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