Groan!

[Michael]

A performance of a Beethoven recital was advertised this way: “Featuring Ludwig v Beethoven”. Two young men saw the bill and one said to the other: “It will not be a good boxing match; I have never heard of them”.

[Chris]

Um...wow.

[Hofrat]

Well, if you want to hear a funny incident, this really happened at a concert (whose place will remain a secret to protect the innocent):

Everybody knows about the two redeeming trumpet calls in "Fidelio" and in two out of the three "Leonore" overtures." Right? Well, at a performance of one of the above said works, the off-stage trumpeter arrived well ahead of time at the back row of the concert hall, set up his music stand, and took out his trumpet. This was very disturbing for the audience in the vicinity and the trumpeter was approached and asked by several music-goers in hushed whispers, "Are you planning on playing that here?" The trumpeter responded, "Of course I am!" As the big dramatic moment arrived and the trumpeter raised his instrument to his lips, the back three rows of the audience rose and attacked the poor trumpeter and "disarmed" him before he could make his redeeming calls.

[Sorrano]

Well, if you want to hear a funny incident, this really happened at a concert (whose place will remain a secret to protect the innocent):

Everybody knows about the two redeeming trumpet calls in "Fidelio" and in two out of the three "Leonore" overtures." Right? Well, at a performance of one of the above said works, the off-stage trumpeter arrived well ahead of time at the back row of the concert hall, set up his music stand, and took out his trumpet. This was very disturbing for the audience in the vicinity and the trumpeter was approached and asked by several music-goers in hushed whispers, "Are you planning on playing that here?" The trumpeter responded, "Of course I am!" As the big dramatic moment arrived and the trumpeter raised his instrument to his lips, the back three rows of the audience rose and attacked the poor trumpeter and "disarmed" before he could make his redeeming calls.

On NPR recently there was a program entitled, "Don't kill the piano player". Maybe that should be extended to trumpeters, too?

[DavidO]

Well, if you want to hear a funny incident, this really happened at a concert (whose place will remain a secret to protect the innocent):

Everybody knows about the two redeeming trumpet calls in "Fidelio" and in two out of the three "Leonore" overtures." Right? Well, at a performance of one of the above said works, the off-stage trumpeter arrived well ahead of time at the back row of the concert hall, set up his music stand, and took out his trumpet. This was very disturbing for the audience in the vicinity and the trumpeter was approached and asked by several music-goers in hushed whispers, "Are you planning on playing that here?" The trumpeter responded, "Of course I am!" As the big dramatic moment arrived and the trumpeter raised his instrument to his lips, the back three rows of the audience rose and attacked the poor trumpeter and "disarmed" him before he could make his redeeming calls.

I don't believe that happened! Did that really happen?

[Michael]

I think it might be an urban legend. I heard a version of the story in which the trumpet player had to plant himself outside the back door of the small hall because there was no room in the wings. A passing policeman says: "Hey! You can't play that thing here! Don't you know there's a concert going on inside?"