A classical music concert in Sweden has ended in a rumble, following a disagreement over a rustling chewing gum wrapper.

We’ve all been at the movies before when – for some inexplicable reason – someone decides to indulge in some noisy foods. While chip packets are the worst offenders, plenty of other plastic wrappers can evoke feelings of fury in the other attendees. Now, picture that the setting is instead a quiet concert, and you’ve got the setting for today’s strange tale.

As Sweden’s Sydsvenskan reported, a performance of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No.5 by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra in Malmö on Thursday night ended in a fistfight over some questionable snacking choices.

Apparently, the incident occurred during the beginning of the performance’s fourth movement, when the atmospheric plucking of the harp was interrupted by a rustling of a chewing gum wrapper.

Soon, the young man sitting next to the woman with the wrapper lost his cool, grabbing the packaging and tossing it to the ground.

Apparently, the woman remained silent throughout the remainder of the performance, but soon broke her silence as the audience showed the appreciation.

“When the applause broke out, the woman turned towards the man and said something,” Britt Aspenlind, a nearby witness explained to Sydsvenskan. “The woman gave the younger man a slap right in his face. He became angry and started fighting back.”

Another witness described the incident as “a violent attack”, with the woman’s male companion attacking the young man, knocking his glasses from his face, and soon punching him.

“It was very unpleasant actually. I’ve never seen anything like it,” explained Olof Jönsson.

Following the performance, Malmö Live – the venue where the incident occurred – posted a jovial update to the proper etiquette for such concerts.

“Everyone thinks it’s great to sit on a hockey or soccer game and drink a beer or coffee and have some snacks. The tempo is high and the volume, so you do not disturb anyone,” it read. “However, in a concert hall with world-class acoustics, it is not however suitable to bring rustling bags of crisps.”

While we might have expected such behaviour at, say, a Limp Bizkit performance attended by members of the Insane Clown Posse, we never thought a Gustav Mahler symphony would result in a bit of a smackdown.

Check out Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No.5: