It was Gustav Mahler who famously said, “A symphony must be like the world. It must contain everything,” all of which makes him the perfect subject for a really deep musical dive. In a time of shrinking soundbites and attenuated attention spans, it’s refreshing to come across Embrace Everything – The World of Gustav Mahler, a new multi-season podcast that aims to examine each of the composer’s symphonies in a chronological journey through his life and times.

Gustav Mahler in 1909

The series is the brainchild of radio producer (and former oboist) Aaron Cohen, currently Director of On-Air Operations at New York Public Radio. “Mahler’s music is especially rich in extra-musical meanings, so there’s a lot going on that the general listening public might not be aware of,” explains Cohen, who has previously created award-winning radio features for, among others, WQXR, the Metropolitan Opera and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. “It requires a good deal of musical detective work to track down all the details and present them as part of the programs. Additionally, Mahler is the composer that speaks to me more than any other. It’s very much a personal project, a labour...