Posted by Rick Denney on July 15, 2002 at 18:22:10:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: John Williams Tuba Concerto posted by David on July 15, 2002 at 14:00:26:
I'm afraid the logic doesn't hold here.
While I can hardly play Come to Jesus in whole notes and make a decent sound, I judge myself capable of rendering opinion on others who are far better. I was once lambasted by a tuba player and student of a Famous Teacher. Said Famous Teacher performed the Vaughan Williams with a professional orchestra, and I'd driven some distance to hear him. The performance was awful. At the next band rehearsal, I rendering my judgment to the assembled tuba section, and was immediately put upon for saying such terrible things about a Famous Teacher. The argument followed the same lines: I should do it better if I think I could.
As a ticket-buying customer and reasonably discriminating and knowledgeable listener (at least compared to the rest of the audience), I had the right to form whatever opinions I wanted and to express them. As it happens, though, I still apologized to my attacker, because I didn't have the right to attack her mentor in a way that undoubtedly hurt her feelings. Even so, the audience can applause when the performance is good and remain silent when it isn't, having bought bitching rights with their ticket.
It seems to me that Sean's comments were entirely in keeping with these principles: As a buying customer, he has a right (and perhaps even an obligation if he feels that people will spend their money unwisely) to render an honest opinion based on facts. But he exercised that right with considerable sensitivity, it seemed to me, in case a friend of the performer was listening. Considering the level of discourse often found on Tubenet, he sets a good example.
Rick "who thinks the bruising of a few may be offset by the $17 bruising of many" Denney