Before too long, I will be writing a post on the best Washington, DC classical music blogs. Rest assured that when I do, number one on my list will be WETA’s Classical Critic at Large and blogger Jens F. Laurson. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Jens since he was skillfully manning the helm at the Tower Records’ Classical section, and he is the person who pretty much built my personal CD collection. After having written about Mahler Month a little while back, I thought it might be a good idea to get his thoughts on what went into making it happen. Jens was the main organizing force in the event, and a avowed Mahler addict. After the jump you’ll find my interview with him.
Jens F. Laurson, WETA's Classical Critic at Large
JFL after the jump!.
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.
How to get your fix.
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