New York Philharmonic Orchestra Continues Concert Despite Earthquake Warnings

New York shook on Friday April 5. An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.7 hit the northeastern United States. The ground vibrated slightly, objects slid off the tables but no one was injured. At 11 a.m., a classical music concert by the New York Philharmonic, conducted by the renowned American conductor Karina Canellakis, was however slightly disrupted, not by the earthquake itself but by the alerts transmitted on the phones for the next few hours.

This concert, given with German pianist Alice Sara Ott, opened with orchestral pieces by Anton Webern. Many phones then began to rustle and vibrate. At first, Karina Canellakis decided to stop the performance. But after a few minutes of interruption, the conductor decided to continue directing her musicians in this Lincoln Center venue.

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At the end of Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G, pianist Alice Sara Ott spoke directly to the audience: “This is a concert we will all remember.” Probably more because it was his debut with the orchestra than because of these small disturbances.

These SMS alerts, accompanied by disturbing sounds, are triggered even if spectators have taken the trouble to place their cell phones in silent mode. This function is an absolute security mode that goes beyond the usual filters. Knowing this, at intermission the management of Lincoln Center asked spectators to check their cell phones and above all to turn the sound down as much as possible.