Standing Ovations Become More Common in European Concert Halls and Operas

Audience members are increasingly rising to their feet for standing ovations at major cultural events in Europe. Recent premieres in Salzburg and Bayreuth saw audiences standing, while other performances still kept patrons seated. Cultural scholar Judith Pietreck of the University of Potsdam links the trend to higher ticket prices and a desire for audiences to feel their expense was justified. She notes the practice originated in the United States and has spread to European venues, becoming a more frequent form of applause.

Pietreck’s recent book, Zwischen Klatschen und Klickzahl, examines the history of applause and suggests the growing frequency of standing ovations reflects both changing audience expectations and the perceived quality of performances.