The sweetest revenge: A history of artists taking on their critics

• To the astonishment of his newspaper, Ms Tan-Nicholson – mother of celebrated virtuoso violinist Vanessa-Mae – responded by taking out a full page advert in The Times as an open letter to Mr Morrison, attempting to put him right on the finer points of classical opera and explain why, in her view, he had misunderstood what she was trying to achieve in the performance.