When Klaus Mäkelä climbed the Concertgebouw podium and turned to the audience at the orchestra’s third Gustav Mahler Festival in 105 years, the conductor could see the writing on the wall.
Facing him was “MAHLER” etched in gold on a cartouche and shining in a spotlight, centered in a permanent position of honor among the 17 composers enshrined across the balcony front. And sitting in the first row directly behind the sign Friday night was Marina Mahler, the composer’s 81-year-old granddaughter.
