The orchestra played politely while the woman groaned loudly.
At a performance by the LA Philharmonic Orchestra, a woman made such loud moans and screams that other attendees believed she was about to have an orgasm.
The incident happened during a version of Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony. Magnus Fiennes, a composer and music producer who was also present at the performance, tweeted shortly after, “A woman in the audience had a loud full-body orgasm during the second movement of the 5th.”
He added: “The band politely carried on. Kudos to LAPhil (and Pytor Ilyich) for triggering this.” Another visitor interpreted the noise differently, tweeting in response to Fiennes’ tweet: “I was there. That’s not what happened. The poor woman had some kind of breakdown. I spoke to Elim after the concert (we’ve been friends since our U of M days together) and we were all concerned that it was a medical emergency. Please have more respect.”
Orgasm or Breakdown? Make up your own mind here:
To which Magnus Fiennes replied: “I’ve gone through all sorts of scenarios, even Tourette. I was in close proximity and had no fewer than 8 other friends who happened to be there – all coming to a similar conclusion. She stayed for the rest of the show, her demeanor obvious. My confirmed assessment is merely an observation. maintain respect.”
Whether it was ultimately an orgasm or a physical breakdown of any kind has not yet been finally clarified. However, a report in the Los Angeles Times quoted another visitor, Molly Grant, who also believed the incident was an orgasm and described the sounds heard as “screams/moans.” She said: “Her partner smiled and looked at her – as if trying not to embarrass her. It was quite nice.”