With so many changes in the program, it must have been hard to follow.

-Aprile Millo

(RTWT)

So difficult, in fact, that it’s been reported* that a reviewer missed a change. Someone responded with a letter to the Times. I went to read the Times review and it doesn’t look like the review La Cieca had posted in the Error Alert blog entry. Hmm.

—Time Lapse— (Could you feel it?)

*And now the original report has been taken down. So was that report incorrect? Since the paper doesn’t have the clip that La Cieca (It’s a blog I usually can’t read; too hard on these eyes!) had on the blog, I’m confused! Anyone know what’s up? I’m going to guess that La Cieca ran across a review that wasn’t supposed to be published yet, and needed changes. I’m going to guess the reviewer might write an “advance review” so that it’s easier to finish up after a concert. But all of that is merely guessing on my part. I haven’t a clue what the truth is.

It was puzzling to read the news. But if the blog report wasn’t true, then I’m doubly puzzled!

—Time Lapse #2—

And now the blog entry is back up, slightly rewritten, noting the change.

I think I’ll stick to what I know from my corner of the world …

Funny thing, too, is a colleague and I were talking about just this sort of thing last night, and how sometimes a reviewer does get it wrong. It cost one reviewer his job when he reviewed a concert he didn’t attend. (Program changes are a problem then!) I used to watch one reviewer leave the hall after the first half of San Jose Symphony concerts. That was fun. I was reviewed not so long ago for my fine English horn playing in a work that didn’t include English horn. One reviewer implied there were two English horns in Symphonie Fantastique. (I’m assuming he thought the off stage oboe was an English horn, although I can’t imagine why!) A (very fine!) clarinetist was complimented for his work in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, but we did the version with no clarinet. And I was complimented for my English horn work when the huge solo was played by baritone horn. (That one was a HUGE “Huh?!” to me.)

I know reviewers are human, and I doubt they are perfect, but some errors are too large to be ignored. Kind of like when we make a (usually smaller than large) mistake they like to note. But what do I know, aside from the fact that I’d never want to be a reviewer!