Gustave Mahler was born on July 7, 1860. If you don't know his music, you probably should. The 1st and 4th symphonies are good places to start. I'll say a bit more later if I have time, but in the fairly likely case that I don't, this post at Inside Catholic has a lot of good links.
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Yes, happy birthday, Mahler! Thanks for taking note of this, Mac. I agree that those two symphonies are good starting points; the orchestral songs (Ruckert-Lieder, especially) would also be a good entry point.
In September my wife and I have tickets to hear the 2nd symphony in concert. I've been waiting for such an opportunity for years, and I am stoked.
Posted by: Craig | 07/08/2010 at 08:08 AM
Lucky you! I've heard it in concert once, by an orchestra at a summer music camp attended by one of my children. They did a very creditable job. An amazing job, really, considering that they were mostly students.
I don't know the Ruckert-Lieder though, embarrassingly, I own a copy. One of those works I've been waiting to hear at leisure, which is hard to come by. I like Das Lied von der Erde a *lot*.
Posted by: Mac | 07/08/2010 at 09:43 AM
A summer-camp? Wow. That's ambitious. It must have been a thrilling experience for those involved.
The Ruckert-Lieder includes what is probably Mahler's most famous song: Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen. If you can find the recordings by Kathleen Ferrier or Janet Baker, they are amazing.
Posted by: Craig | 07/08/2010 at 09:14 PM
It was here:
http://www.brevardmusic.org/main/institute/
I sorta think it's the Janet Baker recording I have, but I forgot to check last night (and am not at home now).
Posted by: Mac | 07/09/2010 at 01:08 PM