Peter Donohoe on critics

[Stunsworth]

A balanced piece IMHO.

http://www.peter-donohoe.com/sites/default/files/profile/2672/downloads/critics.pdf

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It does appear to be well considered on first reading.

I used to despise critics until the local newspaper offered me the opportunity to do the same for concerts in Scarborough Spa. I then discovered I was being as irrational as the very people I despised.

In the 1960s, Manchester concerts given by the Halle Orchestra were reviewed in a vitriolic way by Gerald Larner in The Guardian and sycophantically by John Robert Blunn in the Manchester Evening News. Both were highly knowledgeable, but approached the job with different agendas. The former wanted things to change in the way he thought best, while the latter wanted to encourage, knowing the city had a valuable asset. I have oversimplified the situation, but that is the gist.

[PJPJ]

A very interesting piece - thanks for posting the link.

Once in a while I discover a real stinker. On one occasion the National Youth Orchestra concert's review in a broadsheet was a diatribe about the orchestra's content of middle class young people, and the performance got scant comment, a word or three, in passing. I think the players and conductor deserved better than that. The Editor ought to have thought so, too.

But then, we're all critics now with easy access to message boards and forums. Professionals' reviews are bland in comparison.........

[Sir Velo]

Most entertaining but deconstructing the blog, Donohoe does seem to be a sensitive soul; even to the extent that he can remember all his bad reviews (does he keep a little black book one wonders?) and using his influence to veto a particular (unnamed) critic from reviewing any of his concerts, over a period of 20 years, does seem to indicate a certain amount of paranoia!

[Hornspieler]

CRITICS
“The music critic has read more, heard more artists and attended more concerts than most of us. The one thing his competence does not extend to is the ability to perform. He is a musical eunuch.”
Anon. Sometimes ascribed to George Bernard Shaw

Most members of the audience apply a critical judgement to their listening. A few are actually paid to circulate their opinions. It is a sad fact that many concertgoers leave the auditorium delighted with what they have heard and, on reading an adverse revue in the following day's paper, decide that the concert was not a good one after all. There are several types of critic:

The (very) local newspaper critic:
His revue might read as follows:

“ ... in the violin concerto, the soloist wore a pale pink taffeta dress with lace trimmings, complemented by a pearl necklace and pearl earrings. The Mayor, Alderman Roy Briggs MBE, and the Lady Mayoress were in attendance ... Sir Joseph Porter, Bart., chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, gave an address at the end in which he thanked the artists for their performance and announced that, for future concerts there would be a buffet service available during the interval ...”

A local music teacher with an L.R.A.M or similar:
(He is careful to limit his opinion to generalities:)

“ ... In the Sibelius Symphony, Maestro Spivinsky painted a broad canvas ... I particularly noticed the playing of the first bassoon (he is careful not to say why) .... we need more concerts of this standard in Hucklesfield ...”

The Musicologist:
He (or she) writes as if he/she has just swallowed Groves' Dictionary of Music and Musicians:

“ ... the intrinsic value to be gained from hearing music of this genre is that the essential plagal modality of the music is not sacrificed for the sake of rigorous tonality ...
... the conductor's realisation of the Boyce symphony created an instant rapport between performer and listener ...”

The Big-time Critic:
He goes straight for the throat:

“ ... the violin soloist's performance was marred by his rather thin, but still nasty tone ...”
“ ... in the Brahms symphony, the playing of the principal horn was as unpolished as his iinstrument ... “
“ ... In the first movement, Mr Poshkins played his own cadenza -- why? ...”
“ ... the trombones seemed intent upon breaking the sound barrier. Certainly they nearly succeeded in bursting my eardrums ...”
“ ... the conductor took off at breakneck speed, causing the players to come off the track, section by section ... “
“ ... the orchestra's rendering of the National Anthem gave clear notice of the torment that was to follow ... “

or, by implication:

“ ... I stopped by at the Wigmore Hall to hear Mr. _______'s new piano sonata. `Good', is not the word!”

Back to Mr Donohoe

HS

[Barbirollians]

It is an interesting piece but I have never quite been able to take Donohoe entirely seriously - as when I heard him on Desert Island Discs I was sure he chose all his own CDs - but the BBC website suggests that like Sir Rog he only chose three of his own - still two too many !

[Sir Velo]

A balanced piece.

As in a chip on both shoulders?

[gradus]

Thanks for posting this balanced and considered piece. I don't recall anything quite like it and I think it is useful to air the subject and suggest what is useful and what simply pointless or worse in critical practice, particularly on these boards where we all -well many of us - like to shoot the breeze with our views and criticisms of music and performance.
The websites of the various critics PH thinks worthwhile are a useful reference too.

[gradus]

I meant PD.

[richardfinegold]

CRITICS
“The music critic has read more, heard more artists and attended more concerts than most of us. The one thing his competence does not extend to is the ability to perform. He is a musical eunuch.”
Anon. Sometimes ascribed to George Bernard Shaw

Most members of the audience apply a critical judgement to their listening. A few are actually paid to circulate their opinions. It is a sad fact that many concertgoers leave the auditorium delighted with what they have heard and, on reading an adverse revue in the following day's paper, decide that the concert was not a good one after all. There are several types of critic:

The (very) local newspaper critic:
His revue might read as follows:

“ ... in the violin concerto, the soloist wore a pale pink taffeta dress with lace trimmings, complemented by a pearl necklace and pearl earrings. The Mayor, Alderman Roy Briggs MBE, and the Lady Mayoress were in attendance ... Sir Joseph Porter, Bart., chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, gave an address at the end in which he thanked the artists for their performance and announced that, for future concerts there would be a buffet service available during the interval ...”

