For me, MIDI represents a chance to create music that I simply can not create on my own. I am hugely inspired by classical music and film scores, as well as heavy metal acts that makes use of entirely synthetic orchestral elements that sounds astonishingly real. (check out Mechina - Xenon, Blind Guardian - At The Edge Of Time, and any Brymir if you haven't already). For me, the ability to control a MIDI orchestra opens up the possibility of creating music that is beyond my reach as a musician or producer otherwise. I really, really appreciate it for that reason.

I agree that MIDI composition is inherently rigid. I think people have always been conformists, though, that's nothing new :P