Status Update_ Life Might Be Turning Back to Normal

Status Update for June 27, 2011:

"Life is apparently somewhat back to normal. Can I get back to Franz Liszt now?"

Ahh...I did not forget the silent 'z.' I may be one of the very few people who listens to both "Performance Today," a show dedicated to classical music on PRI/NPR (It airs nightly at 8:00 p.m. in my area), and the WKNC show Chainsaw Rock with Hammerhead on 88.1-FM (Raleigh), which is the student-run radio station for North Carolina State University.

Thanks to both shows, I now know more about Hungarian composers and Greek speed metal. What would I do without them?!

The music of Liszt will actually be on today's edition of "Performance Today." My original choice for the Status Update was actually Gustav Mahler.

Quote of the Week- Gustav Mahler

Wow, a lot has happened since we lost blogged on Wednesday of last week. Our thoughts go out to Cong. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and her family. I will have more on that later. The incident was made all the more disturbing to me because I heard an interview on NPR during a broadcast of "All Things Considered" just last week.

Today, we are focusing on quotes from composers (we will have another quip from another composter tomorrow since we were not able to post a quote last week) which will be our focus throughout January.

We start with the Austrian-Bohemian composer Gustav Mahler (1860-1911). According to Steve Holtier of 'Culturecatch.com,' Mahler was known for transforming the symphony into its more modern form. His famous works include "The Youth's Magic" and "Wunderhorn."

Here is today's quote from Mahler:

"A Symphony must be like the world. It must contain everything."

If you are in the DC area, be sure to check out WETA (90.9 FM), an NPR station which focuses on classical music. Oh, I forgot, it's not 1989. You can listen to them online too!