The audience at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s fifth symphony at the Walt Disney Concert Hall got more than they bargained for Friday when a woman allegedly let out a loud moan, seemingly after having an orgasm, witnesses say.
Audience member Molly Grant spoke to the Los Angeles Times about the moment. “Everyone kind of turned to see what was happening,” Grant said, noting she sat near the person who allegedly made the noise.
“I saw the girl after it had happened, and I assume that she … had an orgasm because she was heavily breathing, and her partner was smiling and looking at her — like in an effort to not shame her,” Grant told the outlet.
Composer and music producer Magnus Fiennes described the sound as a person having a “loud and full body orgasm.”
An audio recording allegedly captured the moment and is making the rounds on social media.
Music agent and audience member Lukas Burton said the moan was “wonderfully timed” to a “romantic swell” in the classical music, according to the LA Times.
“One can’t know exactly what happened, but it seemed very clear from the sound that it was an expression of pure physical joy,” Burton told the outlet, adding it was “rather wonderful and refreshing.” (RELATED: BBC Host Struggles To Contain Himself After Audio Of Woman Moaning Abruptly Interrupts Broadcast)
Went to see @LAPhil play @Thomasades and Tchaikovsky 5 last night. A woman in the audience had loud and full body orgasm during the 5th’s second movement… Band politely carried on. Props to LAPhil (and Pytor Ilyich) for bringing it on….
— Magnus Fiennes (@magnusfiennes) April 29, 2023
There are conflicting reports as to whether or not the orchestra stopped performing after hearing the alleged outburst. Some have said the entire orchestra stopped playing, while others say the musicians continued to play — but most have agreed the sound was unmistakable.
The woman who apparently experienced the seeming orgasm and her male companion have not been identified and have not come forward to explain the alleged outburst during the performance.