Good 'Bio' Pick?

[Leo K]

Thank you for the recommendation.  The Hurwitz book looks worthwhile, but from my perusal of the author's comments on amazon.com, it seems this work provides minimal biographical content -- it is, apparently, mostly an analysis of the music.  I will certainly look for it in the bookstore, and examine it with interest. 

Each of us has individualized tastes in reading; generally, I don't much care to have music explained to me at any length, unless there is a "hook," such as with Bryan McGee's book on Wagner in relation to Schopenhauer, etc.  I do enjoy learning about the broader cultural context of the classical music that I find compelling.  Since I've started to listen seriously to Mahler and his contemporaries and near-contemporaries, I've been reading associated literature.  I've read a couple of books by Joseph Roth, finished one volume of Schnitzler's short stories/novellas, and am halfway through another; I'm also about halfway through the first volume of Robert Musil's The Man Without Qualities. 

I quite like Schnitzler, who is a master psychologist and a superb short-story writer, with terrific insights into the male psyche in particular.  Roth is enjoyable, but less interesting to me.  Musil strikes me as a very fine writer who confines himself to a very narrow range of human experience; his book reminds me of Thomas Mann in his jokey/ironic mode.  But unlike Mann, he seems to never leave that mode. 

A contemporary novel that some readers of this forum may find interesting is Andre Bernstein's The Conspirators, which was published in the last year or so  This novel is set in a provincial town  near the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and concerns political intrigue, power relations, and the local Jewish community. 

The novel recalls Feodor Dostoevsky's The Possessed in a number of ways.  In my view, Bernstein's novel is one of the few contemporary works I'm familiar with that actually approaches the stature of Dostoevsky's great work.  Though The Conspirators has its flaws -- a strict editor would greatly have helped in two or three places in particular -- it is a stunning work of philosophical/political fiction.  One chapter in particular -- a confrontation between a Jewish religious leader and a financier -- strikes me as one of the most powerful novelistic scenes I've read, and recalls, in its power, the Grand Inquisitor's visit with Christ in the Brothers Karamazov; it also the reminds me of the scene between King Phillip and the Grand Inquisitor in Verdi's Don Carlo. 

But I digress.

Great post...thanks.

[Jot N. Tittle]

I'd like to read a great bio of Mahler -- one that has a strong point of view, is well-written, and provides more than just facts.  Does one exist?

Stuart Feder's Gustav Mahler: A Life in Crisis (Yale U. P., 2004) will be a great choice. The late Stuart Feder was not only a Mahler scholar but a practicing psychologist. This is a very insightful book and the most recent biography of Mahler. I believe it meets your criteria.

. & '

[Wunderhorn]

I'd like to read a great bio of Mahler -- one that has a strong point of view, is well-written, and provides more than just facts.  Does one exist?

Stuart Feder's Gustav Mahler: A Life in Crisis (Yale U. P., 2004) will be a great choice. The late Stuart Feder was not only a Mahler scholar but a practicing psychologist. This is a very insightful book and the most recent biography of Mahler. I believe it meets your criteria.

. & '

Thank you for the recommend. I'm going to fetch it before it disappears...

[barry guerrero]

Not expecting to find it, I stumbled upon the Feder book in a new store in S.F. today. "If I were a rich man", I'd buy this book. Anyway, I did read a couple of chapters from it. As Feder delves into Mahler's and Alma's psychological motivations, much of it comes across as very sad. Mahler took big chances when it came to women, and he paid a dear price for it. Feder doesn't flinch in the slightest in presenting the truths and details about Alma's numerous affairs. In fact, I think that the book may focus a bit too much on Alma, in general. But neither does Feder beat up on her. Instead, he tries to present what motivated and drove her to make the sorts of decisions that she ended up making.  After Mahler's death, this was a very mixed up young woman who sort of reverted back to age 18. As much as it's tempting to think of their relationship as being totally unique, it really could happen to most anybody today, I think. We always have to keep in mind that Mahler was no picnic either.

Another sad affair, was Mahler's almost opportunistic using of Natalie Bauer-Lechner. Eventually, Mahler became repulsed by her. Natalie badly set herself up for a fall, and she fell disasterously indeed. It all came to a crashing end with Mahler's engagement to Shindler's daughter: Alma.

If there is a heart warming moment in the entire book, it's the chapter that goes into a fair amount of detail on the premiere of the 8th symphony in Munich. This event was a triumph in every possible way, in spite of Mahler's failing health, and the knowledge of Alma's ongoing affair with Gropius. After the performance, which started out almost like a religious get-together, many eyewitnesses were startled by the sight of hundreds of short arms and tiny hands - children - reaching out to Mahler. Mahler moved into the center of them, and received a laurel (and hardy handshake - a line I'm taking straight out of "Blazing Saddles"). Feder makes the suggestion that for Mahler, this was like the spirit of his dead daughter reaching out to him a-hundred-fold (whatever that saying is). I suspect that it was the highlight of his entire life. Allegedly, many people weeped at this sight, and the applause went on for a solid half-hour. If I had a time machine, this would absolutely be my first destination.

[mike bosworth]

.....After the performance, which started out almost like a religious get-together, many eyewitnesses were startled by the sight of hundreds of short arms and tiny hands - children - reaching out to Mahler. Mahler moved into the center of them, and received a laurel (and hardy handshake - a line I'm taking straight out of "Blazing Saddles"). Feder makes the suggestion that for Mahler, this was like the spirit of his dead daughter reaching out to him a-hundred-fold (whatever that saying is). I suspect that it was the highlight of his entire life. Allegedly, many people weeped at this sight, and the applause went on for a solid half-hour. If I had a time machine, this would absolutely be my first destination.

Several observers at the M8 premiere noted the particular affinity between Mahler and the children (choir members?).  Mahler was supposedly extremely touched by one child who approached him and said 'that was beautiful music Mr. Mahler'.

Mike Bosworth
Vientiane

[Leo K]

When I get my tax return this baby's mine:



And I might pick up Volume II as well!

I finally ordered the Henry-Louis de la Grange books last night! I used to have the Vol II, but stupidly sold it a couple years ago...but I found another copy for a good price. 

Thanks all for the heads up on the other bios mentioned here.

On a related subject...does anyone have a recommendation for an Alban Berg bio?

[Phaedrus]

Hi Michaelw.

I managed to get hold of "der fremde Vertraute" via Amazon.de and have started reading. The book covers all the bases, and I must honestly say that the book is quite captivating, I actually lose track of time and space.
As compared to Michael Kennedy's Mahler biography, Fischer's is very enjoyable.

Thanks for the tip, I'd never found out about it without your contribution to this topic!

Cheers

Phaedrus

[michaelw]

Phaedrus,

Thanks for the feedback on JMFischer's Mahler bio. I really love this book. Following your post I contacted him and asked for news about an English translation. He wrote back, that after long efforts without success he is now negotiating with an university publisher in US, but in view of the huge content (and some other reasons) it is not easy to proceed. There is a Korean (!) translation in progress, but he has doubts, that he will can ever judge the quality...

Michael