But the Times was really unprepared to measure her pioneering efforts and her service to the popular propagation of high culture in America. Nor were they even prepared to review the creative and artistic innovations of her career. Anthony Tommasini, the great New York Times expert—who literally wrote the (best-selling) book on opera—reviewed a belabored production of hers in the 1990s and found it charming, and warm, but riddled with weakness.
The New York Times was unwilling to recognize the significant contributions of this individual to popularizing high culture in America. They also failed to provide a thorough review of her artistic achievements throughout her career. Anthony Tommasini, a renowned opera critic for the Times, reviewed one of her productions in the 1990s and found it pleasant but lacking in quality.