Pause for Applause

The remark, in Susan Bliss’ otherwise favorable review (“Mozart Remembered in Animated, Involved Concert,” Jan. 5) of a performance by the Mozart Camerata, that “the audience failed to applaud until Porat finally motioned for the orchestra to bow” after the Overture to “Il Re Pastore” inaccurately implies that something was lacking in the music. On the contrary, the initial silence merely reflected the unfamiliarity of a well-behaved audience with this particular work, and enthusiastic applause was heard after we realized that the piece had ended. It was an awkward moment, but preferable to the tendency of some audiences to leap in with applause before a selection has concluded.

MANFRED E. WOLFF

Laguna Beach