http://music.guardian.co.uk/classical/story/0,,2289751,00.html

I read this thought-provoking article in today's Guardian arguing that we suffer new classical music in order to hear the old classics.

"In New York, Philadelphia and Boston, concert-goers have learned to stay awake and applaud politely at compositions by Christopher Rouse and Tan Dun. But they do this only because these works tend to be short and not terribly atonal; because they know this is the last time in their lives they'll have to listen to them; and because the orchestra has signed a contract in blood guaranteeing that if everyone holds their nose and eats their vegetables, they'll be rewarded with a great dollop of Tchaikovsky and Mendelssohn."


And being the Guardian there's a rebuttal;

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/07/no_were_not_as_bored_as_you_ar.html