Most underrated composer of 20th Century?

Schubert, Britten is certainly well known and well respected. So why don't I hear his music unless I cue it up myself. That is my point. Something is wrong here. If he is really what people say he is, why is it that at age 60, I have never once heard any of his music in a concert hall, and never once head one of his quartets performed in a chamber series?

As for the transport question, I have no idea which of the 3 might be best as a transport. I do know this, if I were looking for a transport, the PS audio perfect wave would be on my list. I really like the approach of reading, correcting, then playing back what is held in buffer. It seems to me that the approach offers some of what well executed computer based systems can do without having to go all computer geek to pull it off.

Tortilladc, your comment is insightful, and I suspect that you are very right. But great music that endures must by definition have meaning and value outside of a narrow context. Laugh In was a hoot in the 60's, now it is just plain silly tripe.

" Laugh In was a hoot in the 60's, now it is just plain silly tripe. "

That made me laugh!

Beats me fan, I 've heard quite a bit of it live in Germany, Montreal, Tanglewood and Mpls.

In Glasgow too, but you'd expect it there.

Newbee, I assume your post to Schubert was intended to be tongue-in-cheek. At least that's how I chose to read it. But, fwiw, I just listened to Mahler's 4th Symphony on a snowy/rainy/cold miserable day here in Philly while fiddling around on Audiogon.

Just hearing the music in the background is enough for me. Next CD will be the original sound track recording from the Jersety Boys musical, and then maybe a little Mozart, then the Beach Boys, and then ....

:)

Bifwynne, Mahler as background music! Shame on you!!!! You're going to get drummed out of the club. But so far as Mahler goes you've probably picked the best one. :-)

FWIW, in order to conserve time, I usually set aside listening to classical music for those times when I read. Kills two birds at one time, neither being a mockingbird. If the book is really good and I'm listening to merely 'good' music I'm not missing much I guess. If I find myself distracted I don't know whether its because the book is really boring, the music is better than just good, or I'm admiring what I have accomplished in putting together my audio system. Another mystery to solve!

I find it most difficult to read, though, when the music was originally composed for the solo piano by Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Liszt, Prokofiev, Schumann or Schubert. I do find it easy to read when the music is transcribed from orchestral works. In fact that is probably my favorite reading music.

Then there is sleeping music, Mozart, maybe at night. :-)