21 SEPTEMBER 1974, Page 5

Deafened

Sir: Having been an enforced absentee from London concert halls for the last thirty years I took the opportunity recently of going to hear a much respected pianist give a recital locally. Although slightly deaf I was nearly deafened completely. I rang a musician friend of mine to ask whether! had been mistaken in my opinion of the artist's playing, and she said, "Oh, but that's the modern fashion in piano plavine to bash the hell of the music!" I said, "But the pianists on the blessed Third don't bash." She said, "Oh well, the engineers tone it down." Thank God for the engineers!

How did this fashion arise, is everybody else do deafened by modern life they can't hear anything else, or is it a demonstration of the prevalent aggression? I wish some musician

would explain. Audrey Wheeler

Fuschias, Temple Lane, East Meon, Petersfield, Hants