Even the audience gets a bad review in this NY Times notice...

<ATTACHMENT filename="Wolf&Hollman.jpg" index="0">[attachment=0]Wolf&Hollman.jpg</ATTACHMENT>

The fake intellectualism that pushes so many away from classical music, to the point that it is now cliche (nobody listens to classical music, especially new classical music), was very much at work even in 1892...

The reviewer sounds like a blast to hang out with. Said no one ever.

Reads to me like an early David Sedaris, though unfortunately not as tongue-in-cheek.

Going forward I intend to review all of my audiences poorly every time they don't love me. ;)

[quote="MagnumH"]Reads to me like an early David Sedaris[/quote]

I've been reading it in the voice of Glenn Gould and Margaret Dumont.

<YOUTUBE id="1nZTgAGSajA">[media]https://youtu.be/1nZTgAGSajA</YOUTUBE>

That's classic.

He's lucky he could play the piano reasonably well. He'd be insufferable otherwise.

[quote="robcat2075"]I've been reading it in the voice of Glenn Gould and Margaret Dumont.[/quote]

Ah! THERE we go!

Reading material that is VERY much a product of a VERY different time as if it were the product of OUR time can give, shall we say, misleading results?

This is a good case in point. I tried to read this in the context of a writer vying with other "eyespace" in THE medium of the time. In that context, I found the "fake intellectualism" not in the writer, but the players.

The writer was selling newspapers. His use of what would now be too many adjectives was quite typical of the time. In fact, his language was ramped back from some not-too-much earlier text by famous vocal teachers, ALSO decrying the same exagerations.

So, can anyone else see intellectualism in the players? A modern reviewer might have written, "the duo played well but were overthinking and excessive in their use of expressive tricks."

I find my self leaning more and more toward trying to search such articles for what I can use to help myself and friends grow. Along the same lines, I lean away from casting negative criticism that only serves to increase my displeasure with the world.

Oh, hey, this reads like some fake intellectualism. I'd better stop before it gets COMPLETELY out of control :D

Every generation thinks they are the coolest & hippest generation ever.