Status Report: What I've Learned After Four Years As A Critic On Video 

I miss those videos that covered "The BEST [fill in the music]," capped by your "however" version. Whether I agreed with you or not, those videos encouraged me to explore performances I didn't know, as well as to use your recommendations to acquaint me with unfamiliar music via a decent performance. Bring back the "howevers"!

I don’t know what I would do without you, Dave. To have inherited thousands of CDs, when my husband died, with very few guidelines in my memory, your videos are a map, suggesting this or that performance, always fascinating, sometimes very funny and always showing your great love for classical music. That’s what it’s all about, and you are infectious in your enthusiasms. For example, someone once told me that Dvorak only wrote to please his mummy, and it put me off Dvorak for years. You have resurrected him for me, with your delight in this incredible master of composition. Thank you for this, and much else.

I've seen at least 200 of your videos, and you have led me to classical works that I had never heard of before, and composers I was not familiar with. I now have a much wider range of classical music interests. I've purchased a number of CDs you have recommended. I didn't then like all of them, but I liked very many of them.

I've been watching your videos for a relatively short time, and I think you have the gift that the great broadcasters share: they can improvise and be engaging and entertaining while conveying the facts. I always think of the greatest baseball play-by-play man ever, Vin Scully. He was with the Dodgers from the Brooklyn days right through his retirement, when he was (if I recall correctly) close to ninety. He never sounded as if he were reading from a script; he gave you the statistics, but he always sounded as if he knew them by heart, even when he actually WAS reading from his notes. And he knew just how much to talk! So many of the other guys talk just to be talking, and have no idea when silence tells the story by itself. Of course, he had learned what all of us broadcasters learn: you're talking to ONE PERSON. You keep it conversational. You're talking to someone you know, even though you don't. That's what draws us in (at least, it's what drew ME in). You have to be able to keep the names, dates, etc., ready in your head, but you also need the talent to call them up on the fly and in the right context, so you don't come across as a pompous know-it-all. Even if you ARE reading from something you've written down, you need to be able to riff a little--or maybe a lot. So if I tell you you're the Vin Scully of classical music, I'm paying you the highest compliment I know how to give.

To me you are the well informed and passionate friend I was missing such a long time. I don't have anyone in my family or friends who is into classical music. So as I discovered your channel 4 years ago it was like a blessing and I've listened to almost all of your videos. Using videos your enthusiasm and passion for music comes across way better than any written text. I don't comment that often on your videos but be assured that I listen and care what you have to say. It is important to me.

Mr. Hurwitz, Thank you for these videos. They have been informative, educational, and entertaining. You encouraged me to expand what works I listen to and what recordings are available. I would never have listened to Glazunov symphonies if I hadn’t watched your video about them. Also I get a laugh at some of your videos from your Henze incident to the DG Boulez box. Again thank you for this and keep on posting. I hope you get better soon. Paul D. Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Dave, this was fascinating. I want you to know that I watch every single day (sometimes for hours) and you are a big part of my life. You very often make me laugh until I cry. You are so fun. But more than anything, I so appreciate your knowledge, insights and taste. It really helps me choose great performances, and I appreciate that, because they are not inexpensive, so I know I'm getting something I will listen to for a lifetime. And who says you're not telegenic? I love your smile, enthusiasm, clear love of classical music, and energy. You're a big part of my entertainment and education. As you often say, "what's not to love?"

I've followed the development of the channel from the get-go, through today. Keep doing what you're doing. The more folks you bring to awareness of the incredible universe of classical music, the better.

The longtime radio voice of the Mets, the late great Bob Murphy, had only one piece of advice for up and coming play-by-play announcers. "Never forget, you're not a commentator, you're a reporter." Dave, your reportage is always "pithy, coherent and enjoyable." Often funny as hell, too. Bravo. P.S. It was Pete Wells, still the Times main restaurant critic, who savaged Guy Fieri's place. Blistering, brilliant and well deserved.

You didn't mention one of your major accomplishments over the last four years. You survived the challenge created by the copyright police who now don't let you play musical samples, and you have thrived on it, wayward whistling and all. It made you work even harder to convey the excitement and beauty of the works you were discussing. You are out there exposed, and your personality and wisdom get us to the heart of the music even more than audio samples could do. Bravo!

