The Reviews are in!!!
Lieberson's Reed Quintet
Has Lots of Good Stuff
...
The middle 50% bores the hell out of me.
----
OK. Not being one to get easily offended, I seek to learn something from every critique. Even if I don't agree, I eventually get around to trying to listen with that person's ears.
So I cut out the middle.
Sent a pre-release copy to the reviewer.
He said,
"Much better. Now I can only imagine how much better it would be if you cut out the other 50%."
In all seriousness, my mind is overcrowded. Sometimes this is reflected in my work.
As I listened with this critic's ears (I had to promise that I would return them the next morning) I found innumerable places where he could have gotten bored or worn out by incessant development.
For the most recent nine years, creating, even editing has been as effortless as breathing. Not so recently.
Reed Quintet is a phoenix. Mythology tells us that this fantastic bird lives for 100 years, bursts into flames then emerges reborn.
Today the muses sent an "AHA!"
It arrived by the carrier pigeon, Hedwig: instead of one 50% overwhelming (euphemism for boring) movement it is now four tiny movements-- with tons of rewriting.
Once again, I sent the critic a pre-release copy. He was kind enough to send this reply.
"I am heartened by your valuing my critique. It is obvious you have spent a lot of time and energy on this version. Where once you had one mediocre movement, you now have four.
