Christopher Webber wrote:

>Working with children as soloists and chorus in and on many operas,
>my experience mirrors Simon Rattle's precisely.  Give them 'difficult'
>modern stuff; they take to it like so many ducklings to water, and love
>it. Something like "The Magic Flute" tends to leave them baffled,
>undermined and resentful.
>
>This seems to me entirely natural and predictable.

It is certainly natural and predictable that children will be baffled when
first exposed to the operatic output of the maturity of one of the world's
great composers. I'm puzzled about "undermined and resentful", though.

>The Old School which advocates filling empty little vessels with
>Beethoven, Brahms and Bach has a lot - an awful lot - to answer for.

Depends whether you see them as little vessels or sponges, and whether it's
a question of filling them up or opening their little eyes and ears to the
fullest range of possibly wonderful formative experiences, and being
prepared to be surprised.  Throw out the bathwater only.

Alan Moss