While looking at Boito's Wikipedia entry, I see that the first night of Mefistofele, provoked riots and duels and further performances were prohibited by the police. The Rite of Spring only managed to produce a riot. Do members know of any other strong reactions at first nights ?
I do recall a joke in rather dubious taste. 'Yes, yes, Mrs Lincoln, but what did you think of the play ?
I recall to have read that after the first performance of Jolivet's Piano Concerto reactions were so strong that some members of the audience ...were jailed (in this particular topic I suppose than the Rite of Spring is not a compulsory deadline).
Jolivet, eh? Well this member of UC might have been arrested too...
The opening night of Daniel Auber's La Muette de Portici in Brussels (1830) caused riots that eventually led to the separation of what we now know as Belgium from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Blimey! Music obviously has the power to inflame the savage breast as well then!
The _second_ night of Wagner's first performed opera, _Das Liebesverbot_, was closed down by the police; I seem to remember that two of the singers got into a fight.