On the back of recent grumpiness about the narrowness of the threads ( http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/not-rock )

Surprised none of you started on this month's feature on the stuff light years ahead. Perhaps not so much learned discussions on The Canon as where you we stopped in your tracks and went off in strange directions, much to the horror of your pals. In other words the step change , which you don't like at all at first, but eventually bends you to its will.

Jazz has probably been done (piles of Miles and The Art Ensemble of Chicago's "Urban Bushmen", if you're interested), but someone mentioned contemporary classical.

I had heard some minimalist stuff first, holy (Gorecki, Part) and otherwise: fun, not to be dismissed (as I am about to do) but not always very challenging, mostly, except of my patience in the case of Phillip Glass, and sometimes you do crave something else. But a series of concerts moved me more towards giving the older but (slightly) spikier end of the spectrum a go :

- Oliver Messiaen's "Vingt Regards Du L'Enfant Jesus". The idea of 20 "peeps" at the baby Jesus for piano sounds will prepare you for all an impressionistic warm bath, but not a bit of it (OK, there is the odd moment). Be prepared to put your head in some very odd places. (and no end of other Messiaen since. Especially like Eclairs Sur L'Au Dela, Quartet For The End Of Time, piles of the the organ music....).

- years ago now I went to a Prom and before Beethoven Ninth was Harrison Birtwistle's strange and beautiful "The Triumph Of Time" which is is this long slow procession with this crazed central section. I was frankly terrified in advance by Birtwistle's fearsome reputation but live it made complete sense.

- the Kronos Quartet doing all sorts, as usual, but including Alfred Schnittke's Second String Quartet, which is this other worldly piece which sounded as if was come from the other side of some strange gauze.

I emphasise that all of these are live experiences. More even than jazz the records only get you so far, and you need to experience the performance first. Which doesn't help you lot ! But if we are talking platters then stuff lately has been

- Ligeti's piano studies (Pierre-Laurent Aimard playing)
- finally getting round to the scary old triumverate of Schoenberg/Berg/Webern (in Simon Rattle's now cheap CD) , and while not exactly Perry Como if you can cope with Radiohead and their influences then it's a breeze, with some notable exceptions...
- most of Pierre Boulez still eludes me but his "Rituel" is just brilliant
- Feldman's "Rothko Chapel" (though I don't much like Rothko...)

Yes, I know most of these are dead, but of the known names James McMillan doesn't do it for me, and I am still waiting for Thomas Ades to grab me. There is Sally Beamish stuff I have liked (viola concertos, mostly), and Judith Weir's stock is rising. I have heard Sofia Gubaidulina that I like but I don't know what it is, and the stuff I know I don't like so much. Go figure. And I am looking out for Galina Ustvolskaya, though where I will hear it is anyone's guess.

In summary, every home should have a copy of "The Rite Of Spring".

Well, you asked for it.