A Paradigm
[Note: This post has been updated (1) as of 3:40 PM Eastern on 26 Sep. See below.]
Devotees of the organ grinder rep really ought to read this detailed and incisive analysis of the Met's opening-night performance of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor by music journalist and blogger Vilaine Fille (Marion Lignana Rosenberg) of Vilaine Fille. On-target or not in its assessment, it's a paradigm of what all serious-minded music criticism ought to be even though we have difficulty imagining anyone but an inveterate TOF spending so much time on and devoting so many words to this piece of typical bel canto trash which contains but a single scene in its entire three acts to recommend it.
But then, de gustibus....
Update (3:40 PM Eastern on 26 Sep): Oops. A bit of rather unfortunate wording in the above. Our, "...even though we have difficulty imagining anyone but an inveterate TOF spending so much time...," etc., made it sound as if we were suggesting that we consider Ms. Rosenberg a TOF. We intended no such suggestion as she's most clearly not one of that risible and annoying breed. What we had intended to express was our surprise that a non-TOF would spend so much time, etc. Our apologies to Ms. Rosenberg if our badly worded remark was construed in a way other than what we intended.
