Page 154 - Media Coverage Book - 75th Aldeburgh Festival 2024
P. 154
11 May 2024
‘People think phones are disruptive in concerts –
but it’s never a young person’s that rings loudly’
After Ian Bostridge stopped a performance because he was distracted by mobiles, we ask: should
we be allowed to film classical concerts?
Helen Brown11 May 2024 • 1:00pm
“Older people need to accept that we now live in a world where people want to take out their
phones to take pictures or make videos when they see something they like,” says the violinist
Esther Abrami. At a time when orchestras are fighting for survival in the UK, the 26-year-old
virtuoso has used social media to attract thousands of younger people into concert halls where
debate over the use of mobile phones during performances is causing friction between
generations.
The discussion has been brought sharply into focus after renowned tenor Ian Bostridge recently
halted a performance of Benjamin Britten’s Les Illuminations at Birmingham Symphony Hall last
month to call out audience members using their phones during the concert.
