THE New York Philharmonic came to a dramatic — but decidedly unscheduled — stop Tuesday night when a spectator’s cell phone started ringing and wouldn’t stop.

    Conductor Alan Gilbert was nearing the end of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony when the interruption began. As The New York Times writes, the symphony, “contains some of the most spiritual and peaceful music ever written.”

    As the cell phone continued to ring the iPhone’s signature marimba ringtone, Gilbert stopped the entire performance. And yet shockingly the phone continued to ring. “Nothing happened,” Gilbert told the Times. “Nobody was owning up to it. It was surreal.”

    Gilbert said minor cell phone interruptions have become common and rarely interfere with a live performance. The Philharmonic does what it can to avoid cell-related disruptions, including a recorded message from actor Alec Baldwin reminding audience members to turn off their cell phones before the performance begins. But the audience and performers stood by in stunned silence as Gilbert asked the offender to silence the phone, only to hear it continue.

    “It was so shocking what happened,” Gilbert said. “You’re in this very far away spiritual place in the piece. It’s like being rudely awakened. All of us were stunned on the stage.”

    Once the phone was finally silenced, Gilbert apologized to the audience.(SD-Agencies)