Your last concert was to see who and when?

I first heard Mahler #3 on NPR years ago. THere was a nice intro explaining what it was about beforehand (see wikipedia entry for it for more). I was totally taken by it from the outset. Then it was a lengthy rollercoaster ride from there, lots of ups and downs, and I felt accordingly along the way. At teh end, I felt transformed in some way, somehow more in tune with the world around me, and I was ready for some Bach at that point. I think the explanation provided up front prior to listening was a big part of that. It all made sense in the end.

I've been a subscriber to the bible "Grammphone" for over forty year and I never heard anyone say such a silly thing.
What I have read, many times,is like the following from J.S. Smith in"The Gift of Music" .

"One is aware that Mahler tried to do too much.His excesses can be heard in the exhaustive tension is his music and in the repetitions. His symphonies are long and they lack unity.They all begin to sound alike , and many times the composer finds it difficult to bring the music to a close"

IMHO Mahler is the fave of people who like entertainment sound more than music.

Gov't Mule 20 Years Strong US Tour in Kalamazoo a couple of weeks ago with guitarist Larry McCray helping out on a few songs - great show!

Map, you could have listened to Mahler 3 10.000 times without knowing it was "about " nature.

Schubert, I've been in Minnesota Orchestra hall in 2010 and saw Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg performing 4-seasons Piazzolla tango version of Vivaldi. I believe this venue is substantially superior acoustically to Carnegie Hall in NYC. I enjoyed performance and enjoyed the sound as well.