGHINI: Ballet suite from Gerusalemme liberata
    SOLOVIOLINE: Daniel Dodds
    BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21

    with Daniel Dodds, direction and violin

    November 6, 2026

    Dresden Philharmonic

    Kulturpalast

    BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 2
    BRUCKNER Symphony No. 7

    with Sir Donald Runnicles, conductor

    November 7, 2026

    Dresden Philharmonic

    Kulturpalast

    BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 2
    BRUCKNER Symphony No. 7

    with Sir Donald Runnicles, conductor

    November 12, 2026

    Philharmonia Orchestra

    Royal Festival Hall

    J. STRAUSS II Overture, Die Fledermaus
    MOZART Piano Concerto No. 25, K. 503
    R. STRAUSS Elektra Suite (arr. Honeck & Ille)

    with Manfred Honeck, conductor

    November 13, 2026

    Screening: All the music in the world

    IFC Center

    Filmmaker Joseph Levy reveals how Ax’s scrappy NYC childhood and a close friendship with Yo-Yo Ma illuminated and enriched Ax’s natural gifts, while poignantly capturing the emotional weight of life transitions.

    November 14, 2026

    Screening: All the music in the world

    Village East by Angelika

    Filmmaker Joseph Levy reveals how Ax’s scrappy NYC childhood and a close friendship with Yo-Yo Ma illuminated and enriched Ax’s natural gifts, while poignantly capturing the emotional weight of life transitions.

    November 15, 2026

    Recital

    Auditorium de Radio France

    R. SCHUMANN Papillons
    SCHUBERT Four Impromptus, D. 935
    CHOPIN Polonaise-fantaisie in A-flat Major
    CHOPIN Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, Op. 60
    CHOPIN Nocturnes, Op. 27
    CHOPIN Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor

    November 16, 2026

    Dresden Philharmonic

    Smetana Hall

    BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major
    BRUCKNER Symphony No. 7 in E major

    with Sir Donald Runnicles, conductor

Spotify

Video Player

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Concerto in D minor, performed by the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and Emanuel Ax under the baton of Chief Conductor Alan Gilbert. A recording from March 28th, 2025 from the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.