A 'Mantra' for our time at the Library of Congress

There are a few pieces in which a composer has famously set out to illustrate the entire world, or cosmos. Mahler's Third Symphony is one. Karlheinz Stockhausen's "Mantra" is another. A difference: Mahler's Third has found its niche in today's orchestra world; "Mantra," though regarded as a watershed in its time -- it was written in 1970 -- is seldom performed. So it was a treat to hear it at the Library of Congress on Friday night.