Mr Kaplan's involvement with the second symphony has made it probably the most talked-about of Mahler's works, diverting public attention away from the morbidity of his last great pieces.

ECONOMIST: Gilbert Kaplan

Dominating the symphony of second fiddles, according to collegepollarchive.com, is Maryland, which has spent a whopping 23 weeks at No. 2 over six seasons without reaching No. 1.

WSJ: And the No. 1 Ranking Goes to��Gonzaga?

Mr Kaplan is acknowledged as the leading technical authority on Mahler's second symphony, consulted by many professional maestros on matters of detail.

ECONOMIST: Gilbert Kaplan