*Buon compleanno, Gustav!*—Italian for "Happy Birthday, Gustav." We chose Italian intentionally: the soprano Virginia Genovese, who performed at the birthday concert, hails from Milan. Her repertoire included songs by Gustav Mahler—drawn from his *Songs of Youth* and *The Youth's Magic Horn*—as well as pieces composed in 1910 by his wife, Alma Mahler. The singer was accompanied by pianist Ekaterina Baranovskaia, who also performed two solo works: the second movement (*Non allegro – Lento*) from Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 36 (the 1931 revised version), and Franz Liszt’s concert etude *Waldesrauschen* ("Forest Murmurs"), S. 145. The audience showed their appreciation for the artists' outstanding performances with prolonged applause, calling for three encores. A birthday concert at Gustav Mahler’s birthplace always holds a special charm; it serves as a tranquil bridge—a moment of calm after the turbulent, fast-flowing stream of spring concerts, and well before the autumn season begins. When complemented by performances like those we heard yesterday, it invariably makes for a truly delightful afternoon. And, as a final touch, we planted another rose in Gustav’s rosarium.