Posted by TubaRay on May 23, 2003 at 11:06:06:
In Reply to: Re: a dumb post here posted by Matt G on May 23, 2003 at 08:00:37:
I hope this is a good place to insert my commentary. I have read all of this thread so far. It seems to me that whenever a musician performs, any of us--pro or amateur, that we are "putting it out there." Not one of us is perfect, although some come pretty darn close. For those that are near-perfect, the bar is usually raised very high. For others, it may not be raised very high at all. No matter which category the performer is in, the listening audience is going to rate how well things went. For instance, if Patrick Sheridan were to perform as a soloist with an orchestra or band and his performance sounded like say my average performance, he is not likely to get rave(unofficial and informal) reviews. If I performed the same piece with the same ensemble, and performed at about my average performance, I might get pretty good informal reviews. This is because no one expects me to play like Mr. Sheridan(and well they shouldn't). I am totally unworthy of the comparison. This relates somewhat to Joe Baker's post, here. The point is there are different standards for different (let's call them) reputations.
Now for the unfortunate part. In order for one to have success, one has to risk failure. There can also be degrees of success and degrees of failure. When recitals, concerts, etc. are reviewed(now for publication, or the like), the reviewer needs to have a measure of honesty, tempered with some decency. Therefore if Patrick Sheridan were to perform on a concert and do poorly, the reviewer shouldn't give out heaps praise despite the poor performance. I don't believe he/she should completely ignore the poor performance, either. Honesty would require a minimum of a comment along the lines of, "Mr. Sheridan was not at his best form tonight." It may not be necessary to completely rip him apart, but giving an honest account should be what a review is about. At least, that's my opinion.
In short, all of us who perform take a risk EVERY time we perform. I believe it is that risk which can help make a successful performance that much more satisfying.
Ray Grim
The TubaMeisters