THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1999

Reviewer should be professional, trained musician

I am writing to express my concern with the article "Percussion beats fill recital hall with life" in Thursday's Daily Forty Niner by Ken Hanson.

As an alumni and part-time faculty member in the music department, I find it disturbing that a article like this could be written.

I have no problem with the reviewer's critique, but I don't understand how an article such as this one could be published by someone who obviously is not a trained musician.

Negative connotations, such as: "The tribal sound of the evening was an interesting change of pace.

The only problem was that the steady beats and the dark room made for a perfect nap-time atmosphere" and "The beat went on and on. In fact, it went on for almost an hour and a half" are very naive.

If this reviewer had ever been to a classical concert, he would have know to expect that a concert, such as this one, usually lasts about an hour and a half.

Music is a expressive art form. The only expression in this article is the reference of "The Entertainer" as "a happy piece that reminds one of clowns."

You need to put this in perspective before we (and I am not only talking about the university, but musicians as a whole) lose all of our audiences.

You are not only doing an injustice to your readers, you are doing an injustice to the people who gave their all to performer at their highest level.

 

- Dave Gerhart

music professor

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