Kissin and Coughin’

I don’t know whether Los Angeles concert audiences are the worst in the world, but they are certainly the worst I have ever experienced. At the Yevgeny Kissin recital at the Music Center on Feb. 20, the coughing was incessant, signal watches and pagers were beeping, cellular phones were ringing, there was endless shuffling and, of course, there was the ever-popular Los Angeles favorite, inappropriate clapping at every pause.

This appalling audience etiquette has become the norm and demonstrates a lack of respect for both the artists and fellow audience members. If Los Angeles wants to be the world-class city culturally that it now pretends to be, its audiences are going to have to undergo some behavior modification.

JAYCIE INGERSOLL

Beverly Hills