Musing on Music

While reader Robert C. Hamilton makes some cogent remarks concerning the fragile status of symphony orchestras today, he certainly does not reflect the viewpoint of all concert-goers (Saturday Letters, Dec. 26).

My friends and I attended the L.A. Philharmonic on Dec. 17 because the orchestra was performing Messiaen’s “Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum.” Messiaen, like Arnold Schoenberg, is one of this century’s most original and, yes, controversial composers. He has had an immense influence on other musicians, and his own music--much of it, like Bach’s, stemming from his deep religious convictions--is marvelously rich.

ALBERT R. BACA, Northridge