Creativity Quote by Emanuel Ax

Classical music’s most policed ritual isn’t silence, it’s timing. Emanuel Ax’s line lands like a genial complaint with teeth: the applause rules around concert halls are so fussy they feel “arcane,” closer to a secret handshake than a shared celebration. He’s not talking about etiquette for etiquette’s sake; he’s pointing at how a supposedly welcoming art form quietly trains people to second-guess their own joy.

The intent reads as protective. Ax, a musician who lives on the receiving end of that applause, is defending audiences from a culture that can make them feel stupid for responding “wrong.” The subtext is about power. Those rules aren’t neutral; they’re a way of signaling who belongs. Knowing not to clap between movements, knowing when to cough, knowing when to hold your breath until the last vibration dies out - that knowledge becomes cultural currency, separating the initiated from the curious. When the “OK” becomes complicated, spontaneity gets reframed as a breach.

Context matters: in recent decades, orchestras and presenters have tried to shake off the tuxedoed museum vibe and compete with more casual, immediate forms of entertainment. At the same time, classical institutions still cling to traditions that prize reverence and control. Ax’s wording, “we seem to have set up,” is key: it implicates the whole ecosystem - performers, critics, regulars - not just anxious newcomers. He’s calling for a concert hall where appreciation isn’t a test, and where applause can be what it’s supposed to be: a human reflex, not a graded performance.