Music Criticism

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30042, 29 January 1963, Page 7

Music Criticism

Sir,—What has gone wrong with CJ.B. lately? Both in the “Elijah” and in the fourth of the Promenade Concerts disparagement and, what is worse, facetiousness, seem to predominate in his criticism. I would rather trust the tumultuous applause from a capacity audience and its demand for an encore for Peter Baillie’s “Fairy Song” than our critic’s perception of “wrong entries” and “certain confusion,” not to mention loss of “vocal quality as well as clarity.” “Jamaica Rhumba” made an appropriate conclusion to a glorious concert and series of concerts, and I hope C.F.B. laughed at his cheap witticism that “one would have gladly settled just for some Jamaica rum,” because few would laugh with him. How much longer are we to suffer C.F.B.?—Yours, etc, A.P.

January 28, 1963. [The good-humoured reviews need no defence, but it is perhaps reasonable to remind that C.F.B. also enjoyed the proms, though in doing so he did not forget his responsibilities as a critic. If our critics did no more than measure the tumultuousness of the applause and the size of the audience they would have a sinecure.—Ed, “The Press.”]