Greg Sandow wonders why the announcement of Andrew Litton’s departure from the Dallas Symphony wasn’t rougher on his accomplishments: “So here’s the truth. Litton’s not thought of as a good conductor. He can make a splashy effect; that’s about it. Musicians who’ve played for him are damning. Administrators at orchestras where he’s guest-conducted are equally damning. If Litton were a pop musician, everything I’ve written here would have been in the press long ago. Everybody would have known it. Dallas would have been abuzz. Which leads me back to something I’ve said here before. In classical music, there’s very little accountability. We have to stop treating classical music as if it were something sacred – or something that needs to be protected – and start describing things the way they really are.”