Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) is a late-Romantic composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born to a Jewish family in the village of Kaliste in Bohemia, in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now the Czech Republic.
As a composer, Gustav Mahler acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism of the early 20th century. While in his lifetime his status as a conductor was established beyond question, his own music gained wide popularity only after periods of relative neglect which included a ban on its performance in much of Europe during the Second World War era.
'Venice Zattere' by Carl Julius Rudolf Moll (1861-1945), 1926.
Gustav Mahler's oeuvre is relatively small; for much of his life composing was necessarily a part-time activity while he earned his living as a conductor. Aside from early works such as a movement from a piano quartet, composed when he was a student in Vienna, Gustav Mahler's works are designed for large orchestral forces, symphonic choruses and operatic soloists.
Maria Anna Mahler (Putzi) (1902-1907) and Anna Justine Mahler (Gucki) (1904-1988), 1907.
His works were often controversial when first performed, and several were slow to receive critical and popular approval. Some of Gustav Mahler's immediate musical successors included the composers of the Second Viennese School, notably Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg and Anton Webern.
Mahler Foundation
The Mahler Foundation was founded by Marina Mahler, the granddaughter of Gustav and Alma Mahler. It initiates positive change by supporting projects that draw upon the transformative power of Gustav Mahler’s legacy.
Through support of projects in the contemporary arts, environment and music education, the foundation hopes to foster community, refresh our awareness of nature as the inspiration for creativity and speak to humanity’s common purposes. The foundation believes that art illuminates our essence and as such can serve as a vehicle for improving life, that awakening the imagination engenders compassion.
Mahler Foundation and the Mahler Festival 2020 Amsterdam
The Mahler Foundation and The Royal Concertgebouw are proud to announce that they are joining forces for a number of special events at the Mahler Festival 2020 Amsterdam. Exhibitions, commissions of new works, films and documentaries, and an international forum on the environment entitled ‘Song of the Earth’ will augment the musical performances in an innovative exploration of the man behind the masterpieces. 09-05-2019.
Listen to the statement of Marina Mahler on the occasion of the collaboration with The Royal Concertgebouw:
“Joining hands with all the young people marching everywhere for the preservation of the earth, ‘Song of the Earth’ will become a battle cry” - Marina Mahler (2019)
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