Over the years I've been persuaded to try again with composers I thought I didn't like. Three such were Stravinsky, Bernstein and Sibelius, all of whom I now revere. I've struggled with Brahms and I still think his first three symphonies are, well, worthy...The fourth is, to me, perfectly formed, and a couple more would have been good. The St Anthony Chorale variations are lovely too, but that's as far as it goes for me with his symphonic and concerto music. His solo piano, on the other hand, is a very fine body of work. I'm an aficionado of Robert Schumann's piano music too, though not of his symphonies. There's an inner warmth and something personal in his music that I can't get from Chopin at all. Much of Debussy eludes me, though I love almost everything about Ravel's music. When it comes to Russian, I agree that Rimsky is a dark horse in a good way. I love Borodin but Mussorgsky leaves me cold. But for me Tchaikovsky towers above them all. It's silly to have aversions, and all this is down to personal taste, but I can't bear anything at all by Copland, and Wagner is boycotted in our house.

I know how influential and pivotal Haydn was, but I once heard him described as a cheerful tunesmith, which, to me, he is, when put alongside Mozart. I'm not there with Handel yet but I'm learning. Ultimately, It's the Big Three for me every time, Bach, Mozart and, especially, Beethoven.