I was responding recently to a composer whose beef was that the Establishment (do we still use that term?!) continues to favour musical styles which are dissonant, complex and impenetrable and continues to disregard musical styles which are consonant, discernible and accessible.
The short answer is that more difficult music needs platforms if it is to be given a chance at being heard, approached and understood, while less difficult music tends naturally to be more widely received. If we go beyond that simple statement, we quickly enter the realms of subjectivity and taste which of course is what all art comes down to in the end as it has no life without an audience.
It has always been a puzzle to me as to why difference or diversity should be an issue at any level. Our created world is strewn with variety and it follows that creative work will mirror that. Rather than address why dissonant should be favoured over consonant or white over black or rich over poor, I'd far rather celebrate multifariousness and that's where I get on to apples and pears.
Actually, aside from music, my current other passion is the orchard we are about to create with traditional Norfolk apple and pear varieties such as Striped Beefing, Emneth Early, Adam's Pearmain and, happily for a musician, Falstaff Red.
At tutti we have a complete apples and pears approach where the music we promote can be as sharp as a Beefing, as sweet as a Pearmain, as juicy as an Emneth or as dry as a Falstaff.
I'm not telling you which is which, but here are some composers for your tasting -
John McLeod Julian Dawes Jane Wells Julia Usher
