"Thoughts on Evaluating Unfamiliar Music"

Thank you for those comments. When I posted the article I said that hopefully it would provke discussion. Sadly, it didn't :(

I agree very much with both of your comments :)

1) The reaction "this is good music but I don't like it" is my reaction to most, though not all, atonal music and "This is dreadful but i like it" is my reaction to most Sviridov.

2) I think your second point touches on a problem which is even wider than you suggest. Almost inevitably the music of most obscure composers is first encountered, either in the concert hall or, more probably these days, on cds in performances by orchestras and/or conductors who are audibly "feeling their way" into the music. So many times I have thought how much "better" the music would sound if performed by an top-class international orchestra.