There are too many critics who don't know the instruments or how to
judge performance of the artist playing.  They know the scores well only
sometimes.  There are too many critics who are merely "writers." They judge
the conductor and the overall effect based on the recordings they have
heard.  That is not good enough for me.  I do enjoy those critics who write
well enough to be entertaining, but hope I don't let them influence my
concert going or purchasing decisions very much.

Ray Bayles