The New York Times decided to publish a round-up of their crits' favorite, most representative minimalist CDs last Friday, and, as could be predicted when you compile such lists, the backlash and backtalk began. Kyle Gann responded, the commenters commented; Steve Smith responded to Kyle's response, the commenters commented. An atheist could develop a belief in predestination, so choreographed did the exercise seem.
Lost in this grand shuffle was composer Nico Muhly's annotation of Bernard Holland's review of Muhly's own Zankel Hall composition recital. Up to this point, I'd always thought that performers and composers had nothing to gain by going public with their complaints about a reviewer's uninformed or uninformative slant. They inevitably come off poorly or petulant. But then, I don't think there's ever been a composer who presents such a wry and self-deprecating face to the public as Muhly. Read between the lines, however, and you can see him drawing out the fillet knife, and twisting it.
