Deadlines

This evening concert reviewing can be trying at times, as this newbie-to-the-biz is finding out.  The Ravinia shows are most challenging, since the hour commute home usually lands me in my desk after midnight.  I can only write for a few hours before I have to hit the pillow, and then it's due when I wake up.  It's difficult to evaluate a performance without really letting it soak in, so I tend to be guarded in my judgments. Lang Lang--the Elvis of classical pianists right now--performed Tuesday night and I covered it for the Sun-Times.

This was my first real critical dilemma: here was a fairly innocuous spectacle--driven mostly by bad programming--that elicited an exuberant reaction I haven't seen before.  It was impossible not to be wowed, but kitsch was definitely at work here.  The awful "Yellow River Concerto" by Xian Xinghai was the principle crowd pleaser.  The concerto divides into short 5-minute movements each containing undeveloped and unnecessarily tragic climaxes. How can such emotion surface so soon? There was very little Chinese personality in the music at all (think Adinsell's patchwork Warsaw Concerto), yet you could overhear North Shore socialites murmuring "Dan, we must get more Chinese music!" It's hard to be critical when the thousands around you are so pleased. 

So in my wee-hour haze back home, I chickened out and let my politeness overcome me.  Because of it, my editor penned a fantastic but misleading Boogie Nights' inspired headline.  Anyways, Lang Lang is set for life and his incredible virtuosity will take him anywhere in the world. This article is me trying my diplomatic best when I didn't have to be. 

Comments

[joshi]

lurved yer introspection.

ironically, its in the same spirit as
spike milligan reacting to the 'bloody awful warsaw concerto'. look it up and be pleased.

[Loogey]

I thought your review was fair. I certainly wouldn't call it overly glowing. Very well written as usual.

[Bryant]

interesting on spike; seems like i can never find what i want at used bookstores. I'll keep my eyes open.

as for the warsaw concerto, the first slow melody--i swear to god--is the chorus from tammy wynette's "stand by your man."