Another Musician Hurtling Towards Being an Average Freelancer

I take no solace in music. I listen to music and hear potential toil. I picture the problems I will have ingesting the notes, dynamics, phrases, and other instruments' parts. I don't remember the last time I was able to sit and listen to western art music and just enjoy it. I don't remember the last time I bathed my ears in a Brahms Symphony. The Beethoven Symphonies sound like work orders to me. The Mozart Clarinet Concerto is that over-arching project that every office is afraid will never be finished.

I spoke to a friend over the weekend about Bach. She was sheepish about her newfound love for Baroque music. In fact, she seemed embarrassed and afraid that I would rebuke her. Instead, I wonder if perhaps this can be a place for my ears. Where is the clarinet in Bach? There is none in his solo violin works, Scarlatti's Piano Sonatas, or Vivaldi's many concertos. Can this be a refuge? Can I enjoy this music, or will I discover a trough of potential transcriptions?