Gustav Mahler
Gustav
Mahler was born in Kalischt. He was the son of a poor Jewish pedlar and in later years he
referred to himself as a thrice homeless man: a Bohemian among Austrians, an Austrian
among Germans and a Jew among the people of the whole world.
He
began to study piano at the age of six and was already an accomplished pianist when he
entered the Vienna Conservatoire at the age of 15.
Much
of his career was spent as an opera conductor working in Budapest, Hamburg and finally in
Vienna, where his energy and competence as artistic director soon made the Vienna Court
Opera the finest company in Europe.
Mahler
resigned from this post in 1907 when he was unable to sustain the workload any longer due
to heart problems and the death of his eldest daughter.
He
spent the last years of his life conducting in Europe and the United States.
Mahler’s
compositions received little accalim during his lieftime and it was not until the 1950s
that his work became popular.
He
was a prolific composer and tried to write music so varied and grandiose that the whole
world was reflected in it.
Some of his most famous works are:
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