A Maestro Sets the Tone

While I have never gone to listen to a live symphony, I can imagine the immense pressure and the feelings that are felt by everyone in the room. The musicians playing, the maestro conducting, and the audience sitting in the seats taking in every note. However, I cannot imagine the awkward feeling that filled the room  on January 10, 2012 when an hour into Mahler's Ninth Symphony a audience members cell phone went off. And this was not one of those silent ringing cell phones or even one that was on vibrate. Instead it let out a jazzy tone that could be heard by everyone in the crowd. It was, as some call it, the "elephant in the room," as people waited on to see how Alan Gilbert, the conductor, would react to the interruption. And in fact, many were surprised by how he reacted. He calmly halted the performance, turned to the man who's cell phone went off, and turned and simply said "are you going to turn that off? Will you do that?" With this, many people say it was a defining moment for Gilbert, as it showed his true character in a tense situation.

David Masello, the author of this article, finds it very hard to contain himself throughout this article. He was so impressed by Gilberts reaction that he couldn't control himself really. He mostly employs a pathos appeal, as he is very emotional on the subject (in a good way). By doing so, it successfully translates the impression that was left on the audience. In fact, seeing that Masello was at the performance, he has a first hand report on the incident, and it seems as if his "inside knowledge" really does well to detail that awkward feeling and the manner in which Gilbert dealt with it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/19/opinion/the-phone-that-interrupted-the-philharmonic.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss