Don’t Review Me! (OK, Well Do, But I Don’t Have To Be Happy About It)

“It is, of course, entirely unreasonable to moan about reviews. In these days of shrinking books pages and tightening budgets, any coverage from the press is invaluable. Refusing to read reviews can seem precious, thin-skinned and, worst of all, arrogant, as if no critic could possibly have anything useful or constructive to say.”

Classical Music Has Thrived In D/Recessions Past. This Time?

“Early soundings show strong responses in Europe and Asia, more cautious ones in the U.S. At London’s Barbican Centre, home of the London Symphony Orchestra and a Great Performers series, classical attendances were up 4 percent in the financial year just ended and gross box-office receipts in the current year were 11.2 percent above the 2008 mark, the arts center said.”

A Tie At The Van Cliburn Piano Competition

“The two youngest contestants in the final round of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, 20-year-old Nobuyuki Tsujii and 19-year-old Haochen Zhang, both took first prizes in the Sunday evening awards ceremony at Bass Performance Hall. Each received a $20,000 cash prize, three years of concert management and a contract for a compact-disc recording. “