January 22nd, 2022
- Stephen McClatchie – Musicologist, Professor, Huron University College
- Brian McMillan – Director, Music Library, University of Western Ontario
- Francisco Bricio – Vice Chairman, Mahler Foundation
Personal letters are a window into the private lives and thoughts of their authors, and nowhere is this more poignant than in matters of love.
Gustav Mahler got to know the dazzling Alma Schindler at a soirée in November 1901. Just weeks later numerous letters were exchanged between Gustav and his sister, Justine, about the young lady and the prospects of marriage. Alma wrote two notes to Justine, as well.
This material is today preserved in the archives of the University of Western Ontario, along with an abundance of other precious documents from the Mahler family.
In this installment we explore the origins of the collection, look more closely at the letters from Mahler’s courtship, and reflect on what they say about the personalities of the protagonists.
We are joined by Brian McMillan, Director of the Music Library at the University of Western Ontario and Stephen McClatchie, Mahler scholar, publisher of the Mahler Family Letters, and professor at Huron University College.
In addition, Francisco Bricio presents Mahler Foundation’s involvement in preserving this collection in an ongoing digitalization project that is now going online on our website. Please check the fantastic timeline at this link.
Play now and experience the presentation of the first-ever public viewing of these priceless letters as well as a highly relevant document still in the possession of the Mahler family.
Hosted by Morten Solvik