It behoves this blog, Mahler's Prodigal Son, to not let the centenary, on 17 May, of Gustav Mahler's death pass, without being recognised.
Since the 1960's Mahler has dominated music making and performances around the world. This blog salutes the great tortured man who has brought such divine music to the public.
The New York Times in recording the centenary notes a fact probably little known by most people. Mahler spent the last 3 years of his life in New York as a conductor at the New York Met and the Philharmonic.
"Here's an often overlooked bit of music history: Gustav Mahler, who died in Vienna a century ago today, was a New Yorker for the last three years of his life and, for that brief time, arguably the most famous musician in town. It’s not a trivial point — as a conductor at the Metropolitan Opera and then at the New York Philharmonic, he set musical standards that resonate even today."
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"Mahler turned out to be a charismatic and supremely well-organized conductor who knew precisely what he wanted from an orchestra and how to get it. He continued his exacting work methods at the Met, making his debut on New Year’s Day 1908 with a painstakingly prepared performance of Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” that was enthusiastically applauded by the city’s music critics for its “finely spun texture” and “iridescent web of tone.”
Since the 1960's Mahler has dominated music making and performances around the world. This blog salutes the great tortured man who has brought such divine music to the public.
The New York Times in recording the centenary notes a fact probably little known by most people. Mahler spent the last 3 years of his life in New York as a conductor at the New York Met and the Philharmonic.
"Here's an often overlooked bit of music history: Gustav Mahler, who died in Vienna a century ago today, was a New Yorker for the last three years of his life and, for that brief time, arguably the most famous musician in town. It’s not a trivial point — as a conductor at the Metropolitan Opera and then at the New York Philharmonic, he set musical standards that resonate even today."
****
"Mahler turned out to be a charismatic and supremely well-organized conductor who knew precisely what he wanted from an orchestra and how to get it. He continued his exacting work methods at the Met, making his debut on New Year’s Day 1908 with a painstakingly prepared performance of Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” that was enthusiastically applauded by the city’s music critics for its “finely spun texture” and “iridescent web of tone.”
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