Critic wins ten grand for ‘services to classical music’

Critic wins ten grand for ‘services to classical music’

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norman lebrecht

March 24, 2014

This doesn’t happen often, so enjoy it while you can.

The Faz critic Eleonore Büning has been announced as winner of the Heidelberg Festival Prize. The judges cited her ‘substanziell und nachhaltig für die Vermittlung von klassischer Musik’ (substantial and sustainable service to the promotion of classical music).

Büning, 62, is also chair of the German record prize committee(Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik).

The prize money of 1o,000 Euros will barely buy a pair of Jimmy Choos for the award ceremony. But with serious music criticism being ever more marginalised in shrinking print media it is good to see that, somewhere, its value is recognised.

re:thinking tomorrow

Comments

  • With many newspaper cutbacks over the years, and more bloggers online, it is nice to see old fashioned journalism being honored. Congratulations to Eleonore Buning on receiving the Heidelberg Festival Prize!

  • RW2013 says:

    Waste of money. Boo!

  • Manu says:

    and the Heidelberg festival will get good reviews…

  • Gaffer says:

    Congratulations to M. Buning. Writing quality music criticism is a difficult enterprise.

    Brings to mind a comment once made by Jan Sibelius in that he could not recall a stature ever being put up to honor a critic.

    • RW2013 says:

      There is however a commemorative plaque honouring Eduard Hanslick in Baden bei Wien.

      But one will have to search long and hard to find such a plaque for Frau Büning, the quality of whose life’s work beIng unable to exceed the value of one of Sibelius’ notes.

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