Resonate

I always wince when a music critic makes negative comments about a performance, even when the remarks are fully deserved. (I suppose maybe I empathize with the musicians too much to ever become a critic.)

In the spirit of Oscars night, this review of the Miami Symphony Orchestra receives the award for Harshest Review. Lawrence Johnson of the Miami Herald says the performance of Bruch’s Violin Concerto, Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 and a clarinet concerto by Alex Berti “could charitably be called disastrous.” He continues to pick on most sections of the orchestra, the young violin soloist, and even a composer’s orchestration skills.

When a critic states that a performance is “some of the worst orchestra playing heard on a South Florida stage in many years,” I find myself hoping that the performance was truly deserving of such an attack, rather than us having a case of a bitter critic on our hands.