James Tobin  wrote:

>>Why is it that so many listers are so quick to mention the avant-garde (as
>>if it still existed) as the only alternative to the standard repertoire?

and Albie Cabrera responded:

>Okay, well maybe not just avant-garde...  but you gotta admit that just
>about *all* the alternatives stray from the "safe"/traditional *standard
>rep style* in at least some direction.  Enough so to make many programmers
>and audiences uncomfortable.

Is uncomfortable bad? That is the essence of this discussion.  WCRB in
Boston advertises their classical music as calming for people whose life
is stressful enough.  But we know that the repertory that we love- whatever
that is for individual listeners, has lot's of non-calming music- be it
Schubert, or the Bach of the Cantatas, or Mahler, or Mozart, or anyone
else.  That is to say, music means many things, but I think that all
serious music lovers are not just into comfort.  Bernard Chasan

Professor Bernard Chasan
Physics Department, Boston University