I liked the serious buttoned up Dave; but I also like the exuberant comedic Dave. Most of all I like Dave the educator recounting anecdotes, providing overviews (to beginner and non alike), humbly (or not) sharing insights and opinions. I for one cannot begin to express my gratitude. I dream of sharing with you my 'random' thoughts on the Dave-influenced CD collection I've amassed since I started watching you, of which I'm very proud (and I imagine you would be too). In short, you are a treasure, so much so that had you not existed we would have to invent you. Keep on Talking!.

There’s a human element to your reviews on this channel that I don’t get from any written reviews. Dave, you mentioned your weaknesses, but your strength is the knowledge base that you bring with you. I learn something from every one of your videos - about the composer, the music, the performers. Thank you!

I can only echo the comments here, your are the best reviewer on the Internet, in fact, on any medium. A great watch with informed choices and information.

Well, this for me was one of your best David. Your open honest style of delivery makes it a powerful medium through which to explore classical music, and to appreciate nuanced criticism.

Please stay just as you are! Your chatty episodes, combined with evident 'insider' musical knowledge, are an unique combination that make your reviews a joy.

I heartily endorse all the positive comments! I can only add that your deep love of this music, and that your opinions are informed, thoughtful, and never arbitrary, keeps me coming back on a daily basis.

Dave, you are an exceptional critic: possessor of an encyclopedic understanding, articulate, insightful, and entertaining. I feel very fortunate to be able to learn from you. Thank you!

As a lover of classical music I become speechless to thank you for your magistery. Thank you very much, beloved Dave!

Well put, that's why I watch you everyday, you continue to inform, educate, and its a growing process for me and my continual love of classical music, you're also extremely funny. Another thumbs up.

I like both your written reviews and these videos. If I prefer the written reviews, it's because you write so well. But these talks are very lively.

Dave-you continue to guide my listening in an incredibly useful way. Thanks for what you do-you’re getting it just right.

What can I say?!! Dave’s videos, reviews, chats, faves, etc., etc. is by far the best and most educational thing I have EVER encountered! I look forward every day for all new videos. Like another comment above…I have shifted my personal CD collection to that of Dave’s “howevers”, “faves”, etc. Incredible critic and musical genius! Thank you so much for sharing every day and your love and dedication!

Please keep it up, Dave. I enjoy these videos and all the ways you've come up with to keep them fresh. You have introduced me to so much interesting rep! I have always loved recorded music. Browsing the shelves of the record store was a supreme pleasure and I grieved when they closed. It's been a little challenging to adapt to the new 'streaming' world, but I'm encouraged by your 'optimistic pessimism'. As Joyce Didonato said recently, the conservatories are still full of energetic young musicians, so those who bemoan the demise of classical music are premature...at least for now. Thanks for all you do. Even when I may not agree, I'm engaged.

I have been with you everyday for the last three years...and I still look forward to every single video you post. I remember a time when you did 4 videos a day, but doing 3 now seems right. Your videos don't really need that extra visual flash production, which might make you more appealing to the Gen Z audience, but as you once said, classical music shouldn't try so hard to cater to the young...they'll eventually come around anyway. It is your animated energy and genuine enthusiasm for this art that I find contagious! What is important is the music itself, and you have enriched my listening experience and knowledge of fringe repertoire beyond words and for that, I sincerely thank you and can't wait to wake up to tomorrow's new video (5 am E.S.T.)!!! Also, it's not just the reviews that count in my opinion, but I love the music chats, the special series on various topics-like fabulous concert programs, the reference recordings, artist surveys, WAYLTL, the Cancrizan lists, the Haydn Crusade-and so much more...and I have two of your books on 2 composers we both love (Haydn and Dvorak) and I hope you keep writing these hard copy books too, like the Bruckner you have mentioned, but maybe a book on Martinu?...Roussel?...Lloyd?...it will be a smart and informative survey whatever you choose I'm sure, and whether you're tuning in to Dave's Crusade in 2024 or 3535...it is all important to a serious listener, and so, keep up the good work and keep on listening!!!

Dave, you are inspirational and delightful. That's why I watch. Oh, and the depth of your reporting and your recommendations have expanded my library with wonderful recordings. But above all, you are the best and most trustworthy.

Thank you, Dave. I have been following your excellent reviews for many years. I do wish you would continue to write more reviews on your website as I find your written reviews to be excellent, and your strongest work. But I have also enjoyed your video reviews, and find them helpful in different way. Your work in video has enabled me to round out my listening experience in a way the written reviews never could. You mention so many recordings of the basic repertoire and of the interesting byways that could never be so fully covered in your written reviews -- more than I could possibly ever listen to but which I can pull up at will now with streaming.

