We love and listen to the Second Viennese School like Berg, Schoenberg, Webern — even before my daughter was born! My daughter's studying music at university. To guard privacy, I don't want to write more details on her or our family.
But starting 2019, she's been practicing many pieces composed by Pierre Boulez — and this Ultraserialism is maddening my husband and me! It sounds like random notes and/or noise to us! We haven't confronted her, because she knows more about music, and we know Boulez is a world famous composer and conductor. Boulez conducted "Classical" and Romantic tonal music like Beethoven, Berlioz, Haydn, Mahler — so this emperor is wearing clothes??!?? Boulez doesn't look like a sham or phony, and we're taking Boulez's music in good faith.
But how can we learn Ultraserialism? Since 2019, we've watched Boulez's music on YouTube and listened to recordings. But like many others, we still can't "GET" Ultraserialism. When asked in 1999, why so few major pieces of the 1950s and 1960s had become repertory, Boulez replied
The Music SE question My child's violin practice is making us tired, what can we do? is similar. But the issue here is not my daughter's practice, but THE ULTRASERIALIST COMPOSERS she's practicing.
Observation on June 20 2021.
I don't know if the responders below will see this, but I found — perhaps too late — another quotation by Boulez rebuffing his own Ultra Serialism on Wikipedia. theartsdesk Q&A: Composer Pierre Boulez | The Arts Desk
Would you rather not have this piece [Referring to Boulez's Piano Sonata no. 2] played any more.
I am not terribly eager to listen to it. But for me it was an experience that was absolutely necessary.