Roger Hecht snorted:

>Tim Dickinson wrote:
>
>>...  Based upon the BCS rules and format, I declare Gustav Mahler to be
>>the Best Champion Symphonist of all times.  (Angry shouts continue to come
>>from the Beethoven camp, with their volume and veracity ever increasing.
>>Our commentator exits swiftly stage right, with the several angry
>>Beethovians in close pursuit.)
>
>Not to mention Brucknerians (here!).

Bruckner was eliminated earlier by Mahler in the Austrian Composers
Conference (ACC) championship playoff.  The score was decisive, but there
were several controversial penalties that influenced the outcome.  It seems
that the Brucknerians had trouble deciding which version of each symphony
to send into the contest and they were repeatedly flagged for delay of
game.

>Maybe Shostakovichians and Sibelians, too.

Shostakovich forfeited his semifinal match; it was a road game for him and
the Composers Union pulled his visa for reasons unknown.  A shame, too, as
he has a deep bench to pull from.

Sibelius went down prior to the finals, due in part to forfeiting a couple
of matches as he simply didn't write enough symphonies to fullfill the
lifetime standard of nine.  And he has noone to blame but himself, having
lived 34 years after composing his seventh.

Tim Dickinson, TDWARE
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