The second of two shows where the harpsichordist and broadcaster Mahan Esfahani throws down the argument that some of the so-called ‘greats’ maybe aren’t that great.

In this episode, Mahan picks on the music of Gustav Mahler, a composer who formed a bridge between the 19th-century Austrian-German tradition from Beethoven to Brahms and the modernism of the early 20th century. Famous for his symphonic output, which brought together different strands of Romanticism whilst giving a glimpse to the future. What’s not to love?

Quite a bit, says Mahan. What’s with all the endless hypothesising and posing of music questions? Why doesn’t he ever write a good tune? His orchestrations are so bizarre, to what end? Why are his symphonies so excruciatingly long?

Arguing in Mahler’s defence is the conductor Joshua Weilerstein. Joshua is currently the incumbent music director at the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne in Switzerland. Previously he was the Assistant Conductor at the New York Philharmonic and had a hand in the orchestra’s famous Young People’s Concerts, the same popular series associated with the former New York Philharmonic director and Mahler champion Leonard Bernstein. Joshua tackles each of Mahan’s charges head on and attempts to shake Mahan out of his Mahler morass.

Produced by Rebecca Gaskell
A Reduced Listening Production for BBC Radio 3 Show less