On the other hand, there is Guy Dammann of UK's Guardian, reviewing the O2 London production of Orff's Carmina Burana in 2009. Dammann displays all the aristocratic, snobbish, condescending characteristics that one would expect from a literate Englishman who is hard-pressed to find anything that pleases him. Dammann, in fact, represents the exact opposite end of the spectrum to Gelfand. If Gelfand is American idealism/exuberance run completely amok, Dammann is English propriety and snootiness held so aloft from the common superficialities of common man (which he disdains) that anyone who can possibly relate to his comments is most likely as snooty as he.

Such is not to say that Dammann does not know what he is talking about. Not at all -- Dammann has obviously been educated in theater, and gives a refreshing bit of information concerning the history of Orff's Carmina. His review is fairly objective, discerning, and intelligent. Neither hyper nor boring, Dammann knows what to say and how to say it. If he represents England, one might be compelled to say that between the two countries England has the upper hand with regard to stage drama and classical music. England, in fact, is backed by a tradition that has at heart its own Golden Age of drama -- so it is not likely that such matters are to be taken lightly.

Thus, Dammann displays no lack of sensitivity, and even criticizes the O2's performance for being "so...

One holds choral music as a rousing, spirited, all-engulfing exercise in which the passions are roused and the audience is raised to the roof in a fury of sound and spectacle. The other views choral music as an extension of that ancient European tradition that evolved out of the middle ages, having its birth in the Gregorian chant of religious houses, blossoming through the works of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner into today -- where the flame of culture and meaning is kept alive through the staid performances that echo the intentions of the masters. The former is American, the latter is English, and Dammann faults the O2 for succumbing to the American variety of choral performance.
In conclusion, both Gelfand and Dammann offer insightful looks into two different cultures' musical attitudes and reflections from a reviewer's standpoint.

Works Cited

Dammann, Guy. "Classical Review: Carmina Burana." The Guardian. 20 Jan 2009.

Web. 4 May 2011.

Gelfand, Janelle. "Review: Carmina Burana: 'Burana' gets unique, dramatic reading."

Enquirer. 28 May 2000. Web. 4 May 2011.