Our high school orchestra once sat in on the rehearsal of a college orchestra in another state. Our tour guide warned us matter-of-factly about the conductor's notorious temper.
"I'd advise all of you not to sit in the first few rows," he told us. "He might throw a stand or two."
Fortunately, the conductor threw no stands on that day in the '80s. Still, it concerned me that our tour guide wasn't being facetious and that throwing stands into the audience was treated as a mere personality quirk. In an age of so much being posted on YouTube, I doubt that behavior would be tolerated today.
