Quote:-

" ... you know, the tougher stuff that demands full attention ... "

That takes it back to the old question of whether there IS true merit in layers of complexity that are unknown and imperceptible to listeners. Obviously the wider our appreciation and the more complex our perceptions, the more we get from music, and the more we appreciate the structural forms used by composers ... their efforts aren't wasted. But then again, I suspect Rozsa's attitude (and he was as complex as anyone in concert works) would be that music that REQUIRES 'full attention' because it's 'tougher' is music that has failed. A Brandenburg Concerto can keep the mathematically obsessed satisfied for weeks, but it nonetheless has emotional immediacy too and is enjoyable as well as meaningful. On the other hand, some serialist concoction (done for arbitrary and perhaps self-indulgent goals) may demand full attention, but be totally chronic when the emperor truly evaluates his new suit and we're completely honest.

If you step into a sort of 17th Century ambience in your psyche, Monteverdi won't seem 'tougher' anyway.