Last night, my family and I attended a performance by Symphony Nova Scotia. The works were:
Prokofiev: Classical Symphony
Samuel Barber: Cello Concerto
Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings
Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring (Suite)
I'm familiar with each composition, except for Barber's Cello Concerto. I have to say - I'm not a big fan. Although there are melodious elements to the piece, there were quite a lot of what I would call "atonal" parts - especially the cello soloist bits. I'm not a sophisticated listener, by any stretch, but I try to open-minded. I can't fault the quality of the performance, but I just can't "get" modern music.
I suppose it's similar to modern paintings - whereas it looks like random lines and colours are thrown at a canvas, in modern music an assortment of notes are thrown together randomly. But, that's just me...old-fashioned I guess.