GUSTAV MALLER
(1860-1911)
Gustav Maler is an Austrian composer, opera and symphonic conductor. Maler was born on 7 July 1860 in Kaliste, Czech Republic, to a small merchant family. A few years later, the family moved to the small industrial town of Yiglava in South Moravia. As a child, Maler took piano and accordion lessons, began writing music early, and at the age of 10 he played his first concert.
At the age of 15, he entered the Vienna Conservatory. His mentors were Julius Epstein (piano), Robert Fuchs (harmony), and Franz Krenn (composition).
Gustav Maler began his career as a capelmeister from 1880. He worked as a conductor in theaters in Prague, Leipzig, Budapest and Hamburg. The basis of Maler’s work is symphonies and Song series. In 1891 Maler became principal conductor at the Hamburg opera. Success made demand for Gustav’s concerts: he went on tour to the Netherlands, Italy, France and Russia.
In 1897 Maler was appointed director of the Vienna opera House. Maler’s ten years in this position are seen by many musicologists as the Golden Age of the Vienna opera: he began his career as the third conductor of the court opera, taking over as director a few months later, and beginning reforms. Among European theatres, Vienna brought opera to the forefront.
Intrigues ended his directorship in 1907. A year later, the musician accepted an offer to work at the Metropolitan Opera, where he spent a season. Maler became principal conductor of the reformed New York Philharmonic Orchestra in 1909, a position he would remain in for the rest of his life. But despite his success, he often visited Europe. After returning to New York on February 20, 1911, he developed a fever and developed severe sore throat. Doctors recommended that he find significant pus in the tonsils and that Maler should not work for now. But the composer considers this disease dangerous. After a while, a sore throat will cause heart complications. Maler continues to work until he is hospitalized, despite his health problems. On May 18, 1911, he died in Vienna, where he was buried in the Grinzing cemetery.