Bob Draper wrote:

>I have heard in the past from reliable sources that it is best to
>introduce children to avant garde pieces early in their development.

This is possible but I've never heard of any such evidence and if the
record companies knew anything that supported this theory one would
assume that they would have done something about it long ago.

I know what Bob means for I heard the Prokofiev 5th with Karajan and the
Philharmonia at 18 and it blew me away.  I bought the excellent recording
by Thomas Schippers & the Philharmonia (Testament, please!) and made
myself quite unpopular at home.  But Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Poulenc and
Prokofiev are surely far better places to start than with the Birtwistles
and Boulezs of this world (or even Mozart!).  Surely the proof lies in the
fact that less than 3% of serious music lovers can actually tolerate the
stuff that passes for modern music today (and before someone gets all
angry with me I'm basing this on actual record sales).

Anyway, one does not teach someone to drive by putting them behind the
wheel and suggesting that they move forwards unguided and *entirely* at
their own free will.  To start with most of us have an in-built
pre-conceived bias to keeping to one side of the road.

As I said, some guidance helps, as in all things, but as it turns out the
little darlings have been rescued by a London impresario (Raymond Gubbay)
who has offered them tickets for his Madama Butterfly.  Well, now I think
........

John G. Deacon
Home page: www.ctv.es/USERS/j.deacon