Klarinet Archive - Posting 001075.txt from 2002/06

From: w7wright@-----.net (William Wright)
Subj: [kl] Critical language
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 13:30:14 -0400

Now that the "music vs. drug testing" thread is over (?), let's talk
about music critics.

I attended a concert where the audience was so confused that they didn't
know when to applaud. A few people, who presumably knew the music,
started some weak applause at the end of the piece, then stopped when
everyone else was silent. The conductor was frozen in a dramatic pose
with his back to the audience and wouldn't turn around, and who knew
what was going to happen next?

It was a Beethoven piece. Since when did Beethoven leave any doubt
about the end of his compositions? For some reason, the orchestra just
'dwindled' on the final chord, as if they were preparing themselves for
a climactic resolution and suddenly couldn't remember what came next.

Finally a few people resumed their clapping with determination. The
lady next to me said, "I think it's over." The conductor finally
turned around and grinned sheepishly.

The review? Heaps of praise from first word to the last. Not a
single mention of what really happened in the audience. Did the critic
attend the same concert that I did?

So what's my point?

Does a critic have an obligation to document the audience reaction
regardless of the cause?

My feeling is that an honest critic would've written something about it
--- perhaps adding his own opinion as to whether the orchestra messed up
or perhaps the audience was uneducated. On the other hand, negative
reviews (of either the orchestra or the audience) can destroy ticket
sales for worthwhile organizations, and my town has lost two of them in
the past few years.

Cheers,
Bill

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