Michael Parkinson, interviewed in the current RCM 'Upbeat' magazine, tells that story about music critic Neville Cardus. with whom he worked on the Guardian in the late 1950s. It's interesting that the physical act of typing got the words flowing eventually. Now I know what to do when writer's block strikes.

 

Louise... Louise... Louise...

We have the cautionary tale this week of Leonard Slatkin, who, when faced with conducting La Traviata at the Met for the first time, had the honesty to admit to himself that he had to get to know it, the sense not to tell the orchestra it was new to him - and then he blogged about the learning process. The critics pounced on the first night, and he is not conducting future performances. Ouch.

 

 

Fellow bloggers, let us beware. Beginner that I am, the pitfalls of posting are obvious - a sense of isolation, writing in a vacuum with no editor to caution against naivety or to check for the cringe factor, no feedback to measure reader response. You're on your own.

 

Our profession is littered with trip hazards as it is, without us manufacturing them ourselves. Maybe we all need a trusted friend, brave enough to suggest a second look at a post, sometimes. Anything that we write may be used as evidence against us.

So drop me a line, dear reader, if I overstep the mark. Thank you.