Al - you said you don't listen to it and you don't like it. I presume you did once listen a bit to know you don't like it.

Well as the conductor and composer might say, "Ah, not your cup of tea."

I got into c.m.,(which in my book includes Khatchaturian), whenI was 14. Previously, I had dismissed it as all sounding the same - not having heard much. Picked up bits in various places despite myself - galop from William Tell overture introducing The Lone Ranger, bits in all those Tom and Jerry cartoons. There used to be record request programmes which ever ended with a bit of pop classical here on the BBC. Some of that registered. Otherwise, when I was growing up there was music on the radio but it wasn't central.

Then a friend of my brother's bought me an American popular introduction to c.m. A year later, a foisted friend introduced me to "Your Hundred Best Tunes" on the old BBC Light Programme. An hour's worth of the most popular classical music bits. (It's still going - different presenter.) First thing I discovered was that c.m. had loads of great tunes. Amazement.


ivor