Page 163 - 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
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music criticism in ireland
situation in real life. It’s meant to act as a bait, just like Tár’s
comments in the opening interview.
I agree that much of her manipulative behaviour is not shown
directly, but a few times it clearly shines through. There are
her devastating references for Krista, her hints to Francesca
that she will give her the job (while her remarks to others at
the same time make it clear that that was never her intention),
or the way in which she puts Elgar on the programme and se-
cures the solo part for her favourite. Btw, that she has highly
qualified musicians as her personal assistants to maintain her
diary and carry her bags beggars belief.
“The key moment may be when she says early on that Al-
sop et. al. had prepared the way for her, so now she belie-
ves gender is insignificant, NB, to *music*.” That is also an
example of her callousness – I made it, so no further support
for women is necessary anymore? And while there are many
deeper layers and subtleties here it can’t have escaped the ma-
kers of this movie that they are creating a kind of female Le-
vine, and that this would have predictable consequences in
today’s world (particularly given that I believe this is an ori-
ginal story, not based on a book or so).
The point about class (and about Tár making both her first
and surname sounding more unique/interesting, trying to
escape her upbringing) is well made.
(L) “I made it, so no further support for women is necessary
anymore.” Yes; I think that’s the nuance exactly. But I belie-
ve “it can’t have escaped the makers of this movie that they
are creating a kind of female Levine” is a point entirely paral-
lel to Alsop’s not at all articulated objections to the character’s
lesbianism. The decision to take a character, especially one as
carefully ambiguously drawn as this one, as an outright, en
clair synecdoche or allegorical representation is on the inter-
preter, not the artist. No? Bluntly, Alsop is projecting. Of cou-
rse the filmmakers would have foreseen such a thing. But they
elected, fairly to my mind, to ignore the prior restraint that
would impose on their storytelling. And I thought the most
bluntly “anti-woke” scene was her “trial” before the whatcha-
macallit board, which stopped short of presenting the pro-
cedure as a kangaroo court; but only just.
(M) Beyond content analysis, I do think there’s more to say about
the way the film is directed and paced.
(L) (M) Absolutely. These prominent but ultimately rather
external considerations distract from the genuine art of the
piece.
163
situation in real life. It’s meant to act as a bait, just like Tár’s
comments in the opening interview.
I agree that much of her manipulative behaviour is not shown
directly, but a few times it clearly shines through. There are
her devastating references for Krista, her hints to Francesca
that she will give her the job (while her remarks to others at
the same time make it clear that that was never her intention),
or the way in which she puts Elgar on the programme and se-
cures the solo part for her favourite. Btw, that she has highly
qualified musicians as her personal assistants to maintain her
diary and carry her bags beggars belief.
“The key moment may be when she says early on that Al-
sop et. al. had prepared the way for her, so now she belie-
ves gender is insignificant, NB, to *music*.” That is also an
example of her callousness – I made it, so no further support
for women is necessary anymore? And while there are many
deeper layers and subtleties here it can’t have escaped the ma-
kers of this movie that they are creating a kind of female Le-
vine, and that this would have predictable consequences in
today’s world (particularly given that I believe this is an ori-
ginal story, not based on a book or so).
The point about class (and about Tár making both her first
and surname sounding more unique/interesting, trying to
escape her upbringing) is well made.
(L) “I made it, so no further support for women is necessary
anymore.” Yes; I think that’s the nuance exactly. But I belie-
ve “it can’t have escaped the makers of this movie that they
are creating a kind of female Levine” is a point entirely paral-
lel to Alsop’s not at all articulated objections to the character’s
lesbianism. The decision to take a character, especially one as
carefully ambiguously drawn as this one, as an outright, en
clair synecdoche or allegorical representation is on the inter-
preter, not the artist. No? Bluntly, Alsop is projecting. Of cou-
rse the filmmakers would have foreseen such a thing. But they
elected, fairly to my mind, to ignore the prior restraint that
would impose on their storytelling. And I thought the most
bluntly “anti-woke” scene was her “trial” before the whatcha-
macallit board, which stopped short of presenting the pro-
cedure as a kangaroo court; but only just.
(M) Beyond content analysis, I do think there’s more to say about
the way the film is directed and paced.
(L) (M) Absolutely. These prominent but ultimately rather
external considerations distract from the genuine art of the
piece.
163
