I shall die in order to live ⁽¹⁾

In the midst of a successful conducting career and a preoccupation with life and death, it took Mahler seven years and some peaceful summers to complete this gigantic symphony.

Mahler compared his second symphony to the first "..like a man to a newborn baby." ⁽²⁾

The first movement, a doomsday inspired funeral rite, came easy following the completion of the first symphony in 1988. It was based on an epic poem by Mickiewicz.

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“No composer before or since has ever expressed himself more movingly in what Freud calls ‘the struggle between Eros and Death, between the instincts of life and the instincts of destruction,’ as it works itself out in the human species.” ⁽¹⁾

This 1952 recording of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde combines the Vienna Philharmonic led by his friend Bruno Walter with the tenor Julius Patzak and the legendary Kathleen Ferrier.

Read more about A stellar cast from the past

This story is about Great Composers who should be brought to your atention this year. They all have anniversaries. Looking at their lives and works once more will make us a bit closer to the classic music an it’s real musical giants. There is no deep examination of the backgrounds, influences and relationships that make these composers part of the very fabric of the history of classic music. But still there is something. Each composer’s life and work is presented through performance sequences, and through the point of view of some of today’s greatest artists and most respected authorities. So, this year we celebrate among others:

• Jacob Obrecht, 550 years
• Guiseppi Torelli, 350 years
• Eugène Ysaye, 150 years
• Giacomo Puccini, 150 years
• Olivier Messiaen, 100 years
• Elliott Carter, 100 years
• Esa-Pekka Salonen, 50 years
• Theodore Wiprud, 50 years

Read more about 2008 Composer Birthdays

Read more about Grammy’s 2008 classical nominations

The 35th annual Christmas in Christ Chapel celebration, “The Word Becomes Flesh,” was held Friday, Nov. 30, Saturday, Dec. 1, and Sunday, Dec. 2. The worship celebration featured The Gustavus Choir, The Choir of Christ Chapel, The Lucia Singers, and The Gustavus Symphony Orchestra, among other talented performers.

Read more about Christmas in Christ Chapel music on the Radio

The three international touring music ensembles at Gustavus Adolphus College — The Gustavus Choir, the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra, and the Gustavus Wind Orchestra — have announced the detials for the Gustavus Music Showcase concert. The trio of ensembles will perform at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 9 at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.

Read more about Gustavus Announces Details for Music Showcase

I was minding my own business… answering work emails… and read two words which should probably never be put together:

Spam… and… tortillas

If you come to join me for dinner, I won’t make them. Ever. I promise.

Deb

Bohuslav Martin? is a composer with which audiences are typically unfamiliar. Last season, orchestras nationwide programmed his music only eight times (compared to Mozart’s

Read more about Meeting the Music of Martin?