Why Classical Music ?

I've been cleaning up my classical CD collection lately and donating the rejects to the library book sale (doesn't seem anyone else wants them). It got me to thinking: how do people even hear classical music these days? Movies? Sometimes. Certainly not the radio; I'm always surprised when I walk into my bank and they're playing crappy AM radio -- wouldn't some classical music be more soothing? 

Here's my nomination for "where to hear classical music": FOX-TV's "The Simpsons". Seriously. I'd bet my next paycheck that there's more classical music in "The Simpsons" than any other TV show since, I don't know...maybe some classical TV show from the 1950's? Classical music isn't listed in the closing credits of "The Simpsons", but it seems every other episode I hear snippets of something classical.

 Libraries of course are good places to find classical music, but even they've been trimming the physical collections and switching to streaming services -- and it's hard to browse that way.

I've been prowling Value Village and I only just realized that I was using VV as my 'browsing collection'. I mean, the CDs are so cheap, it's worth spending the money to educate myself. For me, classical music can be divided into 2 groups: 'active' listening, and 'background sonic wallpaper'. I'm afraid I don't listen actively as much as I used to; even listening in the car, it's hard to hear the quieter passages over the road noise.

But here are a few that for me really reward some concentration.

I remember a review I read years ago where the reviewer considered Mahler and Sibelius as music he listened to in his naive youth. Well, I've left 'youth' far behind, but I still find so much new to hear in both Mahler and Sibelius. I don't have much in my collection, but the few I have are really special.

There's a lot more classical music I listen to in the background while reading or eating dinner. More on that later (the music, not the dinner!)