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A sign of our times - lazy critics and reviewers

I suppose I could extend this observation to our news reporters too, but that might get way too political way too fast! ;-)

What brought this to mind were a couple of reviews on Music Web International, wherein the reviewers couldn't be bothered to lift a finger and take an extra 45 seconds or so to check their "facts". (And, BTW, I do not want to single out MWI for these kinds of lapses - other journals and publications are often worse!).

Anyway. . . the first instance was a review of a new recording by the Skampa Quartet, a group originating from the Czech Republic and which has been around for awhile. In yesterday's review of their new album of "American" chamber works by Dvorak (the String Quartet Op. 96 and the String Quintet Op. 97), the critic, Leslie Wright concluded the review with this comment:
The Skampa Quartet continues to give unalloyed pleasure with their exceptional tuning and blend. As far as I can tell, their makeup is the same as that when they started playing together twenty-five years ago. Their account of the Janacek quartets has long been my benchmark and this new one of the Dvorak "American Quartet" and Quintet with the rich-toned violist, Krzysztof Chorzelski can join that disc as a reference recording of these pieces.
When I saw the album cover of this new Dvorak recording, I started thinking, "Hmm. . . that can't be right." Here is what the quartet members looked like as of their Beethoven/Mozart recording from 1998:



Here is what the quartet looks like today (as shown on their new Dvorak recording):



So. . . you notice anything funny? OF COURSE YOU DO! They're mostly NOT the same people! The 1998 group consisted of the following players:

Pavel Fischer - Violin 1
Jana Lukasova - Violin 2
Radim Sedmidubsky - Viola
Jonas Krejci - Cello

Today's group consists of the following players:

Helena Jirikovska - Violin 1
Adela Stajnochrova - Violin 2
Radim Sedmidubsky - Viola
Lukas Polak - Cello

So, far from "their makeup" being "the same", the ONLY continuity they have is in the person of their violist. This took me about 45 seconds to check (on Amazon). But, apparently, that's too much effort required for Mr. (or Ms. ?) Leslie Wright, the reviewer.

Then, in today's MWI reviews, Stephen Francis Vasta welcomes the new Pristine incarnation of the Brahms Symphonies 3 and 4 and the Variations on a Theme by Haydn, in the in-concert performances by Toscanini and the Philharmonia Orchestra. Here's what Mr. Vasta has to say about the recorded provenance of these performances:
EMI recorded the two concerts but didn't issue them, apparently owing to contractual conflicts. Pirated releases, reportedly in restricted sonics, surfaced on vinyl, first in the "Turnabout Historical Series" and then on Testament. The current issue represents what I assume is the first authorized release of these performances.
Well, you would assume wrong, Mr. Vasta! You could have puttered over to the Testament site where you would have found a reproduction of the CD box insert for the Testament set of these performance, and you would have read the following:
Producer - Walter Legge
Balance Engineer - Douglas Larter

Testament would like to thank the family of Arturo Toscanini and Alan Steckler for permission to use these recordings.

The copyright for these recordings is owned by EMI Records Ltd. Release rights owned by Testament.
A "pirate" recording indeed!

Geez!

But. . . so as not to end this post on a sour note, I would like to commend Jonathan Welsh's MWI review of the new Naxos Recording of the 1837 version of the 12 Grande Etudes which Liszt turned into the Transcendental Etudes of 1851. This earlier version of the Etudes is chock full of the most horrific technical difficulties - much more so than the final 1851 version (the version that the vast majority of pianists play). Welsh goes through, etude by etude, and explains the differences and also tells us what makes this recording, by an unknown pianist (Wenbin Jin), so special. It's the kind of review which makes the reader excited about hearing this new album. Well done!


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Topic - A sign of our times - lazy critics and reviewers - Chris from Lafayette 18:34:44 07/17/17 (19)

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