The bust is of Gustav Mahler, whose piano sits behind a glass case nearby. He started the trend of turning off the lights during a performance and requiring the audience to remain silent. Before Mahler, the house lights stayed on through the show, and folks loudly chatted and flirted with one another. Yep, it was purely a “see-and-be-seen” affair. Needless to say, although Mahler was esteemed for his skills as a composer and conductor of wildly dramatic performances, his insistence on protocol and appreciation of the music rather irked the public.