The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is Ourselves

That is if you're buying what Richard Taruskin is selling in his self-incriminating, prejudicial, contradictory, and moralizing review of three different books about the state of classical music. This interminable discussion shows no signs of abating, and good as he is, Taruskin's assault on the topic will hardly make a dent in its momentum.

He embraces the idea that the classical music market experienced a bubble which is now bursting, but he goes out of his way to condemn the ideas of Adorno & company. Of the books he reviewed, he says two of them are crap, and the third's strengths mainly lie in its discussion of the usage of classical music in films.

He posits that Shostakovich's canon is the 'paramount example of music as Bildungsroman' yet deplores the grafting of meaning on to music.

So, is it worth your time? Not particularly, unless you are as fed up with this ceaseless whingeing about the state of classical music as he appears to be.

The line that leaps out the most is his admission that he does not care why people listen to classical music, "as long as they go on listening". He does not, however, explain why he cares that they listen, which is at least what the subjects of his critique are endeavoring to do.

In case anyone is keeping score, we care neither why people listen or that they go on listening to classical music, and we're quite fond of butter tarts.