Harvey's review may not have been the sole reason for the poor sales but it must have discouraged some people from exploring a wonderful symphony in a good performance. Enthusiast reviewers such as Achenbach, Ian Lace of Fanfare Magazine and Rob Barnett of British Music Society and Music on the Web use their extraordinary range of knowledge to help direct consumers toward the best recordings and performances of music they deeply love and understand. What a refreshing change of pace for those of us who have had to trudge through so many damning views on Bax's perceived inability to structure his material or tendency to ramble on. That said, I respect even the most negative review of Bax's music as long as the critic appears to have carefully considered the music and is able to present a well reasoned, objective and detailed explanation of what it is about the music he or she dislikes. As I said earlier, this requires some technical competence and enough column inches to do the topic justice.
Few critics have or are given either.
The recent increase in Bax recordings and performances has meant more reviews to read and it's a fascinating exercise to compare them. Below are some less than stellar examples. While the statement is slightly amusing, it says nothing about the music itself. It would have made for a more interesting read if he had explained what it is about Bax's music that gives him indigestion. I assume he didn't have enough space.