April 29, 2023

• Joseph Horowitz, Cultural historian, Concert and radio producer, Author

Program

Gustav Mahler’s decision to move his conducting career to New York City in 1907 is more often described in terms of his reasons for leaving Vienna than with much regard to the prospects he was facing. The loss of his daughter, the diagnosis of heart disease, problems with the anti-Semitic press – these were all motivating factors, but what did Mahler know about the situation that awaited him? And what, subsequently, were his experiences in the New World?

For a close look at this frequently overlooked chapter of the composer’s life, we are be joined by author, cultural historian, and producer Joseph Horowitz to discuss his latest book: The Marriage: The Mahlers in New York.

Our discussion not only touches on Mahler’s biography and married life within this context, but also provide a much deeper sense of the vibrant cultural setting that Alma and Gustav entered just after the turn of the century.

By 1907 New York had already enjoyed many years of considerable accomplishment in the sphere of music. The conductor Anton Seidl, the composer Antonin Dvorak, and the critic Henry Krehbiel had formed the foundations for a deep musical culture in the city among performers, audiences, composers, and critics.

We ask just how Mahler fit in to all of this, how he saw himself, what he brought from Europe, and what he might have overlooked while occupying his commanding positions at the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic.

Play now and join us as we travel with the Mahlers to New York!

Hosted by Morten Solvik