I have been watching (and learning from!) your videos since the game-changing COVID beginning... but when the lovely Mildred😼entered the critical Classical Music discussion, I became a devotee for life! Your words and suggestions have literally transformed my Classical Music experience... and for that, and your feline friends, 🐱💞😺I thank you very kindly! Mike D.

Thanks, David. It's been a great pleasure to engage with you over these years. I was very fortunate to be close friends for many years with a remarkably knowledgeable music critic who shared your rare ability to recall the details of every musical performance he had heard, live or recorded, and who as a young man had been taken under the wing of another great critic, Neville Cardus. Sadly, my friend died some years ago but watching your videos has given me something of the same experience of being taught to listen and to listen to things outside my comfort zone. 'Keep on listening' is a great mantra, but we need to be taught how to listen, what to listen to and what to listen for. You do that by example in such a stimulating and delightful way. Here's to many more years!

I've found some things I might have never discovered through these videos, as well as dodging more than one bullet. As someone once said, "Keep on listening!" And keep talking about it!

Thanks so much, Dave, for these reflections on your development as a video music critic. I recently revisited some of your earlier reviews and noticed that you came across as somewhat more organized, but also less relaxed and conversational than you do now. I really appreciate the more congenial, conversational style you have developed along the way. It's almost as if you and I and some friends are gathering of an evening to discuss recorded music together. I have fewer occasions to do that among my circles of friends these days, so your videos fill an important gap in my social life. But from the very beginning, I found your videos enlivening and often insightful, and since my reading vision has declined so much in recent years, the video medium fills a real need for someone who used to spend hours poring over the record review journals.

I've spent much of my life reading and share your love for the written and printed word. However, I'm starting to have trouble with my eyes to the point where reading for pleasure is starting to take work. So, video talk is becoming a godsend to me now. I enjoy these videos. Keep 'em coming.

Dave Congrats on your 4 wonderful years. You've gotten me to listen to performances from my own overflow room I had either forgotten or dismissed and now find great pleasure in. And, over the years you introduced me to musicians I had barely heard of before: Constantin Silvestri, Paul Keltzi and most recently Stanislaw Skrowaczewski's Bruckner Cycle (Wonderful!) come to mind. My pockets are a bit emptied but my ears are enriched! Many thanks from Boston!

... and I agree with your thoughts on making videos..as do a jazz oriented video channel and I find that I have to be in the mood to make a deent video... God forbid its my life,like yours.--great job David..you are a breath of fresh air in your honesty.--JG

Thanks for all your videos. As well as learning a lot it has helped me to reconnect with my enthusiasm for classical music

A very fine video, a grand first four years, and congratulations on 41K subscribers! It doesn’t appear Hovhaness’s 41st Symphony has been recorded, so I shall give Haydn’s 41st a celebratory listen instead.

Very enlightening! I appreciate your excellent videos which are both educational and entertaining. Keep up the great work!

Dave, I dare say that all your work up to this point, all your written reviews, your work with different organizations, your extensive listening has led up to this point and you are now in your element. You are a superb enroller - that is you have been able to create an environment in which the manifold possibilities of classical music become available to your audience. It’s a great thing! 😊

YES to your take on George Bernard Shaw’s criticism. I don’t agree with that Wagner-worshipper very much, but he sure is fun to read! Snarky and abrasive and clever as all hell. Another really fun old guy to read is B.H. Haggin. He’s brilliant and delightfully judgmental, with occasional humor. He’s certainly not as funny as Shaw, but he’s more useful because he lived from 1900 to 1987, so he covered what some of us consider the Golden Age of (analog) classical recording, as well as what we sometimes call ‘historical’ recordings. He likes Karajan more than I do and worships Toscanini, but he does take a stand and he’s interesting. As for you Dave, it was fascinating hearing about how you’ve handled becoming a RU-vid figure. You’re doing great! Keep it up!

It's like Babs or any other great singer. When you've got the talent and skill, then you don't need to dance, use auto-tune or prance around in skimpy clothing. You're like a brilliant professor whose class everyone shows up for because it's always fun and interesting. In this day and age of AI-generated content and even content-creators, it seems almost radical to have a RU-vid creator who's just a cool guy in a room sharing his passion and knowledge with everyone...and let's not forget...cats. lol. There's an authenticity to it that I find so refreshing and inspiring! Thanks for all you do, Dave! You're a star!

