Hearing and watching the “Resurrection” unfold in the presence of an enormous orchestra, a large choir, vocal soloists and seatmates all around me makes the listening experience immediate and communal. I am caught up in the music differently from how I get caught up with music on headphones. In the concert hall, I witness the physical unfolding of it, the effort to produce the notes, the rhythmic beat of the conductor, the tension of executing it well. Live listening is how Mahler intended his music to be received.

Not all music today is written for communal consumption (video games, for example), but most concert music is.

No matter how fine a recording, I am always aware that it is an artificial medium, a relay from the original “signal.” The effort of execution is absent, the tension of whether the trumpet will nail the solos is gone.

A few years ago, I watched the Oregon East Symphony in Pendleton (pop. 17,000) come back from a fire that destroyed its offices to play Mahler’s First Symphony, a work that was clearly beyond many of the players. But the performance was electrifying — the struggle, the failures, the fear, the exultation.

I read it here. Do read the whole thing! It is in response to Mr. Teachout’s article.