Damn The Applause, Full Speed Ahead!

It’s not unusual for audiences at orchestral concerts to accidentally disrupt the performance with a burst of applause, thinking that a piece has ended before it actually has. But last week, outgoing Detroit Symphony music director Neeme Jarvi created his own disruption, to the astonishment of many in attendance. Following the breathless conclusion of Carl Nielson’s powerful Fifth Symphony, “with his back still to the house, [Jarvi] raised his baton once more, called over his shoulder ‘Encore!’ and proceeded straight into a rather banal waltz by Shostakovich… Jarvi loves to do encores. But this was nuts.” The incident left Lawrence Johnson wondering if Jarvi’s fragile health has begun to affect his judgment.