Public Figure Profiles

Gustav Mahler

Gustav Mahler (7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism of the early 20th century. While in his lifetime his status as a conductor was established beyond question, his own music gained wide popularity only after periods of relative neglect, which included a ban on its performance in much of Europe during the Nazi era. After 1945 his compositions were rediscovered by a new generation of listeners; Mahler then became one of the most frequently performed and recorded of all composers, a position he has sustained into the 21st century. In 2016, a BBC Music Magazine survey of 151 conductors ranked three of his symphonies in the top ten symphonies of all time.Born in Bohemia (then part of the Austrian Empire) to Jewish parents of humble origins, the German-speaking Mahler displayed his musical gifts at an early age. After graduating from the Vienna Conservatory in 1878, he held a succession of conducting posts of rising importance in the opera houses of Europe, culminating in his appointment in 1897 as director of the Vienna Court Opera (Hofoper). During his ten years in Vienna, Mahler—who had converted to Catholicism to secure the post—experienced regular opposition and hostility from the anti-Semitic press. Nevertheless, his innovative productions and insistence on the highest performance standards ensured his reputation as one of the greatest of opera conductors, particularly as an interpreter of the stage works of Wagner, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky. Late in his life he was briefly director of New York's Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic.

Mahler's œuvre is relatively limited; for much of his life composing was necessarily a part-time activity while he earned his living as a conductor. Aside from early works such as a movement from a piano quartet composed when he was a student in Vienna, Mahler's works are generally designed for large orchestral forces, symphonic choruses and operatic soloists. These works were frequently controversial when first performed, and several were slow to receive critical and popular approval; exceptions included his Second Symphony, and the triumphant premiere of his Eighth Symphony in 1910. Some of Mahler's immediate musical successors included the composers of the Second Viennese School, notably Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg and Anton Webern. Dmitri Shostakovich and Benjamin Britten are among later 20th-century composers who admired and were influenced by Mahler. The International Gustav Mahler Institute was established in 1955 to honour the composer's life and achievements.

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Some of their strengths

Gustav Mahler has many admirable traits.

Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Creative, Intelligent, Practical, Intuitive, Imaginative, Compassionate, and Intense.

Intuitive and Imaginative

According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Gustav Mahler is someone who is a highly intuitive, creative and imaginative person who is very loyal, caring and compassionate to others. A person who is known for being fun and creative.

Passionate and Intense

Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Gustav Mahler well know them as someone who can be passionate, proud, and intense, like the sun or a blazing fire.

Altruistic and Innovative

According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Gustav Mahler as someone who is altruistic, inventive, energetic, and socially-conscious.

Who is inventive, open-minded and inquisitive, optimistic and cooperative, and who loves working together with others.

Wise and Deep

Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Gustav Mahler is someone who tends to have an internal innate wisdom, and who people tend to see as an "old soul".

They are also someone who is charismatic, compassionate, and understanding, and who is interested in expressing themselves through writing, public speaking, or teaching.

Traditional and Patient

According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Gustav Mahler tends to be someone who is a patient person that is very emotional, has a very sharp memory, has an ability to understand people, and who tends to be traditional and frugal.

Some of Gustav Mahler's challenges

While Gustav Mahler has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.

For example, Gustav Mahler can be Emotional, Standoffish, Indecisive, Unrealistic, Anxious, Inflexible, and Arrogant.

Emotional and Standoffish

One of Gustav Mahler's key challenges is that they are someone who can be emotional and standoffish.

Anxious and Inflexible

Gustav Mahler is someone who can be high-strung, impatient, and inflexible, who can be "penny wise and pound foolish", have poor listening skills, and who can be intolerant of people who share a different world view.

Sensitive and Money-oriented

Finally, Gustav Mahler also can have mood swings, be overly sensititive, and be a bit rigid and materialistic.

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