I think your interpretation of this part of the article is incredibly generous Howler and La Texican. The author transitions to this particular child's story with the ominous "If you dream of having a genius for a child, you will spot brilliance in your child, sometimes even when it isn’t there." He then points out the food control, coat control and the mom's unwillingness to allow her daughter to even answer a question.
Combine this with no liquids for 3 hours despite vigorous violin play and you have more than a medical condition. The author concludes that the girl played "not with such brilliance as to resolve the question of why a childhood had been sacrificed for this art." I assumed he withheld this family's name to protect the mom from a firestorm of criticism that the author felt was well-deserved. Everyone else was named if you'll recall.
Poor little girl. DH represented a boy whose dad was intent on making him an athletic prodigy. Every game was immediately followed by a critical home screening of the game film made by dad. Daily training runs were with dad driving beside son in the car. If batting practice was not good enough the pitching machine at their house was pointed at the son a time or two. The boy became a superior athlete-but finally murdered his father.
The relationship between the wannabe prodigy parent and her sad little manufactured violinist prodigy reminds me of this tragic case. The author concludes that when she finally gets a chance to speak with her violin her music is incredibly sad.
