The  oscillating ? whistle during the first half of Sir Charles Mackerras's Gala Birthday Concert last eveing (20 June) reminded me of another such event on Tuesday 2nd of December 1980 - that for Aaron Copland. The programme consisted of works  by Copland and was conducted by the composer. Following Fanfare for the Common Man the performance of Quiet City was seriously affected by a hum from the sound system. At the end of the work the noise had abated. A clearly annoyed conductor decided to repeat the performance of the work much to the delight of the audience. The remainder of the concert proceeded without a hitch. It was, even so, a memorable event in the presence of one of the truly great musicians of the twentieth century.