BBC 3 took a live relay from London's Royal Albert Hall off the air mid-concert on September 1, when a performance by the Israel Philharmonic was interrupted by protests from the audience. A number of pro-Palestinian organizations had earlier called for boycotts of this concert and for picketing outside the vast Albert Hall. Zubin Mehta was conducting a program that included Burch's First Violin Concerto with Gil Shaham. It is reported by the BBC and the Times of London that pockets of protesters were interspersed throughout the 8,000 seat hall. Here's some amateur video of the goings on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIrLrGVfcr4&feature=related The BBC may have ducked out, but it's good to note that neither Shaham, Mehta nor the Israel Philharmonic did anything but play, giving 99.99% of the audience their considerable best.
Christopher Purdy is Classical 101's early morning host, 7-10 a.m. weekdays. He is host and producer of Front Row Center – Classical 101’s weekly celebration of Opera and more – as well as Music in Mid-Ohio, Concerts at Ohio State, and the Columbus Symphony broadcast series. He is the regular pre-concert speaker for Columbus Symphony performances in the Ohio Theater.