Composer of the Week

Kate Molleson navigates through the personal and professional struggles of Gustav Mahler

Gustav Mahler: brilliant, fiery and tyrannical – leader of some the most prestigious musical institutions of his era – fought battles his whole life. He clashed with his colleagues, scrapped with critics and wrestled endlessly with his own desires and ambitions. This week, Kate Molleson navigates us through his many personal and professional struggles, and follows Mahler to the countryside hideaways where he sought (not always successfully) to escape the drama of his everyday life. Here, among the lakes and mountains, Mahler also found space to compose and he poured the whole world into his music in all its ugliness, mundanity and transcendent beauty.

Music Featured:

Symphony No 3 (excerpts)
Symphony No 1 (excerpts)
Symphony No 2 (excerpts)
by Bernard Haitink
Des Knaben Wunderhorn (Lob des hohen Verstandes)
Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
Symphony No 4 (excerpts)
Symphony No 5 (excerpts)
Symphony No 6 (excerpts)
Symphony No 7 (excerpts)
Kindertotenlieder (No 3, Wenn dein Mütterlein)
Symphony No 8 "Symphony of a Thousand" (excerpts)
Das Lied von der Erde (No 2, Der Einsame in Herbst)
Symphony No 9 (excerpts)
Das Lied von der Erde (No 4, Von der Schonheit)
Symphony No 10 (ed. Deryck Cooke (excerpt)

Presented by Kate Molleson
Produced by Chris Taylor for BBC Audio Wales and West

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00291fh

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z