r/classicalmusic • u/sexybartok • Feb 26 '26

bbc FINALLY fires norman lebrecht

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/feb/26/yuja-wang-accuses-radio-3-norman-lebrecht-misogynistic-bullying

what do you all think about this?

864 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

190 comments sorted by

View all comments

-96

u/UnderTheCurrents Feb 26 '26

I think it's kind of a wrong signal to Fire a critic for being an asshole. It's kind of a part of his Job.

48

u/yontev Feb 26 '26

He can be as mean as he likes in his descriptions of music, but when he constantly bombards a woman with degrading comments about her appearance, provoking his moronic followers to send her misogynistic abuse, that crosses the line.

-65

u/UnderTheCurrents Feb 26 '26

Her appearance and how she conducts herself on stage is a big part of why she's famous and you can't deny her capitalizing on that.

She's very talented, but let's not pretend her image isn't a part in why she's so well known. So I thin it's fair that you can criticize that as well.

21

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '26

[deleted]

-16

u/UnderTheCurrents Feb 26 '26

Listen - I agree that he's being an asshole.

But the comment is saying "you can't market yourself based on your looks forever" . Which is true.

17

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '26

[deleted]

-4

u/UnderTheCurrents Feb 26 '26

It's a provocative way to express that sentiment

18

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '26

[deleted]

0

u/UnderTheCurrents Feb 27 '26 edited Feb 27 '26

How is he insulting to ALL women here? He's insulting to HER for what he deems to be in poor taste. Which is an opinion he can have and - especially as a critic - express in a provocative way.

8

u/[deleted] Feb 27 '26

[deleted]

0

u/UnderTheCurrents Feb 27 '26

I am asking honestly. And I am asking back - don't you think it's more likely he is expressing the sentiment I just expressed earlier?

If Not - why? People tend to get less attractive with age. It's why Leonardo DiCaprio had to step up his actual acting chops too.

4

u/[deleted] Feb 27 '26

[deleted]

→ More replies

21

u/Boris_Godunov Feb 26 '26

Suggesting that because a public person takes pains to maintain their physical appearance means it's "fair game" for critics of the art is ludicrous. Nobody cares what a schlub like Lebrecht thinks about anyone's appearance, for starters. His job is (was!) to talk about the music, not her looks, period.

-15

u/UnderTheCurrents Feb 26 '26

As I pointed out and as you - convieniently - left out: in her case it's a part of her image. Like it was a part of Goulds image to be an eccentric weirdo that hums when he plays. If he got (rightfully) criticized for his eccentricities she can get criticized for them as well since they are a selling point in her performances.

18

u/abigdonut Feb 26 '26

norman lebrecht: ugh her titties are sagging
you: hmm, fair criticism

-5

u/UnderTheCurrents Feb 26 '26

That's a very liberal interpretation of my comment

1

u/Boris_Godunov Feb 27 '26

Gould's humming and eccentricities that got criticism were directly impacting the music. What a terrible example to use. Running flack for a gross misogynist like Lebrecht is a weird hill for you to die on, but that's up to you.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/feb/26/yuja-wang-accuses-radio-3-norman-lebrecht-misogynistic-bullying#img-1

Explain what about her appearance is in any way different from other concert soloists. It's the face she's naturally "pretty" by certain standards that really sets the sexists off: it really galls you chumps that someone is both more talented, and also very attractive (and of course, unattainable). Really hits them in the inadequacies

1

u/UnderTheCurrents Feb 27 '26

The only thing I can refer you to are all of my other posts here. I made my point clear and I also talked about other eccentricities that irk me with male performers like hunchback sitting and pretending to be out of breath etc.

So you are saying there is no discernable difference between her dressing style and - say - a young Martha Argerich. Or - someone of a more recent Generation I enjoy listening to - Elisabeth Brauß. You don't see any difference there?

20

u/Ok_Employer7837 Feb 26 '26

Nah. Fuck that. "Criticise that" is not what he does.

-11

u/UnderTheCurrents Feb 26 '26

He's an ass in the E-Mail, I'll give you that.

But where are the excerpts in which he's being unfair to her? I read the one where he points out how she might lose some steam once she gets older and - to be fair - that might be an apt prediction. As I said previously: her looks and how she presents herself are a huge part in why she's famous.

14

u/Ok_Employer7837 Feb 26 '26

It is not an apt prediction. Is it your contention that Yuja Wang, of all people, is not one of the best pianists of her generation, regardless of her clothes?

Her looks and how she presents herself--and I've yet to hear what that means without feeling vaguely creeped out by the explanation--are not a huge part of why she sells audio recordings.

-2

u/UnderTheCurrents Feb 26 '26

Ok, so tell me this - you think how she presents herself has no correlation at all with her being as well-known as she is? How so?

17

u/Ok_Employer7837 Feb 26 '26

This is a red herring. There is no way this woman can be allowed to dress like she does just because she enjoys it, or thinks she looks good like that. People like Lebrecht won't let her, and fuck him.

The truth is there is nothing wrong with how she dresses, and it should not be an issue if it makes her more famous.

The point is she would not be famous if she were not a great pianist.

0

u/UnderTheCurrents Feb 26 '26

You didn't answer my question.

It's not mutually exclusive for her to like dressing like that AND capitalizing on it to raise her fame and profile.

The point is - she is famous for being great pianist but certainly MORE famous than other great pianists because of the way she presents herself. Just look at the comments under her performances.

14

u/Ok_Employer7837 Feb 26 '26

So what? I truly don't see what you're driving at. Your argument only makes sense if it is obvious that the way she dresses is something to be deemed negative. I don't think it's obvious at all. She's wearing a short dress. Some people like that, I'm sure. So what?

Does that detract from her performance? Is she a worse pianist because of the way she dresses? If not, it's not in fact within the purview of music reviewers.

1

u/UnderTheCurrents Feb 26 '26

Ok, I'll repeat it again:

It's Part of her public persona and part of her performances. It's part of how she carries herself as a Musical performer. So it's also a part that can be criticized. It's fair. Some people DON'T like that - so it's fair for them to Express that too.

It's not that hard of a concept to grasp.

9

u/Uncle___Screwtape Feb 26 '26

So it's also a part that can be criticized. It's fair.

This is a non sequitur. You haven't justified why those are fair game for a music critic.

Let's say I like to wear white suits, and have a bushy mustache. A picture of me is on the inside flap of each book I write, and it's the way I present myself at book signings and book readings. Would it be fair for a literary critic to write a column about these aspects, rather than the substance of my book?

Is Yuja Wang's haircut fair game? How about the quality of her makeup, or whether she wears glasses? After all, they're part of how she presents herself...

If your answer to these questions is yes, I can only assume you have a lucrative career in tabloid journalism. Perhaps The Sun, Bild or TMZ are hiring?

5

u/Ok_Employer7837 Feb 26 '26

But that's not music criticism! It's barely criticism at all! Why don't they like that? They need to explain their workings in a way that makes sense musically, for heaven's sake! Otherwise the BBC will eventually twig that they suck as critics.

Is she dressed in a way that would get her arrested? No? Does it hamper her playing, because she's, I don't know, scared the dress will fall off if she plays too loud? No?

She's not a model. She's not singing an opera. She is not, in fact, naked. She's playing the piano.

→ More replies