The interesting thing is to define criticism as a creative act. It is certainly true, even if many argue that the critic is not equal to the artist because he lacks creativity. Not only that, after all, making videos is also a creative act. What a cute topic!

Thank you, Dave. When it comes to learning and enjoying, your videos are the top of the list. I was recently at a conference and missed about four days of your videos -- talk about absence making the heart grow fonder! Of course, I made up all the videos I missed, but I eagerly look forward to the opportunity to both learn and enjoy with every video. Wesley

Dear Mr Hurwitz, Don't change a thing. You know your stuff, and your programmes are a delight. Long may you broadcast. Yours sincerely, Jonathan Diack

Your enthusiasm and remarkable knowledge of the world of classical music makes the need for any special effects unnecessary. Your videos are delightful. Keep on trucking!

.... You're very engaging, we BELIEVE. Well done for these Talks, Dave!

I can't add to all the praise here, all of which I agree with. Your videos are an ongoing enrichment of my life. I’ve discovered a number of new composers through them, a great many new recordings, and all kinds of interesting ideas about the recording process and the classical music industry. And as I said once before, your good cheer and humour makes for a great anti-depressant! I had a thought the other day for a series you could do, if it hasn’t already been covered and you have any interest in it: how about choosing a number of individual years, and selecting five, or whatever, works that were composed in that year. I think this might be an interesting way of illustrating different simultaneous trends in music, bringing one into a particular moment. We tend to listen to music without thinking about what else was appearing at the same time. So for example, in 1910, to take a year at random, Saint-Saëns, Fauré, Janáček, Elgar, Mahler, Debussy, Sibelius, Roussel, Scriabin, Vaughan Williams, Rachmaninov, Schoenberg, Ravel, Bartók, Stravinsky - and this is only a very partial list - were all writing mature music. Just a thought…

Dave, I've only come to your channel recently and it's a delight when I see your next video turn up. With nobody else I know interested in classical music, it's so good to hear someone as knowledgeable as you talk about it. I just wish I could browse those shelves behind you, it looks like a wonderland for music lovers! I'm a complete novice at classical music. It must be hard talking to people you can't see to gauge their reactions. When I was a young thing I loved reading the children's books written by renowned English author Alan Garner and I sent him a note telling him how much I enjoyed them. He wrote back to me saying it was a delight to receive my message because so often he felt his books went out into a void and he wondered if anyone did actually ever read them. I still treasure that letter from him decades later. Keep on doing what you're doing please!

Moar cats!! Seriously: I noticed when Mildred became more visible than before. I thought it good, but wondered if I was bad for being that superficial! I think it humanises things, though. And you're spot on that putting your face out there is very different from putting only your words out there.

Thank you for all your very insightful videos, Dave. They have added daily pleasure now for years. So grateful for all your work.

I don't think you need to reveal anything in particular. But it's inevitable that your listeners are going to enjoy YOU. And, for all the limitations of knowledge and understanding, to love you and enjoy your kitties and your shirts and your family tales and all of it!

Education and entertainment are so essential to me and you do a wonderful job at both when discussing music. The Haydn Crusade has been my all time favorite series of videos and you've helped me understand and enjoy his music immensely...I guess you shouldn't forget 41.1 k subscribers can't be wrong you must be doing something right!!

I love your videos and how you put your personality into them. Watching you, I feel I'm spending time with a friend. This gets tricky: One eve I was pretty sure I saw you at the Philharmonic. I was tempted to come over and say hi to my friend, Dave, but had to remind myself that this friendship is a RU-vid illusion. In addition to your knowledge, insight, humor, and honesty, I especially love your joy and enthusiasm for the music. So many critics, after a while, just seem to lose that love and seem to find pleasure only in finding fault. I want my critics never to lose the sensitivity of a fan, always to be happiest when they love a performance because nothing gives more pleasure than a great performance of great music.

I think the best thing I can say here is that, if by some wonderful chance, I bumped into you in the street or the pub, I’d feel rather as though I’d be meeting up with someone I know, really like, whose company I enjoy and whose opinion I value. A friend, in fact, Dave. You entertain, enlighten and add value to life. This is badly expressed. But thank you.

We’re fortunate to have you, Dave.

Always nice to watch and listen to your remarks.

You are fabulous and I have been following you since I as a youngster used to read your reviews in some hifi magazine (can’t think which one). A strength of the video/ audio is of course that you can illustrate your points with music clips, like you do with your Haydn surveys. We need more of that!

