17/3/04 Gloomy

I was a little dismayed by W.L.Hoffman's review of "Last Words" by the Australian Chamber Orchestra (CT, 17/3/04). The implication of the review was that the night was forgettable and unenjoyable because of the sombre, gloomy mood of the programme.

I don't know if the reviewer has spent too much time reviewing musical theatre - where a cantankerous, moody piece is a dime a dozen - but saying, in essence, that a piece is not enjoyable because it was "dark and serious in expressive intent" seems a little short-sighted for such an experienced reviewer. A lot of contemporary work written in poetic, dramatic and musical forms (to name a few areas) would not meet Mr Hoffman's criteria for an enjoyable night.

I sometimes enjoy the complexity of gloomy work and suggest the reviewer skips Pink Floyd, requiems from Mozart to Mahler, Sylvia Plath, a lot of operatic work and nasty musicals like Miss Saigon, Evita, Titantic or Jesus Christ Superstar in which protagonists wreck the mood of the whole piece by croaking (or drowning) at the end.