Black-and-white? Not necessarily
In the past, formal dress was strictly required for a visit to a philharmonic or an opera. Today the dress code is more liberal. It is enough to see what the audience at New York’s Metropolitan Opera looks like. We will notice ladies in mink tippets, but some others will wear fancy T-shirts (which are often fashionably matched to jackets). Using black and white is not longer required, although this set of colours always guarantees an elegant look and compliance with the colour code of the foyer of the National Forum of Music (black Corian wall and white balconies). There are mixed opinions on whether you can wear jeans. If you are not certain, we suggest erring on the safe side – leave your beloved denim jeans on the back rest of the chair in your house and put on trousers made of more “refined” material.
The audience in the hall of the former Wroclaw Philharmonic. Dresses are casual rather than formal, although the new interior may impose a certain level of elegance.
Concert etiquette
There are a few things that we must not forget about when we going to a concert. If we comply with these rules, these two hours will be pleasant not only for us, but also for our neighbour.
- Turn your mobile phone off. This is the most important rule. There is nothing worse than our beloved jingle ringing out between sounds of a calm part of a symphony or, God forbid, a solo piano nocturne. That would be a real dump.
- Don’t talk during the concert. Exchanging opinions is important, but you can do this during a break. A whisper is not a solution – it will only make matters worse.
- Don’t tap the rhythm and don’t stamp your feet. Unless this is a New Year concert, the Vienna Music Festival, or we feel allowed to do so – in such a case, our special applause will be an expression of approval both for the piece and artists.
- Don’t whish sweet wrappers, don’t close your bags loudly. . A sore throat is a serious problem, but that’s what we already know before the concert. It is better to find a sweet at that time than to fish for it in a bag during the performance of a piece, as slow unwrapping of cellophane paper may drive your neighbour crazy.
- Don’t fidget ostentatiously, don’t yawn loud, don’t sleep. For some people a concert may be an unpleasant necessity, but for most spectators it is an anticipated event. Don’t spoil it for them by snoring in your chair.
- Don’t come late and don’t look for your seat during the concert. That’s impolite and disturbing for music lovers and shows our disregard for the artists playing on stage. If you come late, take the first free seat on the edge – you will find your own chair after the break.
- Don’t clap between parts of one piece– particularly if this is a symphony, concert, suite or sonata. Even the audience of the popular BBC Proms festival knows this (it is said to be the most egalitarian classical music festival in the world, because everyone comes out of curiosity). How can we guess when a piece is really coming to an end? Just watch the conductor.
