Gustav Mahler - Böcker

Hundreds of the letters that Gustav Mahler addressed to his parents and sisters survive in the Mahler-Rosé Collection at the University of Western Ontario, yet are almost entirely unknown. These family letters, which date from the mid-1880s through 1910, form the largest and most important single source of information about his life, his personality, and his relationships, particularly before the mid-1890s. They document such things as Mahler's burgeoning career as a conductor and composer, his parents' illnesses and deaths, and the numerous trials and tribulations of his siblings Alois, Justine, Otto, and Emma. They also record his initial impressions of significant contemporaries such as Johannes Brahms, Richard Strauss, and Hans von Bülow, as well as significant events such as Mahler's first big success: his completion of Carl Maria von Weber's Die drei Pintos in 1889. In the fall of 1894, the character of the letters changes when Justine and Emma began living with Mahler in Hamburg, and later, Vienna, thus removing the need to communicate by letter about day-to-day matters. At this point, the letters report significant later events such as his campaign to be named Director of the Vienna Court Opera, his conducting tours throughout Europe, and his courtship of Alma Schindler.

Hundreds of the letters that Gustav Mahler addressed to his parents and siblings survive, yet they have remained virtually unknown. Now, for the first time Mahler scholar Stephen McClatchie presents over 500 of these letters in a clear, lively translation in The Mahler Family Letters . Drawn primarily from the Mahler-Rose Collection at the University of Western Ontario, the volume presents a complete, well-rounded view of the family's correspondence. Spanning the mid 1880s through 1910, the letters record the excitement of a young man with a bourgeoning career as a conductor and provide a glimpse into his day-to-day activities rehearsing and conducting operas and concerts in Budapeast and Hamburg, and composing his first symphonies and songs. On the private side, they document his parents' illnesses and deaths and the struggles of his siblings Alois, Justine, Otto, and Emma. The letters also give Mahler's insightful impressions of contemporaries such as Johannes Brahms, Richard Strauss, and Hans von Bulow, as well as his personal feelings about significant events, such as his first big success--the completion of Carl Maria von Weber's Die drei Pintos in 1889. In the fall of 1894, the character of the letters changes when Justine and Emma come to live with Mahler in Hamburg and then Vienna, removing the need to communicate by letter about quotidian matters. At this point, the letters relay noteworthy events such as Mahler's campaign to be named Director of the Vienna Court Opera, his conducting tours throughout Europe, and his courtship of Alma Schindler.The Mahler Family Letters provides a vital, nuanced source of information about Mahler's life, his personality, and his relationships. McClatchie has generously annotated each letter, contextualizing and clarifying contemporary historical references and Mahler family acquaintances, and created an indispensable resource for all Mahlerists, 19th-century musicologists, and historians of 19th-century Germany and Austria.

Gustav Mahler: Letters to his Wife is undoubtedly the best way to understand Mahler as a man and as a composer: in his own words, intimately detailing his inner world to his wife, Alma.'Are Collected Letters a superior form of biography? When as numerous and meticulously edited as these of Gustav Mahler, when they provide a time capsule ride back to the last days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the answer must be yes . . . This remarkable book is unputdownable, even for a non-Mahlerite.' Literary Review 'The letters are linked by a commentary that makes the volume both an easy and gripping read . . . There is passion in this book to scald the hand.' Sunday Times'A vivid and telling portrayal of Mahler's personality in his voice.' Times Literary Supplement