Nowadays, anyone who can write a sentence has the opportunity to write about anything and be read by any passing stranger. Audiences don't have to wait days for one solitary review to be published in a newspaper, and we don't have to take a professional critic's word as authoritative.
I've been pondering the dilemmas this creates. Part of me thinks - my blog, my rules, I can write what I like, providing it's not defamatory. I'm rarely the only account of an event and I expect my readers to read many others and extract an objective 'truth' from the patchwork of subjectivity.
A while back I was chatting with Mike, who reviews pop concerts in his city for the region's newspaper. He goes to a lot of gigs and I suppose is often the only person formally reviewing these events. Going to so many must surely enable him to differentiate between the good, the mediocre and the downright appalling. However, he recognises that, for many people, it's a rare big night out and he doesn't have the right to spoil their evening with misplaced negativity.
Others say that most audience members, even the keen and informed, simply don't have the experience and expertise to know precisely whether something was performed correctly. I certainly avoid using quasi-objective statements such as 'best' (or 'worst') because it can only ever be the best within my very limited experience.
I don't like it when the critic seeks to crush people's enjoyment by intellectualising the details. And yet, I can't stand an approach that just says everything was wonderful. I had a conversation recently where I mentioned I was looking forward to Tosca next year, and somebody told me that if I had seen Tito Gobbi as Scarpia there is no way I could enjoy Bryn Terfel's interpretation. Maybe that's true for that person, but I haven't seen Tito Gobbi's portrayal, so it can't be true for me. The truth is, I felt crushed and put down. But, conversely, I didn't let my knowledge of Plácido Domingo's Cavaradossi or Don José spoil my enjoyment of Jonas Kaufmann; similarly with Rolando Villazón and ETA Hoffmann. I look forward to Jonas's assuming of Plácido's signature roles of Otello, Siegmund - and semi-seriously, Simon Boccanegra.
Ah yes, Plácido Domingo as Simon Boccanegra!
As it turns out, I enjoyed this far more than I imagined I would, more than if I had consumed the wisdom of the 'no one will ever do it like (insert name of dead singer)' types that inhabit too many internet groups. As it happens, it seems that my appreciation accords with the majority view.
Naturally, there were some people who attended the live performances and didn't like it. People who in some cases have the experience and knowledge to draw meaningful comparisons with excellent portrayals of the past, or simply felt that they weren't enjoying it very much. They are, of course, perfectly entitled to state their view, particularly when they give cogent reasons why.
What I don't like is the slightly sneery attitude that seems to assume that anybody who can possibly enjoy Domingo as Boccanegra is one of 'just a handful of mainly female hysterical fans*' - an actual phrase I saw written. In their view, by enjoying the performance, one displays ignorance and irrelevance (I particularly despise this 'let's put-down the paying audience' attitude when it comes from the liggers on the freebie tickets).
Philosophically, that presents a problem, because I sneer at people who, for example, say that Katherine Jenkins's rendition of Una voce poco fa is excellent, because it isn't. Its awfulness is so obvious on any objective basis, that it stands to reason that anybody who praises it** is doing so without any comparison with the merely adequate let alone the greats. I suppose the fact that there is never any further statement about why it's good, other than some vague statement about liking her voice convinces me that they really don't know what they're talking about**.
But the sneerers I despise could argue, and not without truth, that I have insufficient knowledge to make an assertion about Domingo's Boccanegra, so I'm no better than those who rave about the imagined excellence of La Barbie.
However, I am on much firmer ground when I deride the opinions I have read about Domingo's Rigoletto. I have to say, I could happily go to my grave without ever hearing, let alone seeing, Plácido Domingo as Rigoletto. But now that I know it's going to happen, gimme that download!
I thought similarly about his Boccanegra - yeah, nice little end-of-career novelty act, but inconsequential in the context of such an amazing career as a tenor. Now I'm not so sure.
I have a completely open mind about his portrayal of Rigoletto. I fervently believe it will be memorable dramatically; I can't imagine him proceeding with it if it were to be a disaster vocally. I'm not sure I especially want the beauty of Plácido's voice in that role. But, like everyone else, I haven't heard/seen it yet, so anything I say is merely speculation.
But see what I'm doing there - I'm keeping an open mind, retaining an intellectual curiosity and acknowledging why there may be misgivings from those who aren't in the 'handful of mainly female hysteric fans'. I'm not saying "Ah, but it's Plácido, he's amazing ergo his Rigoletto will be amazing" and I rather wish the naysayers were not so forthright and absolutely convinced of their correctness in predicting a complete disaster. I just think it's a bit crazy to review a performance without actually seeing it, especially when it's not actually happened.
I'm writing this because I have several blogposts coming up that are reports on performances. I didn't make contemporaneous notes, and didn't attend them with score in hand, so, ultimately, the posts are going to be about my reaction to the performances. I hope to draw out elements that worked especially well - or didn't - for me, and rekindle your memory, if you were there, or provide a little nugget of commentary on a favourite singer.
But nowadays, we are limited only by our own memory and writing ability. Everybody can report on a performance if they feel inclined and have the time, and this is just a repository for me to write my memories down.
*I'm not sure whether the implied lack of judgement is thought to be overwhelmingly a female characteristic, or whether similar male behaviour is merely deemed to be loyalty; either way, I can't take seriously the opinion of someone who hates (or fears) women
** Assuming they actually mean it and aren't just letting their dicks blind their musical judgement
