Andrew Porter Is Dead.

[Conchis]

Esteemed music critic and translator of operas for ENO:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/apr/07/andrew-porter

I've read a lot of his stuff and he was clearly one of those rare critics who actually had a gift for criticism at the term should be understood (but, nowadays, largely isn't). The last of a dying breed?

[french frank]

A nice obituary. NK is rather good at them ... I wonder what he meant by 'slightly out of tune with the temper of the rapidly changing times'?

[Conchis]

A nice obituary. NK is rather good at them ... I wonder what he meant by 'slightly out of tune with the temper of the rapidly changing times'?

If you sample the current music criticism in the Guardian (or any other broadsheet) you'll get an idea of what he means. Porter was a 'deep' critic, who took time to decide what he thought of things - often arriving at his conclusion during the course of his review. Nowadays, critics just slap a star rating on something with a few words to back it up and - end of.

The same thing is true of just about all arts criticism currently. I'm far more familiar with theatre criticism than music but, back in ye olde days, Helen Dawson and Irving Wardle were the two critics who defined the term for me.

[Stanley Stewart]

I, too, was sorry to hear this sad news. I've read Andrew Porter's reviews and memoirs for many years but the only time I met him was as a guest at the launch of his English translation for The Ring of the Nibelung in 1976. He was highly articulate and considerate as a speaker, a most gracious man. RIP

A surprise, too, as I had a shufti of the Faber 'Ring' paperback. An ENO flyer was enclosed and the prices for the season were:
Balcony 90p & £1, Dress Circle £3 90, £4 80 £5 60, Stalls £5 10 & £6 20!