Music spotlight: Minnesota does Mahler

Thursday-Saturday: More than a century on, Gustav Mahler's Sixth Symphony remains a harrowing ride. Bruno Walter, the composer's protégé, labeled it "bleakly pessimistic. 'Existence is a burden, death is desirable and life hateful' might be its motto." Then why hear the Minnesota Orchestra's performances, led by Osmo Vänskä? Because, as pat as the answer may sound, art lets us look into the abyss without jumping. A trumpet concerto by Jukka Linkola, Vänskä's fellow Finn, kicks things off, however improbably.