Jon Johanning:

>composers who want to actually have an audience are trying to
>write music that, rather than being "pure, absolute" music, connects
with
>listeners in a personal way.  Corigliano's AIDS symphony strikes me
as a
>good example.  Some may sniff at this kind of thing as "message"
music...

Corigliano certainly has had an audience, from his earliest works,
which were so eclectic that I wondered if he would ever find his own
voice. I am not ready to say whether he has or not, because I am not
really drawn to his work enough to have listened to it much, but I
will say that his symphony is perhaps the most powerful expression of
rage in music that I am aware of.  I wouldn't scorn it as "message"
music.

Jim Tobin