Bad reviews are more fun than good reviews, don't you think? Does that make me a sadist or masochist (or both) for enjoying those? A boring review is like salt that has lost its saltiness. Only worth to be trodden underfoot. Dave never does boring reviews!

I enjoy your videos largely because of the level of analysis you give to performances/recordings. Others might have better presentations, but they largely provide only conclusions without giving us the "why."

The three years since I first discovered your videos have been enriched immeasurably by your often wonderful recommendations, and I look forward to your incorrigible sense of humour. I also always shared your great admiration for Haydn and Dvorak. Your in-depth discussion of the Haydn symphonies, chamber works, etc have been always enlightning but I have searched in vain for your recommendations for the late Haydn masses - some of my favourite works of all. Any chance that you might consider giving them the same consideration you afforded the symphonies in the Crusade? Excuse my impertinence.

good discussion.... experience is invaluable!-JG

Thank you, Mr. Dave, for all the wonderful videos. Two things here: First, your reviews have integrity, which you can't be sure of with some of the reviews on RU-vid, because of free product and other perks which some reviewers blatantly hawk. Secondly, because you help us connect more deeply with the music with your deep knowledge of classical music and recordings. I come from a background of rock music, and I can tell you that the critics back-in-the-day were despised by both the musicians and the fans. We had Rolling Stone, of course, as an example, and they were constantly wrong about their own reviews of some of the major releases of the time - records they panned and claimed were a waste of time that they later enshrined into their "Greatest of All time" lists. Go figure. Just sayin'.

Dear Dave. I look forward to watching your videos every day and like many of the other commenters, you have expanded my musical experience. I thank you for your knowledge and continued hard work.

Love your videos. Thanks so much for making them!

I think that one definition of a good music critic is someone you always read, even if you are not interested in the work being discussed. The opera and voice specialist John Steane was one such for me, and he would have me running to the records to check out what he had said. He is no longer with us, but when I leaf through past reviews (with the benefits of online streaming services), I can easily appreciate his wonderful words.

Thanks Dave for doing this so far and hope more year to come. I continue to learn more about this and someday I might be like you.

Keep it up Mr Hurwitz. You bring joy & stimulation to our lives! I don't always agree with you, but that's not the point. I couldn't overestimate how often my listening has been influenced by your videos. You'll do a session on a particular work & then I'll rummage through my library to find it...&, heaven forbid, if I don't have it, the search begins...

Yes, the objective facts are what matter. Rarely has my personal identity been relevant. It’s comical to think that if I said, “2+2=5,” it couldn’t be refuted if I were anonymous. I operate under no such constraints.

Great video, Dave! As a long-time viewer and Classics Today insider, thank you so much for the enjoyment that your videos continue to give me. An idea: what about doing some videos on some of the great record critics? An example could be the late John Steane, vocal and opera critic and author of the seminal "The Grand Tradition".

I'm hoping for a review of the Haydn complete music for baryton - a wonderful box from Brilliant Classics.

As a fellow Percussionist like yourself I enjoy your reviews from a Percussionist point of view

You’re a treasure. Here’s to continued success. 🥂😊

Love your reviews and talks on repertoire. On occassion I have thrown objects and bad language at the computer screen but I still love them.

When it comes to YT and podcasts more generally, there's an obvious parallel to TV. So it's not only about the information presented or even the skill of communicating informed opinions in an entertaining way, but that one needs to feel a deeper connection to the personality behind the screen. To these ends, many content providers are quite deliberate in trying to achieve this connection by acting out a more colourful personality, coining catchphrases and so on. That's all fine. Your own approach appears to be more natural and straightforward and it suits you. "Keep on listening" as a sign off is a sort of catchphrase but a delightful one. Wearing your tie for "The NINTH" is great in-joke. The rest looks more or less freestyle which allows your authenticity to shine through. It is perhaps a big reason why we keep on watching. Another reason is that your videos are a lot of fun.

I have also learned from your talks, not just recordings I didn't know of, but the composers and also your views on the Early Music movement. As for known critics, surely the most famous or controversial, was Eduard Hanslick, who described Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto as 'music that stinks to the ear' -at the very least a reflection of some 19th century opinion.

A fascinating video. I watched one of your early videos the other day and noticed how "formal" and "polite" you were there, not as relaxed (and still polite) (on your good days) as in recent videos. The growth reminds me of Emeril Lagasse's early shows on the Food Network. In his first season he was very stiff; then over the summer they must have sent him to summer camp for TV chefs, and in season 2 he had morphed into his now familiar persona. Paula Deen was like that too but don't turn into her.

