[EMAIL PROTECTED] said: "So why are Horn players so complacent with missing?"
I think that you are confusing acceptance of the fact that "stuff" happens in the form of a clam or a blipped attack from time to time, with complacency. I have heard the greatest musicians (not just horn, but all instruments) in the world clam or makes mistakes from time to time and. If you haven't, then you haven't listened to many live performances, whether in person, by broadcast, or by recording. Or you just weren't listening that closely. The fact is, it happens. Does that mean that we as horn players shouldn't be diligent about our playing and strive for perfection? No, absolutely not! What it does mean is that we don't get our knickers in a knot when it happens. The bar is up there at the same level as any other instrument and it's being hit. You mention that you were surprised at the reaction to the article. The reaction is to the critic's diatribe against Phil Meyers. As has been mentioned many times, you don't get tenure in a top flight orchestra by being a hack. I haven't heard Phil live in a while, but unless there's something physical going on, he's just coasting, or something else bizarre, I think that the author simply has an agenda. He certainly wouldn't be the first critic to have one and definitely won't be the last. However, when we, as musicians, start getting wound up over what critics have to say, then it's time to move on to another career. I've seen players get so caught up in what one or the other critic had to say that they became paralyzed with fear if they knew the critic was in the house. As you said, the challenge is to take it to the critic, but then again some critics are so musically ignorant, they wouldn't know a great performance if it came up and bit them. On the yahoo list, in response to a different topic, I mentioned one critic whose sole credential consisted of one music appreciation class in college. While she certainly must have known what she liked and didn't like when it came to music she didn't, and demonstrated all too often, have the knowledge to be able to hold an intelligent discussion on what qualified as a good or bad performance. She would constantly rail about how bad the local symphony was because of all the "local" musicians it employed while at the same time heaped praise upon the opera orchestra because of its musical personnel. The funny thing was, both orchestras had the same personnel! Dana Twiss Litchfield, Maine _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
