The Washington Post: In 2010, I wrote a review of a recital at the Kennedy Center by the pianist Dejan Lazic. In 2014, he wrote the Washington Post and asked us to take it down.
Neither of us expected that our words would have the effect they did.
My review was mixed. I was underwhelmed by the recital but bent over backwards to find the good in it. Washington Performing Arts’s Hayes Piano Series features “emerging pianists,” often already established in international careers, and the audience is enthusiastic but discriminating; still, it’s rare that a performer isn’t called back for even one encore. Lazic wasn’t, in spite of his striking technical ability, and I tried, in the review, to address some of the reasons why, praising what I liked, and calling out what I didn’t.
2 comments:
This article brings up a pretty interesting view on the influence of the review system. Firstly, Lazic himself understands that as an artist he has to come to terms with the reviews that have been written about him, and says as such in his letter. But on the other hand, reviews are extremely opinion based, and because different reviewers pull different weights, they aren't really the best judge of whether someone will enjoy the show. If Lazic improved significantly since Midgette's review several years ago, it wouldn't really be fair for that one review to be definitive of Lazic's skill -- not to mention the fact that reading a review before seeing a performance will often temper your opinion
While I agree that this is an interesting case, one of the best things to do in this age of the internet is to avoid bringing up anything which you wish to be forgotten. Any attempt to bring up something which you would like to be forgotten is only likely to bring it more into the public eye, as in this case. I also get confused by the people who believe that critics must have a background in whatever they are reviewing in order to criticize. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and when it comes to performance, not everyone who is interested in going to see the show will have a background in the art. However, they don't necessarily care how difficult the piece was to perform or anything like that, they just want to be entertained. And their opinion is just as valid.
Post a Comment