Klarinet Archive - Posting 000886.txt from 2000/10

From: Bilwright@-----.net (William Wright)
Subj: Re: [kl] Critics
Date: Sun, 15 Oct 2000 18:49:35 -0400

<><> Resistance is futile.

Not really. It's altogether too easy to forget that a good 'criticism"
is as much a work of discussion as it is of declaring or applying
artistic standards. In fact, there are many performances that receive
negative comments from critics but are still winners in the popular
opinion. So resistance to a critic's opinion is definitely not futile.
I was on stage only once (apart from student recital), and I
thought that the tenor did a magnificent job. The review, however,
singled him out as incompetent and a bunch of other stuff. What does
this prove? It proves that there are ignorant and/or incompetent
critics in the business, not that all critics are spawn of the devil.
The house was sold out for 85%-90% of the performances.

Of course, Oliver's remark was partly humor, but most of us have
heard a similar jibe against teachers: "People who can, do. People who
can't, teach." What nonsense this is !!! Sure, there are some
self-taught people in every profession or avocation. But just ask the
speaker of these words to pick up the instrument/tool/pencil/whatever
and learn to do it without help from a teacher. They'll make some
excuse, but somehow they'll need to go somewhere for the required
information.

[..... while we're talking about teaching, will somebody teach me not to
eat a McRib sandwich while I'm typing, it makes a mess of the keyboard]

And finally, a word about ignoring conductors, which is often said
here, partly in jest, but also with some serious intent -- who likes to
be told that he or she must obey someone else's opinion? I'm sure that
there are good conductors and bad ones. But to talk about ignoring the
conductor as a generic belief just doesn't make sense to me.

Cheers,
Bill

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org