Saturday 9: Mahler

Saturday 9: Mahler: Symphony No. 8 (1968)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Mahler's No. 8 is sometimes referred to as "Symphony of a Thousand" because it was scored for a large orchestra and choral force. Do you often listen to classical music?

A. I listen to it occasionally. Sometimes I am in the mood for it, but I listen more often to Adult Pop.

2) This piece has solos for each of the main vocal ranges: soprano, alto, tenor, bass. Do you know which range your voice is in?

A. Not exactly, no. I never had voice lessons. I know I'm not a tenor or bass, so that leaves somewhere in between soprano and alto.

3) Historians tell us Mahler kept fit by swimming and riding his bike along the Alpine trails. What's your favorite form of exercise?

A. Walking, although if truth be told, apparently, it's sitting in front of my computer playing video games.

4) Mahler could be difficult to work with because when it came to his music, he was a stickler over even the most minor details and wouldn't give an inch. Would you rather work as part of a team or on your own?

A. I would rather work on my own.

5) This week's featured artist, Leonard Bernstein, said his father didn't want him to pursue music. Instead the elder Bernstein wanted his son to either join the family business (a beauty supply company) or become a rabbi. Did your family try to influence your choice of career?

A. Yes. I always knew I wanted to be a writer, but my mother in particular insisted I would be a secretary. In the late 1970s/1980s, that was still a job, and a fairly decent paying one at that. I was a secretary for a while - I worked for lawyers for 10 years. But I started freelancing in 1984 and never stopped. Well, I don't do it as much now, the world has changed.

6) Bernstein's best-known work is West Side Story. Without looking it up, can you name a song from this beloved Broadway classic?

A. How Do You Solve a Problem Like Anita?

7) Born in Lawrence, MA, Bernstein "went home" when he performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood in Lenox, MA. Tanglewood has played host to a variety of musical artists. In 2022, Ringo Starr, Bonnie Raitt, and James Taylor all performed there (with James Taylor scheduled to return this summer, as well). What's the first concert you ever attended?

A. I think it was probably a Loretta Lynn concert at the rodeo, but I'm not 100% sure of that. The first one I remember attending without my parents was the Commodores.

8) In 1968, when Bernstein released this album, a sitcom called Mayberry R.F.D. premiered. It was a spin off of the highly successful Andy Griffith Show, which ran from 1960 to 1968 and is still broadcast and streamed today. Were you an Andy Griffith Show fan?

A. We watched Andy Griffith at 5:30 p.m. every day on Channel 7 for about 35 years, when they moved it over to their secondary channel. For all of those years, it was the most popular show in that time slot in our area. Everybody watched it while they were fixing dinner or whatever. I don't watch it anymore because I don't turn the TV on that much, but I occasionally stop and watch an episode if I'm just looking around the channels and it's on.

9) Random question: When people ask for your advice, what do they usually ask you about?

A. I don't get asked for advice much anymore, but when I do, it is frequently about how to deal with the local government. Since I covered the local government for the weekly paper for 30 years, people assume I know how to help them maneuver through it. Most of the time, I can help them. I also sometimes am asked about medical issues or legal issues. Occasionally, I am asked about writing.

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