Page 155 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2024. Glasbena kritika – nekoč in danes ▪︎ Music Criticism – Yesterday and Today. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 7
P. 155
music criticism in ireland
ficient merit should be able to expect support from Irish audiences and
Irish critics.32
The last point is one that Acton expanded on repeatedly in his talk
(and is also reflected in many of his reviews): “[T]he critic should encour-
age the performance of Irish works.”33 Irish performers as well as compos-
ers deserve the special support of Irish audiences – and also of Irish critics.
He saw this as the only way to improve Irish standards of performance and
composition over time. And he was right – today they certainly are high-
er than they were in his time. There are more Irish composers of interna-
tional renown than ever before, such as Gerald Barry, Jennifer Walshe or
Donnacha Dennehy, and also more internationally successful performers,
including Tara Erraught, Barry Douglas or Finghin Collins. For its size Ire-
land has a thriving operatic scene, with around three newly commissioned
works premiered every season. Of course, Charles Acton was not the only
person responsible for this, yet he exercised much more influence than can
normally be expected from a critic; he got as close as anyone could in Ire-
land to influencing public opinion and cultural policy in a way similar to
Joachim Kaiser or Heinz-Klaus Metzger in Germany. In many ways his age
can be regarded as a pinnacle in Irish music criticism.
Irish Music Criticism in the Digital Age
In recent decades the role of music criticism in Irish newspapers has been
in continuous decline. Today the Irish Times does not regularly review con-
certs, reserving individual reports only for the biggest international stars
(be it of classical, popular or traditional music). Instead, the paper offers
Michael Dervan, Charles Acton’s successor as its main music critic, a col-
umn every Wednesday to collectively review a range of events during the
past week, with very little space available for each individual recital or con-
cert. Other Irish newspapers dedicate even less space to the coverage of mu-
sical events (of any genre). Music theatre premieres and festival events are
reviewed more regularly.
Music-specific journals such as the Irish Journal of Music naturally in-
clude reviews more regularly, as they represent one of the core functions of
their existence.34 Founded in 2000, the Journal of Music started its existence
32 Ibid., 19.
33 Ibid., 24.
34 “Reviews,” The Journal of Music, https://journalofmusic.com/reviews.
155
ficient merit should be able to expect support from Irish audiences and
Irish critics.32
The last point is one that Acton expanded on repeatedly in his talk
(and is also reflected in many of his reviews): “[T]he critic should encour-
age the performance of Irish works.”33 Irish performers as well as compos-
ers deserve the special support of Irish audiences – and also of Irish critics.
He saw this as the only way to improve Irish standards of performance and
composition over time. And he was right – today they certainly are high-
er than they were in his time. There are more Irish composers of interna-
tional renown than ever before, such as Gerald Barry, Jennifer Walshe or
Donnacha Dennehy, and also more internationally successful performers,
including Tara Erraught, Barry Douglas or Finghin Collins. For its size Ire-
land has a thriving operatic scene, with around three newly commissioned
works premiered every season. Of course, Charles Acton was not the only
person responsible for this, yet he exercised much more influence than can
normally be expected from a critic; he got as close as anyone could in Ire-
land to influencing public opinion and cultural policy in a way similar to
Joachim Kaiser or Heinz-Klaus Metzger in Germany. In many ways his age
can be regarded as a pinnacle in Irish music criticism.
Irish Music Criticism in the Digital Age
In recent decades the role of music criticism in Irish newspapers has been
in continuous decline. Today the Irish Times does not regularly review con-
certs, reserving individual reports only for the biggest international stars
(be it of classical, popular or traditional music). Instead, the paper offers
Michael Dervan, Charles Acton’s successor as its main music critic, a col-
umn every Wednesday to collectively review a range of events during the
past week, with very little space available for each individual recital or con-
cert. Other Irish newspapers dedicate even less space to the coverage of mu-
sical events (of any genre). Music theatre premieres and festival events are
reviewed more regularly.
Music-specific journals such as the Irish Journal of Music naturally in-
clude reviews more regularly, as they represent one of the core functions of
their existence.34 Founded in 2000, the Journal of Music started its existence
32 Ibid., 19.
33 Ibid., 24.
34 “Reviews,” The Journal of Music, https://journalofmusic.com/reviews.
155