A local music teacher with an L.R.A.M or similar:
(He is careful to limit his opinion to generalities:)

“ ... In the Sibelius Symphony, Maestro Spivinsky painted a broad canvas ... I particularly noticed the playing of the first bassoon (he is careful not to say why) .... we need more concerts of this standard in Hucklesfield ...”

The Musicologist:
He (or she) writes as if he/she has just swallowed Groves' Dictionary of Music and Musicians:

“ ... the intrinsic value to be gained from hearing music of this genre is that the essential plagal modality of the music is not sacrificed for the sake of rigorous tonality ...
... the conductor's realisation of the Boyce symphony created an instant rapport between performer and listener ...”

The Big-time Critic:
He goes straight for the throat:

“ ... the violin soloist's performance was marred by his rather thin, but still nasty tone ...”
“ ... in the Brahms symphony, the playing of the principal horn was as unpolished as his iinstrument ... “
“ ... In the first movement, Mr Poshkins played his own cadenza -- why? ...”
“ ... the trombones seemed intent upon breaking the sound barrier. Certainly they nearly succeeded in bursting my eardrums ...”
“ ... the conductor took off at breakneck speed, causing the players to come off the track, section by section ... “
“ ... the orchestra's rendering of the National Anthem gave clear notice of the torment that was to follow ... “

or, by implication:

“ ... I stopped by at the Wigmore Hall to hear Mr. _______'s new piano sonata. `Good', is not the word!”

Back to Mr Donohoe

HS

I couldn't stop laughing, HS.

[richardfinegold]

Chicago SO/Edo De Waart All Beethoven 1/13/13

De Waart stepped in for Ricardo Muti, who has been temporarily (we hope) felled by the influenza epidemic sweeping our city. Program was:

Leonore Overture #3
First Piano Concerto with Radu Lupu
Eroica Symphony.

It was a very good concert. I had never seen De Waart conduct and only know of him from recordings that must be at least 30 years old.
The Overture came of as somewhat tentative. There seemed to be a lot of non verbal communication between conductor and orchestra before various sections. I'm guessing that there was not a lot of rehearsal time allotted here. Still, the playing was excellent, with a terrific offstage trumpet.
The Concerto was wonderful. The mock military themes of the first movement were suitably cheeky, the slow movement was as rapt as I've ever heard, with beautiful interplay between Lupu and the strings towards the end. The finale won't erase my memories of Brendel and the CSO
(I think I had heard three concerts over the years of this work with these forces) but was still wonderful high spirits.
The Eroica was superb. De Waart really seemed to bring out more of the parts of the low strings and this gave the needed solidity, but the movement was well shaped, with those dissonant sounding chords in the middle really registering. The Funeral March was excellent, with a nice sweeping climax and aa suitably dirge like end. The horns were the standout in III and the Theme and Variations IV was eminently satisfying.

[Suffolkcoastal]

I couldn't stop laughing, HS.

Me too, excellent HS, and how accurate

[Hornspieler]

I couldn't stop laughing, HS.

Does it remind you of anyone?

HS

[amateur51]

De Waart stepped in for Ricardo Muti, who has been temporarily (we hope) felled by the influenza epidemic sweeping our city. Program was:

Leonore Overture #3
First Piano Concerto with Radu Lupu
Eroica Symphony.

It was a very good concert. I had never seen De Waart conduct and only know of him from recordings that must be at least 30 years old.
The Overture came of as somewhat tentative. There seemed to be a lot of non verbal communication between conductor and orchestra before various sections. I'm guessing that there was not a lot of rehearsal time allotted here. Still, the playing was excellent, with a terrific offstage trumpet.
The Concerto was wonderful. The mock military themes of the first movement were suitably cheeky, the slow movement was as rapt as I've ever heard, with beautiful interplay between Lupu and the strings towards the end. The finale won't erase my memories of Brendel and the CSO
(I think I had heard three concerts over the years of this work with these forces) but was still wonderful high spirits.
The Eroica was superb. De Waart really seemed to bring out more of the parts of the low strings and this gave the needed solidity, but the movement was well shaped, with those dissonant sounding chords in the middle really registering. The Funeral March was excellent, with a nice sweeping climax and aa suitably dirge like end. The horns were the standout in III and the Theme and Variations IV was eminently satisfying.

Nice report rfg - how fortunate you are to have heard Radu Lupu 'live' in concert, he seems to be an infrequent concert hall visitor these days. Did you happen to notice if he was sitting on his habitual dining chair of choice ?

I'm glad to hear the Maestro de Waart was on form too - he's the real deal imho

[richardfinegold]

Nice report rfg - how fortunate you are to have heard Radu Lupu 'live' in concert, he seems to be an infrequent concert hall visitor these days. Did you happen to notice if he was sitting on his habitual dining chair of choice ?

I'm glad to hear the Maestro de Waart was on form too - he's the real deal imho

Lupu did indeed sit on his "throne".
He also did something weird; when his left hand wasn't being used on the keyboard he seemed to be conducting the Orchestra behind De Waart's back. If I was the conductor and saw a tape of this I don't think I would be to pleased.