Has anyone else besides me on this list had a "second coming" in terms of appreciating the greatness of Tchaikovsky? Here I am, at the ripe old age of 45, only now beginning to appreciate this master. Listening today in my car to a Bernstein-conducted CD of the Symphony #4 plus the (symphony-unto-itself) Overture "Francesco di Rimini," I was reminded of a quote attributed to Herbert Spencer (and found in AA's "Big Book"): "There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance--that principle is contempt prior to investigation." (p. 570) In my case, I can only be grateful that an initial exposure to Disney-generated gyrating mushrooms (in "Fantasia") didn't stop me from appreciating the hidden jewels revealed by the full score of "The Nutcracker"; that the "1812 Overture" (a score I first fell in love with at the age of 5) didn't barrel over the subtle counterpoint of chromatic string-descents against brass and woodwind to be found in the second half of "Francesco", etc., etc. So, thank the gods I have been able to move on from my callow, shallow twenties (a contemptuous and contemptible decade of life for many, especially myself!) when I dismissed this master's music as being saccharine, syrupy, treacly, and all those other sticky synonyms! Gratefully, Rob Baldwin [log in to unmask]