I made a favorable comment yesterday, but it seems to have been deleted. What is wrong with RU-vid where they decide who can post comments and who can not? Better read this before it disappears again. LOVE WHAT YOU'RE DOING, DAVE. Let's have many more years of your videos.

Very very glad you cannot put that genee (hope I got that spelling correct) back into the bottle. Not lying if I tell you this is my favorite RU-vid channel.

Are you familiar with the comedy duo of Bob Elliot and Ray Goulding (aka, Bob And Ray), a long-time radio act? They had a feature, Man on the Street, in which a radio reporter, Wally Balloo, would conduct "live" interviews on the street. The shtick was that Wally's interviews would always start with , "(This is Wa)lly Balloo,your man on the street." In some of your recent videos, you go live in the first or second syllabyle. Start the video, pause, and then start speaking.

I think it would be very interesting for us if you did a video on youtube channels about music that you recommend 🎶

You're doing great 👍

Interesting reflections - keep up the good work. Can I suggest a topic for a future video - the low prices of used classical cds available on Amazon etc. Many cds are well below the vinyl equivalent prices. I speak from the UK but I assume Europe and the US are in the same place. It is often cheaper to buy the individual CDs rather than the box sets you review and that way you can avoid the repertoire you have no interest in. I assume the collapse of used cd prices reflects streaming etc but great time to build up your collection. Probably bad news for physical product in the longer term as the economics do not look great.

I enjoy your video reviews, Dave, but I also read regularly Gramophone’s written reviews, and I wonder what you might suggest about going from one format to another. What should I look for in a written review, yours or others, that might be helpful.

Hi again, Dave. Would you consider making some observations about some of the younger conductors, such as Andres Orozco- Estrada and Riccardo Minasi? Also, perhaps reviewing a few live performances on RU-vid (I love Minasi with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony doing Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3, and I would love to hear your opinion!)

My highest comment is that you were ın my dream last night. I wanted to explain what a music critic did to a good friend. You were used as just that music critic.

I would think one has to be a pretty good writer to put together cohesive scripts and/or extemporaneous thoughts for videos such as yours. And it seems to me that the role of critics in the age of social media could be that of a catalyst for dialogue, debate and discussion. Then again, critics and reviewers have always had that role to some extent, even if the responses never came to light.

Hi Mister, are you not afraid of becoming a guru ( i Show often your name on differents channel" are you here because Dave Hurwitz?" ❤

Dave, I have a question! Are the scarfs retired?? I miss those episodes 😅. Anyway, thanks for the video, you're one of the most insightful critics I've ever seen, even though I'm only 20 so i guess I haven't seen a lot of them lol.

you de best keep going

Hi Dave.. I wondered if you have heard of Wim Winters ? .. latest HIP nut proposing half tempo metronome marks🙈.. he just released complete Beethoven symphonies arr.Czerny for 4-hands .. I’m saying nothing.. would love to hear you comment on this whole cult.. the Czerny arrangements are stupendous if done properly.. I’m recording the cycle with my wife for LINN.. we’ve done 3/5/6/8.. others coming up.. all out by 2027.. individual symphony digital releases will start late this year …💥

How many people had to look up the Guy's American Kitchen review before even finishing this video?

To us consumers critics like your good self Dave have a lot more access to review material than we do in that you have CDs sent to you but does it make you feel uncomfortable if some are sending any thing very sub standard? it would save us from making expensive mistakes but these days there is a lot of sample meterial out thete on the internet.

Do you use a list of keywords or phrases to help keep the talk flowing?

Where do you think music criticism will go in the future? Like the new generation cannot possibly listen to every recording or even go to every substantial performance.

I was wondering how recording a review compares to writing a review? It seems to me that you must spend a fair amount of time before recording each video deciding what points you want to make and how to make them. While they do not seem scripted, I suspect you prepare an outline to keep the video on track, and we see occasion edits in the videos, which suggest they are not always done in one take. You've been writing reviews for decades, so I suspect that you can pop one out in short order. But, like most accomplished writers, you also probably spend a good deal of time editing and even rewriting. I presume there are no deadlines for Classics Today reviews (unlike when you wrote for magazines), which runs the risk of the work expanding to fill the time available. Or are you more disciplined? Bottom line, are video reviews of individual recordings easier, harder or the much the same as written reviews.

There should be a cat in every video; that's my only suggestion