THE INSUFFERABLE MR. SNIPLEY

"Mr. [Dimitris] Sgouro's biography says that from the ages of 10 to 12, while studying at the Athens Conservatory, he was also teaching students older than himself. If that is true, the conservatory has a lot to answer for. At a time when a hugely talented child needed careful guidance, he was being encouraged to think of himself as a fully formed musician. Sadly, he is still in need of that guidance." ["A Onetime Piano Prodigy Returns at 31 to Carnegie Hall," NY Times, 4/18/00]