Gustav Mahler was always after the bigger better thing. So when he rewrote Beethoven’s symphonies, he really believed he was making them better. “In the years since Mahler’s death in 1911, the ‘painted-over’ Beethoven editions have been largely ignored and so, for the most part, his acts of barbarism could only be read about and imagined. Starting Thursday, though, audiences at the Kennedy Center will have a rare opportunity to hear for themselves what all the fuss once was about.” – Baltimore Sun 09/03/00