Dear Editor,

Just writing to compliment you on the latest issue of the JMI. I’m sure that a lot of the time you might wonder if anyone is reacting as they read. Let this reader at least say that everything in this latest issue was of interest.

The piece by Patrick Zuk was excellent, and I look forward to part two of this in the next JMI. The editorial brings into focus what kind of political angle you have, and I suspect many composers would be able to take this editorial as a point of departure for an exposition of their own views. The Angel Climent piece fills out the picture of ‘genre’ in Irish composing. Although I personally lament the overall conservative tone, I prefer to have that than a single agreed orthodoxy.

Raymond’s Deane’s piece — I was in total agreement with this. Can we ever get ‘official Irish culture’ to notice serious music? Michael McGlynn’s piece on Anúna – cogently written. It’s good to give him a chance to put his side of the story out there. Although I might not agree with all of it, he raises a few interesting questions.

The review of Gig! — unlike the Irish Times review, it was as if I was there, which is good, since I was; if you see what I mean.

The Notes on the Music Board turned out to be an excellent guide for me to write a submission to this entity. I wish them luck, though they seem to have set out to do rather more than is likely to be possible.

Judith Mok on Mostly Modern: she puts it up to Irish composers to react intelligently to our native music. Can we?

I can only hope that others see the JMI as positively as I do, as a vital part of the music scene in Ireland. Keep it up.

Dr John McLachlan
Dublin