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There’s a long list of riots that have taken place during and after rock concerts, but what about a classical music performance that pissed off the attendees so much they rioted? Yeah, that happened in Austria in the early 20th century. It came to be known as Skandalkonzert
--On This Day in History, Shit Went Down: March 31, 1913--
Woodstock 99, the Stones at Altamont Speedway, Metallica in Santiago, Guns N’ Roses in St. Louis, Guns N’ Roses in Montreal … Hell, even MC Hammer in a small town in British Columbia launched a riot. But the Skandalkonzert was long before rock and roll became a thing, and it wasn’t because Axl Rose only played for 15 minutes then basically told the audience to get fucked and stormed off the stage.
It was March 31, 1913, in Vienna. Put on by the Vienna Concert Society and held in the Great Hall of the Musikverein, Arnold Schoenberg was the conductor, and also one of the composers. The music performed that evening was by the Second Viennese School, of which Schoenberg was leader.
The Viennese audience was more into upholding the conservative traditions of classical music and did not like whateverthefuck this experimental modern expressionistic bullshit was. They became increasingly agitated as the concert progressed, but it was Alban Berg’s composition that began the riot.
It was called Five Orchestral Songs after Postcards by Peter Altenberg. There were vocals to go along with the music, written by Altenberg. The audience was not impressed. Someone said both poet and composer belonged in an asylum for creating such garbage, not knowing that Altenberg had been in various mental hospitals since 1909 for depression and other mental illnesses. So anyway a riot began and the concert ended early. Furniture was broken and a lot of punches were thrown. The most famous pugilistic act was by concert organizer Erhard Buschbeck, the concert organizer, who punched a concert goer.
It wasn’t the punch itself that was so notorious, but rather what was later said about it. There was a lawsuit launched by the victim of Buschbeck’s punch. During the ensuing trial composer Oscar Strauss took the stand and said that the report of the punch hitting the concertgoer’s face was the most harmonious sound of the entire evening. Ouch. It led to an alternate name for the evening: Watschekonzert, which means slap concert.
Berg and Altenberg’s songs from that evening would not be performed again for another four decades.
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"The most famous pugilistic act was by concert organizer Erhard Buschbeck, the concert organizer, who punched a concert goer." a bit repetitive here.
This topic on this day was a coincidence, because you write these months in advance. But wow, does it sure seem like this time of year coincides with violence in entertainers.