Letter: Quiet, please

ON SUNDAY evening, I attended the opening gala concert at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. The Houston Symphony Orchestra packed the stage and the audience packed the auditorium. The orchestra gave a splendid rendition of the programme, along with the HD film of The Planets.

Unfortunately, the audience (or some of them) gave a splendid rendition of coughing, sneezing and clearing of throats. If the orchestra can play for a couple of hours without resorting to the above, surely it is not too much to ask of the concert goers to try at least to do it quietly. Must they always wait until the slow movement to break into a cacophony of sound to compete with the music?

Was it also necessary for so many to leave immediately the performance ended? It was discourteous, to say the least. They had travelled all the way from the US to play for our enjoyment, and holding on to the moment is surely part of the pleasure of the performance.

MARGARET THOMSON

Rosabelle Road

Roslin, Midlothian