Romance isn't dead! During a performance of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64 by the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Friday (April 28), an unidentified audience member reportedly let out a "loud full-body orgasm," The Los Angeles Times reports.
For maybe the first time ever outside the small circles of musicologists and Russian Romanticists, Twitter was abuzz this weekend with the story of this very public climax at the symphony.
"Everyone kind of turned around to see what was happening," concertgoer Molly Grant, who was allegedly seated near the completist, recalled to the publication.
"I saw the girl after it had happened, and I assume that she … had an orgasm because she was heavily breathing, and her partner was smiling and looking at her — like in an effort to not shame her," Grant said of the "scream/moan" she claims to have heard erupt from the balcony. "It was quite beautiful."
For maybe the first time ever outside the small circles of musicologists and Russian Romanticists, Twitter was abuzz this weekend with the story of this very public climax at the symphony.
"Everyone kind of turned around to see what was happening," concertgoer Molly Grant, who was allegedly seated near the completist, recalled to the publication.
"I saw the girl after it had happened, and I assume that she … had an orgasm because she was heavily breathing, and her partner was smiling and looking at her — like in an effort to not shame her," Grant said of the "scream/moan" she claims to have heard erupt from the balcony. "It was quite beautiful."
Grant and multiple other attendees allege that the outburst came during the second (Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza) of the symphony's four movements, which the L.A. Philharmonic's online program notes describe as:
The ... luscious main theme was adapted for a popular love song; Tchaikovsky's skillful orchestration, however, lifts the mood from sentimentality to high Romanticism. The movement's principal melody is presented in a memorable solo by the horn, followed by other appealing woodwind solos.
High Romanticism indeed! Music agent Lukas Burton described the orgasm as "wonderfully timed" to a "romantic swell" in the music.
"One can't know exactly what happened, but it seemed very clear from the sound that it was an expression of pure physical joy," Burton said. "A sort of classical-music equivalent of that scene in a movie where someone is talking loudly in a party or a nightclub, and then the record suddenly stops and they say something that everyone hears."
He continued, "There was a sort of gasp in the audience. But I think everyone felt that was a rather lovely expression of somebody who was so transported by the music that it had some kind of effect on them physically or, dare I say, even sexually."
Composer Magnus Fiennes was the witness to coin the "loud and full-body orgasm" description of what happened in those hallowed, House of Mouse-sponsored halls. He claimed that the band "politely carried on," while others — including journalist Jocelyn Silver — have argued that the orchestra actually stopped playing because they were so alarmed by the sound of this audience member's pleasure.
Classical pianist Sharon Su claims to have confirmed with someone who works at the L.A. Phil that the players never stopped, and The Times says their sources (and audio recording from the performance) support this account.
If you've ever been one to consider a night at the orchestra to be stuffy and/or elegant affair, think again. Classical music is actually dangerously horny. And such is fitting for Tchaikovsky, a closeted gay man who spent his life in 19th century Russia (where homosexuality was illegal) composing music that effectively straddled nationalist and Western European musical styles.
