Gustav Mahler, who is being celebrated this month on WETA
Local radio station WETA (90.9 FM) is in the middle of celebrating one of my favorite composers this month: Gustav Mahler. WETA is DC’s only Classical-format radio station, and it’s only returned to that recently. Thankfully, they are not a station that plays only “lite classical” or what we might otherwise think of as Top 40 Dead White Guys.
But onto the composer at hand. Mahler isn’t for everyone. There are just as many Mahler haters (if not more!) as there are devotees. His music is epic in scope, thick and overbearing at times, and very self-important. Nevertheless, those that get into Mahler tend to fall head-over-heels for the guy. I remember taking only about 2 or 3 months after hearing my first Mahler symphony to own all nine (ten, if you count Das Lied von der Erde) symphonies on CD. It becomes an addiction.
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