Why you should never buy a concert programme

The lengthy programme list, sorry programme notes, did though tell me something about her. It informed me breathlessly that she “has performed at major international concert halls and festivals.” Pass the smelling salts. One of the world’s leading virtuosi has performed at major concert halls. How am I meant to cope with such a startling revelation and concentrate on the music?

The Independent’s David Lister has discovered, rather late in the day that they are full of agent-purpled puffery and contain no useful information. Nothing new about this: I must have written three or four such pieces down the years. But the people who organise concerts pay no attention to what’s in the booklet, or what numbing effect it has on the audience they rip off. It makes one despair of any possibility of progress.

Read David’s piece here.

If you are an artist, tell your agent to cut the crap from your programmes.