Re: Fred Kirshnit - A Particularly Bad Music Critic

[Michael Baldwin, Bruce]

Farhan Malik wrote:
> With all the talk of how the Hatto scandal has exposed and damaged the
> reputation of music critics I'd like to share a letter I recently
> wrote to the New York Sun about one of their music critics who I truly
> believe is not fit for the position. Here you have a reviewer who
> can't even recognize the most popular Chopin Scherzi yet he is writing
> reviews for a major newspaper just about every week. The paper of
> course did not publish my letter nor did they contact me about it.
> Perhaps they'd like to just sweep it under the carpet and ignore the
> issues I raised. This particular reviewer, Fred Kirshnit, writes
> reviews that contain some of the most humiliating, sarcastic,
> condemning text that I have ever read in concert reviews, and as I
> show in my letter he does this from a foundation of musical ignorance.
> Perhaps the New York Sun doesn't want to publish this letter but that
> does not mean that people should not be made aware of this
> extremely rude critic's professional failings.
>
> The original reviews that I comment on can be found here:
> Ursuleasa http://www.nysun.com/article/42607
> Cohen http://www.nysun.com/article/44994
>
> Here is the letter I sent.
>
> Letter to the Editor:
> New York Sun
>
> A recent article by Susan Tomes in the Guardian suggesting that
> performers may be able to sue music critics "who just aren't up to the
> task" brought to mind some damning reviews by New York Sun critic Fred
> Kirshnit that demonstrated an astonishing lack of familiarity with the
> music being performed. In his review of Mihaela Ursuleasa's recital of
> October 29th at Walter Reade Theater, Kirshnit claimed that in
> Beethoven's Eroica Variations the pianist "decided to offer her own
> version of the opening theme, a distortion that certainly roused
> everybody from their Sunday slumbers." Kirshnit must not be very
> familiar with this well-known Beethoven work because Ursuleasa played
> the theme exactly as written by Beethoven. A recording of the
> performance confirms this fact. He then claimed that Ursuleasa
> "fumbled and stumbled her way through most of the variants." There
> were no fumbles or stumbles. Again, the recording shows that she
> played all the variations virtually note perfect and without any
> technical flaws.
>
> Even more revealing was Kirshnit's review of Arnaldo Cohen's recital
> last December in Town Hall. In the second half, Cohen played Chopin's
> Four Scherzi. However, instead of playing them in standard numerical
> order as printed in the program, Cohen played them in his own
> preferred order, beginning with Scherzo No. 4, following with Nos. 1
> and 3, and ending with No. 2. Kirshnit, however, stated in his review
> that "Mr. Cohen began with a very satisfying rendition of Chopin's
> Scherzo [No. 1] in B minor." Even the fact that Scherzo No. 4 is in a
> MAJOR key did not tip off Mr. Kirshnit to the fact that he was not
> hearing the B minor Scherzo. According to Kirshnit, Cohen then
> "followed with a rather sloppy B Flat minor." Chopin's Scherzo No. 2
> in B Flat Minor is one of the best-known works in the piano
> literature. The fact that Kirshnit was unaware that he was hearing a
> different piece speaks volumes about his knowledge of piano
> music, yet this musical ignorance has not stopped him from writing
> reviews that not only criticize, but seek to poke fun at and humiliate
> artists. Any critic so unfamiliar with the standard piano literature
> has no business reviewing recitals for a major newspaper. Allowing Mr.
> Kirshnit to continue in this position does a disservice not only to
> the performers and your readers but also to the profession of music
> critic itself.
>
> Farhan Malik

It almost sounds like Kirshnit is an alias for Dickless Davie Tholoon.
Butt then, the name should have been Kirshit, I suppose.