WKCR is pleased to announce the return of a special broadcast in honor of Gustav Mahler’s 166th birthday, for 24 hours on July 7, 2025, on FM and HD radio and online. This special broadcast will preempt all regularly scheduled Tuesday programming, featuring both his masterpieces and lesser-known works. From 9 AM until 9 PM, Charlie Kusiel King and Solène Millsap will program a Mahler Symphony Marathon, playing all 10 of his symphonies in order.
Born in Kaliště, Bohemia (in the former Austrian Empire and the present-day Czech Republic) on July 7th, 1860, Gustav Mahler was a talented pianist from a young age. He attended the Vienna Conservatory, from which he graduated in 1878. After finishing school, he held positions at major opera houses and theatres across Europe and was appointed artistic director of the Vienna Court Opera House in 1897. At the Vienna Court Opera, he led more than 600 performances during his 10-year tenure. Besides his career in Europe, Mahler also spent many years conducting in our very own city of New York. He was the artistic director of both the Metropolitan Opera (1908) and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (1909). While his work as a composer was not the highlight of his career during his lifetime, it rose to prominence after World War II and remains his main legacy today. His compositions bridged the gap between romantic and modern composition, influenced many composers (including Schoenberg, Shostakovich, and Bernstein), and are among the most performed pieces today. His first three symphonies (1888-96) are often grouped as a trilogy, while his fourth demonstrates a massive departure from the massive scale of his other work. The next four (his fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth) he composed at his composing studio in southern Austria between 1901 and 1906. He wrote his final two symphonies between 1908 and his passing in 1910; however, his tenth symphony was never completed.
WKCR is honored to participate in the celebration of the legacy of Gustav Mahler. Listeners can tune in to the birthday broadcast on 89.9 FM or stream it live on our website at wkcr.org. Follow WKCR on Instagram (@wkcr) and Twitter (@WKCRFM) for updates about this special broadcast and future events. Online listening is available 24/7 at wkcr.org via our web stream
