A bite at the Opéra (part one)

I am writing in reference to "L'Opéra de Montreal outraged" [(e)Mail, April 17]. Each week I look forward to Philip Anson's articles (whether about Montreal or NYC), and I believe the music section of the Mirror is probably the main reason for picking up the newspaper. The comment from Mr. Trivisonno (l'OdM press relations) is troubling in that he goes beyond the clarification of facts and expresses the necessity of defending Anson's articles to l'OdM management.

Does Mr. Trivisonno mean that the management of l'OdM ignores critical reviews and that it is the press relations officer who filters feedback from the media? Or is he implying that l'OdM actually justifies to itself a critical review rather than taking constructive input from it?

In either case, this music fan hopes that our opera company continues to develop and to accept criticism in a positive spirit (and perhaps, sometimes, with a grain of salt).

Martin Kamela -Montreal

Critical of critic's critique

I found your reviewer Chris Yurkiw's critique of Depeche Mode's latest CD, Ultra ["Compact Discs," April 17], to be no critique at all. At least, not musically speaking. You didn't mention one song title or the music's resemblance to Depeche Mode's previous work; for example, "It's No Good" sounds like "Policy of Truth," and "Barrel of a Gun" is something along the lines of "I Feel You" from the Songs of Faith & Devotion CD. None of this was mentioned.

Your shallowness is beyond tabloid print. Is that all you stop at? Scandal? Maybe Mother Teresa would have given them a better review.

Devotional,

Olivier Levasseur -Montreal

Thatsa lotta cyanide

Your dog bites item on Cambior ["Cambior croney," April 17] contained an error which, unless corrected, may give the impression that the Mirror was manipulating the facts.

You claim that Cambior "released 3.2 billion litres of cyanide into the Guyanese ecosystem in the summer of 1995." Of course, it was not and could not have been cyanide released into the Omai creek; rather, it was water with cyanide in it. In case this distinction seems academic, consider how silly I would sound if I told you tap water was fluoride (as opposed to water with some fluoride in it).

If 3.2 billion litres of cyanide had been spilled into the Guyanese water system, there would certainly be no Guyanese government for Foreign Affairs Canada to lobby.

Charles Fallon

A bite at the Opéra (part two)

Regarding l'Opéra de Montréal's "outraged" letter last week attacking music critic Philip Anson, it should be pointed out that Anson never mentioned l'OdM in his article on the Opéra français de New York ["French Lessons," April 10]. When the Opéra de Montréal interprets personal criticism of its hiring policies in an article that never mentions their company, it looks like the reaction of a guilty conscience.

Erica Burnham

Keep your reporter off my loins

The subject your reporter Sasha chose to discuss last issue [Sex Reporter, April 17] is something I can't take lightly. I'm referring to her raving sales pitch for "short French girls." I question the tone she used to glorify their beauty and her questionable shilling for that dubious industry. I have to give her full credit for a job well done: her story was informative and arousing. But it was not very original and I resent that kind of appeal to my loins. Enthusiastically undignified efforts of the sort do not promote more social acceptance of that particular occupation; they bring only sensationalist exposure and disrespect.

I invite Sasha to remember that many young dancers, emotionally ill-equipped to embrace the calling of the sex trade, sink into that universe of cloistral sensuality for lack of better choices. Your paper doesn't help them either. It seems to be surfing on very ambiguous waters these days. The choice of main features, the content of some of the columns and the sheer size of its sex-ad section is ample evidence. This will continue to be a source of concern for me until the Mirror shows a more responsible approach to journalism and publishing.

Marc Olivier Rainville -Montreal

Correction

Last week, the Mirror reported that the Quebec Press Council had decided, upon review, not to pursue Roger Le Clerc's complaint against RG magazine. In fact, the Press Council has set the complaint aside because the issue is now before a court of law. The Mirror regrets the error.