HOORAY! It is great to see the return of the Misery Letter Writers Club to the pages of The Herald. Many readers of this newspaper must remember the halcyon days when there were a constant stream of dour letters from the same correspondents, which was eventually dubbed the Misery Letter Writers Club by one writer. The Herald has even published letters from readers who stated in their own letter that they would no longer purchase the newspaper, due to the mauling they received from the paper tigers of the MLWC.
The latest escapade concerns Ralph Vaughan Williams (Letters , April 25). Despite admitting to being clueless as to the work of the composer they are able to give in-depth critical analysis of a particular musical piece after a single listen, via some means other than listening to a live orchestra. Even those who have heard the work previously find it utterly disdainful that other people should get so much joy from the music.
Should any of the MLWC wish to train their ears on really duff music they could do worse than wander around Edinburgh on a sunny day being assailed by the screech of the canned bagpipes blaring from a variety of shop frontages. Perhaps the lark ascending will seem like a gift from God and they could even make their way to the top of Salisbury Crags, where living skylarks can be heard giving full voice to the real thing.
Dr Ronnie Gallagher,
5 Wyndhead Steading, Lauder.
FOR those who are criticising the Classic FM listeners’ choice of The Lark Ascending as their No1, may I point them in the direction of the version played by Nicola Benedetti with orchestra. Absolutely superb. For goodness sake, stop moaning.
Bill Rutherford,
30 Halliburton Place, Galashiels.
THANK you so much for printing Iain AD Mann's letter (April24) re The Lark Ascending gaining the No 1 spot (yet again) on Classic FM 's Hall of Fame, and the four follow-up letters of April 25), all agreeing in their own different ways. I have suffered all these years thinking it was just me.
So to Mr Mann et al, may I add a humble addition to their take on this lark going nowhere ...yes, me too.
Nancy Gilfedder,
91 Langbar Crescent, Glasgow.
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