Music Critics

[yewtree]

What is the actual purpose  of having  music critics, other than trashing the composer or a particular piece of music that you think is beautiful.  It can be quite off putting. 

[iansinclair]

A really good, honest music critic can offer a very useful evaluation of the performance in all its aspects (the music itself, the execution, the look of the performer, the venue, etc.), and this can be very useful, if not always completely welcome.

There aren't very many critics in that class left...

[senanserat]

Critics in general. Give constructive feedback of f@&* off.

[ted]

There is a personal, anecdotal consequence to an Ogdon recital I attended in 1967. The week after, the music critic in the national daily scathingly dismissed both Ogdon and Liszt in a thoroughly embarrassing tirade wherein the "hollowness and bombast" of Liszt was mentioned - you know the sort of thing.

Anyway, twenty-four years later I was driving to work in my Mini up the motorway and some twat rammed me in the rear. This spavined old geezer got out and wanted to argue, insisted on coming around to my house to take pictures of the car so that I wouldn't diddle him in the insurance claim.

He was standing in my lounge next to my piano when the name on the paper suddenly clicked. I said, "Weren't you the bloke did that stupid write-up on John Ogdon ?"

He replied, "Oh well, it doesn't really matter because what nobody realised at the time was that he was completely mad anyway."

Just about sums music critics up, doesn't it !
 

[shostglass]

As Sibilius said
"Critics don't mind them, nobody has ever raised a statue for a critic.

[senanserat]

There is a personal, anecdotal consequence to an Ogdon recital I attended in 1967. The week after, the music critic in the national daily scathingly dismissed both Ogdon and Liszt in a thoroughly embarrassing tirade wherein the "hollowness and bombast" of Liszt was mentioned - you know the sort of thing.

Anyway, twenty-four years later I was driving to work in my Mini up the motorway and some twat rammed me in the rear. This spavined old geezer got out and wanted to argue, insisted on coming around to my house to take pictures of the car so that I wouldn't diddle him in the insurance claim.

He was standing in my lounge next to my piano when the name on the paper suddenly clicked. I said, "Weren't you the bloke did that stupid write-up on John Ogdon ?"

He replied, "Oh well, it doesn't really matter because what nobody realised at the time was that he was completely mad anyway."

Just about sums music critics up, doesn't it !
 

Freaking asshat couldn't even drive well.

[ahinton]

There is a personal, anecdotal consequence to an Ogdon recital I attended in 1967. The week after, the music critic in the national daily scathingly dismissed both Ogdon and Liszt in a thoroughly embarrassing tirade wherein the "hollowness and bombast" of Liszt was mentioned - you know the sort of thing.

Anyway, twenty-four years later I was driving to work in my Mini up the motorway and some twat rammed me in the rear. This spavined old geezer got out and wanted to argue, insisted on coming around to my house to take pictures of the car so that I wouldn't diddle him in the insurance claim.

He was standing in my lounge next to my piano when the name on the paper suddenly clicked. I said, "Weren't you the bloke did that stupid write-up on John Ogdon ?"

He replied, "Oh well, it doesn't really matter because what nobody realised at the time was that he was completely mad anyway."

Just about sums music critics up, doesn't it !

As one who knew and worked with John Ogdon in his latter years, this is quite an interesting story. This example sums up only some music critics, however, although the shortcomings (and that's being polite!) of some members of that profession have an embarrassingly and distressingly long history...

Best,

Alistair

[ted]

There were two music critics writing in the local papers back then. The other one was very good, had a deep and extensive knowledge of music, and usually provided the reader with new insight and background. My teacher had warned me years before that I ought to ignore anything the motorway stockcar man wrote. After a Rubinstein concert here, two years prior to the Ogdon one, he wrote that he had heard a wrong note in the Moonlight. Rubinstein must have read it, and actually repeated the whole piece before starting his next programme a couple of days later. The critic then acknowledged that he had not heard any wrong notes in the second performance. It didn't affect him though, and he kept on writing even more  embarrassing things for years after that.     

[siveron]

Music is purely subjective. Is that an answer enough for you?

[chopinlover01]

I like Stravinsky's take on it;
"I know more than them."

[rubinsteinmad]

I like Stravinsky's take on it;
"I know more than them."

lol YOLO