Music: Greatness, Here & Now

LADIES and gentlemen, a star is born, or rather: a star is about ten years old at this point, given that Olga Borodina first made an impression on the music world in the early ’90s. But it is only in the last season or so that she has come to the fore, grabbing the music world by the throat. Borodina, a Russian mezzo-soprano, is one of the finest singers in the world. She is also one of the finest singers . . . ever.

Now, most critics would rather swallow poison than make that last point, at least in public. Moderation is the name of our game: We hedge, we qualify, we keep our heads down. And because we do this, we often fail to recognize, or announce, greatness when we see it, or hear it. It is safer to wait for the “judgment of history.” But this is a bit of a cop-out: Part of the critic’s duty is to call a spade a spade, or an immortal an immortal—even “prematurely.” We have no trouble saluting the past. We express envy of earlier audiences, and we cherish our “historic recordings.” But contemporary performers? They will have to wait their turn: from the grave.

About the Author

Jay Nordlinger

Jay Nordlinger was a senior editor of National Review and a book fellow at National Review Institute.

LADIES and gentlemen, a star is born, or rather: a star is about ten years old at this point, given that Olga Borodina first made an impression on the music world in the early ’90s. But it is only in the last season or so that she has come to the fore, grabbing the music world by the throat. Borodina, a Russian mezzo-soprano, is one of the finest singers in the world. She is also one of the finest singers . . . ever.

Now, most critics would rather swallow poison than make that last point, at least in public. Moderation is the name of our game: We hedge, we qualify, we keep our heads down. And because we do this, we often fail to recognize, or announce, greatness when we see it, or hear it. It is safer to wait for the “judgment of history.” But this is a bit of a cop-out: Part of the critic’s duty is to call a spade a spade, or an immortal an immortal—even “prematurely.” We have no trouble saluting the past. We express envy of earlier audiences, and we cherish our “historic recordings.” But contemporary performers? They will have to wait their turn: from the grave.