Music Criticism as Contact Sport

As almost anyone with a Facebook account knows, classical music criticism is going from spectator sport to participatory activity. Some people read the comments on articles or news feeds just as avidly as the actual reviews that precede them. Meanwhile, as newspaper arts coverage is cut back in many cities, blogs and Twitter feeds are a growing force in shaping conversations about the art form.

But where does this leave classical music? Is the Internet giving us a more democratic form of commentary – or a more shrill, unfiltered one?