Repeat after me, “I promise not to use the word plaintive to describe English horn because it’s been done. Too many times.”

Okay. Don’t. See if I care!

But of course it’s happened again. What can I say? Here you go:

Following the concerto to conclude the concert the orchestra gave its best reading of Dvorak’s “New World” symphony, proving that familiarity in this case bred maturity and skill. Despite the popular — but incorrect — belief that the insipid theme of its famous slow movement is a spiritual, the plaintive melody introduced by a warm English horn and reflected in ethereal strings was sustained and played well.

Well, okay. The writer is really saying the melody is plaintive, and the EH merely played it. I guess the English horn was warm too. Nice.

And can someone tell me … is that melody insipid? I never thought so. Hmmm. Oh well.

I read it all here. And no, I’m not going to review the rest of the review. No matter what.