A sublimely happy one hundred fiftieth birthday to Gustav Mahler, who was born this day in 1860, in the Bohemian village of Kaliště. The birthplace will host an open-air concert tonight, with Thomas Hampson, Anne Sofie von Otter, Marita Solberg, and Manfred Honeck conducting the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. WFMT has gone all-Mahler for the day; Ö1 is also Mahler-heavy. Gavin Plumley is making a pilgrimage to Mahler's grave in Grinzing; Tim Smith writes movingly about his youthful discovery of the composer. Mahler Records allows you to browse through more than two thousand extant recordings. The audio above is the Chorus Mysticus from the Eighth Symphony, with Jascha Horenstein conducting the London Symphony and various choruses in an electrifying live performance at Royal Albert Hall, in 1959.
Previously: Mahler graffiti, Mahler on the beach, A Mahler list, Mahler grooves.
