Greypins@a... wrote: > > seriously, has anyone ever wondered why critics exist? if you went, > why do you need some bitter psychopath to tell you what to think and, if you > didn't go, what good is a verbal description? and, speaking of which, why > don't more of us site specific, well known examples when making a point?
Mike, you do know better than to generalize from a bad example or two! The best critics, like the best writers, show us a new way of looking at (hearing) what we think we already know. It matters little to me whether I agree with the best critics' opinions of a particular performance or work; it's what they write and how they write it I admire. Check out George Bernard Shaw's music reviews (there are several collections). I also have always liked Andrew Porter years ago in the New Yorker (he's also well known for his singing translations of opera). And I'm very fond of Tim Page, who won the Pulitzer a few years back, who is again writing music reviews for The Washington Post. And I admire the ability of Anne Midgette, a relatively new critic for the NY Times, to describe vocal performances (she MUST be a singer), which I've tried and know how hard it is to do.
Peggy
-- Margaret Harrison, Alexandria, Virginia, USA "Music for a While Shall All Your Cares Beguile" mailto:peggyh@i...
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