My first orchestral concert was in Philadelphia, under the direction of Leopold Stokowski. What an orchestra! What a luscious sound! The high calibre of the musicians, their enthusiasm, made the rehearsal a joy (…) After the cello concerto I went to listen to the Tchaikovsky Pathétique. I just missed his eccentric entrance, but after the conclusion of the third movement I was rewarded with his unexpected speech. / There was applause. Stokowski turned and silenced the audience. He spoke of bad manners in applauding between movements and of the musicians who, after trying to produce beautiful sound, are rewarded with the horrible noise of clapping. Pleading that the audience abstain from applauding altogether, he proceeded with the symphony. << less