The Mahler Album

The Mahler Album is the definitive collection of all known photographs of the legendary composer and conductor Gustav Mahler (1860-1911). Selected and edited by Gilbert Kaplan, a renowned authority on Mahler, the images are enhanced by photographs of Mahler's family, his homes and the opera houses in which he worked and by a rich selection of drawings, paintings and sculpture.
The images, many of which are published here for the first time, document Mahler's life from his childhood and student days through his early years as a conductor and to his success in Budapest, Hamburg and, ultimately, Vienna, where he reigned for a decade at the helm of the Court Opera. They also record his years at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and his final post as music director of the New York Philharmonic. Informative captions accompany the illustrations, and revealing commentary provides the historical background.
Mahler broke new ground in both composition and conducting, and today his music is more popular than ever. The Mahler Album offers fresh insight into Mahler's life and career - a unique view of both the man and the world in which he lived and a rewarding portrait of a true musical genius. With a detailed chronology and a comprehensive listing of all his compositions, it is also an invaluable reference source for anyone seeking a fuller understanding of the composer and his music.

Gilbert Kaplan is a successful publisher and talented amateur conductor with a splendid obsession: the composer Gustav Mahler and his music. One of the fruits of his interest is this coffee-table book packed with image after image of the composer, his family and colleagues, the houses where he lived and the theaters where he worked. One of the most enjoyable features is a selection of period cartoons: "Mahler is told there is no audience left in the hall because everyone is needed to perform in his mammoth symphonies." Mahler fans will find this a must-have, although the price tag may separate the true believers from the mere music lovers.