that the smarter you get the less your life is shaped by what's playing on the TV or radio today. The less your life is shaped by trends, fads and what corporate music promotes the more you understand why you like certain music. The more you understand what you like the more you search for a type of music that is well...music to your ear. The more you search the more you find. Do you have to be smart to search for music? Not in the sense you use it. Just normal intelligence to see there is some other music out there and enough desire to please your self to overcome inertia.
I do not know a non-Brazilian who did not find Samba de Gafieira carioca before they settled on Sertanejo as the sound of Brazil. Well the older ones found Astrud Gilberto and the jazzy Bossa nova then the Samba and then ... which kind of brings my thought full circle.
The more you explore beyond what you are fed the more valid the choice of liking what your fed.
Spend more time finding out what you like than trying to find why he plays classical music. May I suggest that a good way to start is talking to your new boyfriend about why he likes that music. Maybe you'll sway him from playing Bolero every time... or force him to play it for the first time ;)
Oh and "classical music" is such a broad term it's not very descriptive or helpful.