Chula University Orchestra Played to Audience Participation (i.e., ruination).

Chulalongkorn University Auditorium. Bangkok, Thailand. June 4, 2013. Having heard Chulalaongkorn University's fine orchestra of highly talented students and music faculty, many time before, I was looking forward to a pleasant evening of popular Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, especially since one of my favorite concertos, the Rachmaninoff 2^nd, was on the program and was to be played by young, accomplished Thai pianist, Ramasoon Sitalayan, also a faculty member. Well, things began routinely enough with the playing of the king's anthem, with the audience standing in respect. But, shortly after conductor Nora-ath Chanklum began Tchaikovsky's Marche Slave, the middle-aged, well-dressed and smart-looking lady sitting next to me, either made or received a telephone call and merrily proceeded to have an extended conversation. Since, by the middle of her talking, the music had become loud, unfazed, she spoke louder (how dare the orchestra interfere). I asked her to stop talking, but she refused and continued the two-way conversation she was on, until she was good and ready to cease some time later. That took care of the Tchaikovsky for me.

Okay, Marche Slave was just a curtain raiser preliminary, so who cares. I was ready to give the evening a restart when the pianist came on stage and began the solo opening of the concerto, which, unfortunately, coincided with three late audience members in the third row deciding that being late was no big deal, so they barged in, required persons seated in their row to stand to let them in, and then sat and proceeded to adjust themselves--- you know how that is: coats and bags need to be properly placed, their seating position needs to be adjusted, and finally, they must read the program. At about this time, with the pianist well into the beginning of the first movement, the cameras came out. I was in the eighth row, and five people in front of me at various distances, were taking pictures, two of them with flashes. Because they were all obviously perfectionists, they very seldom ceased their photographic efforts in the hope, no doubt, of getting the perfect picture. When they were not taking photos, they were checking their illuminated, light-emitting screens to view their results to date. Two rows ahead of me and to my right, all of this was escaping the attention of one lady, who was constantly flipping though her program, not reading it, just flipping like someone does with a deck of cards, until she came upon a page worthy of her attention, at which point, she raised the program higher to get better light and then starting discussing what she found with her neighbor, who, to her credit, didn't seem interested.

As for what was happening on stage, let me put it this way: the pianist was having as much difficulty with the Rachmaninoff 2^nd as I was having with the audience. I left the circus during the intermission.