Keeping things at a distance makes for a life half-lived. I often feel that avoidance is the logical antidote to messy. However - I'm coming to realize that mess isn't so bad if I'm part of it. Just like hearing an argument in another room is often far more intimidating than actually arguing.
The same is true in music. Not all works are major keys and Hallmark happy. The Magnificat was in fact as terrifying as it was joyful. I'll only experience that if I engage. I have to get my hands dirty - or "crash" into the music - to feel something.
It is in the crash that new - present today - music is created.
