I read your comments on modern Music with interest.  Some time ago I was
involved in the Royal Opera House Covent Garden production of Peter Maxwell
Davies' "Tavener" (I trained the boys choir).  I had an instinctive dislike
to modern music - until I had to learn it for a professional production -
after all, it is my livelihood!  Actually I didn't like opera very much
either, despite having studied singing as a second subject at the RCM in
London.  However, if you work at something it grows on you, and I ended
up by regarding the performance as stunning!  I applied the same techniques
to one or two other modern works, studying the score before the production,
and ended up by being engrossed in their performances as well.  Obviously
basic laziness had been a bar to progress, and a bit of time spent on
analysis paid off.  I still do not enjoy modern music much if I have not
done my homework, though, to be honest, this generally applies to most
music, as I usually get bored at concerts!  However if I have done my
homework - or one of my friends is playing - it seems to grip me more.
Maybe there's a lesson here.

John Foss