Bob Draper writes:

>Now to commit sacrilige.  Although I love Bruckner and Mahler I wish their
>symphonies weren't of such titantic proportions.  It really is asking a
>bit much for someone to concentrate through 75 minutes worth of non-stop
>music.  Sibelius got it about right.

I wish they were longer.  To think that the 10th might have been finished
if Mahler hadn't exhasted himself arguing with old ladies on the board of
the NY Phil against programming the umpteenth performance of "Finlandia."
(A statement based slightly on historical fact--they wanted more Beethoven
overtures)

First Mozart is *zero emotional* and now Bruckner and Mahler--too long? (I
should remind you that I am not the kind of person who stands on the backs
of these composers in order to scale the walls of ivory towers--I sorted
through this stuff in the library of a military base by myself in an
isolated town of 14,000 at the age of 14-17)

Are you *sure* you're really "gettin" this stuff?

John Smyth
Challenging Bob Draper