Gustav Mahler, Vol. 4: A New Life Cut Short, 1907-1911
by Henry-Louis De La Grange
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Book Summary Information
Author: Henry-Louis De La GrangeEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-04-07
ISBN: 0198163878
Number of pages: 1072
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Book Reviews of Gustav Mahler, Vol. 4: A New Life Cut Short, 1907-1911
Book Review: For Mahler fans, it's like dying and going to Heaven
Summary: 5 Stars
Mahler devotees (and I'm certainly one of them)--people who have come to see Mahler as more than a great composer and conductor, have an almost religious reverence for all things related to Gustav Mahler. For many of us, his music contains a view of mankind, life and the universe that goes beyond what science and art can tell us.
Although technically, he spoke German, Mahlerians know that he "spoke music." He used his music to go beyond what words say, and carry listeners to a higher level of feeling for, and understanding of, life.
This can be undertaken just by listening to his music. Yet many of us believe that appreciation for it can be enhanced by knowing more about Mahler the man, the people around him, and his world.
This is where Henry-Louis de la Grange enters the picture. Imagine yourself as one of those who wants to know more and more about Mahler and his world. You can read any of the various books on Mahler; some by his wife, some by scholars. Often, these books merely raise more questions. Where do you go for the facts and well-thought-out opinions and theories?
From an early age, Henry-Louis was captivated by Mahler's music. Most fortunately for Mahler devotees, he has enjoyed the extremely rare and felicitous conjunction of gifted scholarly diligence and financial independence that gave him the time and opportunity to pursue his deep interest in Mahler.
As you may have read in the descriptions of this volume, it concerns the last four years of Mahler's life, and it corrects the popular and mistaken notion that a neurotic Mahler died a broken-hearted man in despair over the setbacks he had faced. The 1758 pages in this volume thoroughly support La Grange's contention that Mahler's death was "a new life cut short." The book is not only a treasure trove of facts and commentaries from numerous sources that elucidate Mahler's life; it is also a model for academic scholarship. La Grange does not just make statements of opinion; he buttresses them with direct quotes from numerous sources that illustrate his conclusions. For example, he does not just state that a particular concert was a success. He includes reviews from critics and musically-knowledgeable persons who attended the particular concert. He even includes remarks that do not fit his template, and further explains why their authors may have come to such conclusions. This is scholarship in its finest hour.
Imagine for a moment, your most interesting person or event in the history of the world. Imagine that you have read every book you could find on the subject, investigated every possible source--yet you still crave more. Just about your only remaining hope would be to wait for the afterlife, and to talk to God with all your remaining questions. Well, reading Henry-Louis de la Grange's books is almost like talking to God. He has assembled and organized so much information, and has formed such cogently valid conclusions that you have access to virtually all that is known about Gustav Mahler and his world.
This is an indispensable reference work on Mahler, and a boon to all those with a thirst for knowledge.
He even includes, in Appendix 31, three recipes for Mahler's favorite, and very delicious dessert: Marillenknoedel (apricot dumplings). Thank you, Henry-Louis for your life's work. It has been a life well-spent, and we are so grateful to you.
Summary of Gustav Mahler, Vol. 4: A New Life Cut Short, 1907-1911
When the earlier volumes of de La Grange's monumental study of Gustav Mahler appeared, they were hailed across America--in The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and many other publications--as an indispensable portrait of one of the greatest figures in the history of music. Here at last is the final volume of this magisterial work.The fourth volume illuminates the composer's American period, when he was conductor for the Metropolitan Opera in New York. It contains a treasure trove of new material, in particular many unknown letters from Alma Mahler to her lover, Walter Gropius, and many articles and interviews about the composer and the performances he conducted while in New York. This detailed biography of the composer also includes new and valuable insights into the final year of his life, when he returned to Europe to die.
The crowning point of a decades-long project, during which the author has personally translated each volume from his original French into English, this scrupulously researched and insightfully written biography brings to a triumphant close the definitive account of Mahler's life and work.
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