Looking forward to new music

I was at a concert recently, and in the time before the start of the program I got to thinking. I was going to be hearing a piece that evening by a composer I know from other concerts. I thought, "Hey, I am kind of looking forward to hearing this new piece!"

So here's what I was thinking: did people feel this way back in Beethoven's day? Did they say, "Hey wow, it's the newest piece by Beethoven!" It's sad to think we won't be hearing the latest and greatest new piece by our favorite composers of yesteryear. Today, instead, popular music has that attention. (Not that this is a bad thing!) Audiences nowadays look forward to the new Radiohead or U2 album, perhaps.

What about classical music? What composers make you anticipate their next piece? Do audiences look forward to hearing your next piece? Why or why not? How can we get audiences to crave the latest and greatest new concert music?