"Imagine the universe beginning to sing and resound," Mahler wrote of his Symphony No. 8, the "Symphony of a Thousand." "It is no longer human voices; it is planets and suns revolving." Mahler was late Romantic music's ultimate big thinker. In his own lifetime he was generally regarded as a conductor who composed on the side, producing huge, bizarre symphonies accepted only by a cult following.
Born in 1860, in Kalischt, Bohemia, he came Read more from a middle-class family. He entered the Vienna Conservatory in 1875, studying piano, harmony, and composition in a musically conservative atmosphere. Nevertheless, he became a supporter of Wagner and Bruckner, both of whose works he would later conduct frequently, and became part of a social circle interested in socialism, Nietzschean philosophy, and pan-Germanism. Around 1880, he began conducting and wrote his first mature work, Das klagende Lied. Mahler's conducting career advanced rapidly, moving him from Kassel to Prague to Leipzig to Budapest; he was usually either greatly respected or thoroughly despised by the performers for his exacting rehearsals and perfectionism. In 1897 he became music director of the Vienna Court Opera and then, a year later, of the Vienna Philharmonic. Mahler's conducting career permitted composition only during the summers, in a series of "composing huts" he had built in picturesque rural locations. He completed his first symphony in 1888, but it met with utter audience incomprehension. He reserved this time for symphonies, all of them large-scale works, and song cycles. In Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth), he merged the two forms into an immense song-symphony. The Viennese public largely failed to understand his music, but Mahler took their reactions calmly, accurately predicting that "My time will yet come." Meanwhile, his autocratic ways as a conductor alienated musicians. In 1901, the press and the musicians essentially forced his resignation from the Philharmonic. He married a young composition student, Alma Schindler in 1902, and they soon had two daughters. By 1907 Mahler was increasingly away from Vienna, conducting his own works, and thus he resigned from the opera as well. Just after accepting the position of principal conductor of New York's Metropolitan Opera, but before leaving Vienna, Mahler's older daughter, age 4, died from scarlet fever and diphtheria, and he learned he himself had a defective heart valve. In New York, he was impressed by the caliber of talent and quickly gained audience approval. In 1909 he became conductor of the New York Philharmonic, which he found much more agreeable than the opera work by this time. The following year, he had a triumphant premiere of his massive Symphony No. 8 in Munich. Despite the professional successes, his personal life suffered another blow when his and Alma's marriage began having problems. They stayed together, and after he became ill in February 1911, she saw to it that he made it back to Vienna, where he died on May 18.
The conductors Bruno Walter, Otto Klemperer, Willem Mengelberg, and Maurice Abravanel kept Mahler's legacy alive, and Mahler's are now among the most recorded of any symphonies. His frequent incorporation of vocal elements into symphonic writing brought to full fruition a process that had begun with Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, demonstrating his music's firm roots in the Germanic classical tradition. However, it was his huge tapestries of shifting moods and tones, ranging from tragedy to bitter irony (often explicitly indicated in performance directions), from café music to evocations of the sublime, that portended a century in which multiplicity ruled. Read less

Featured Gustav Mahler CDs & DVDs:

Mahler: The Complete Symphonies / Rattle, Berlin Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony

Release Date: 08/18/2017 Label: Warner Classics
Catalog: 563131 Number of Discs: 12

On sale! ~~$32.98~~

CD: $29.99

In Stock

BUY

On sale! $32.98 CD: $29.99 Add CD to Cart

Mahler: Lieder / Perl, Romberger

Release Date: 11/04/2016 Label: Md&g (Dabringhaus & Grimm)
Catalog: 903172 Number of Discs: 1

On sale! ~~$18.99~~

CD: $13.49

In Stock

BUY

On sale! $18.99 CD: $13.49 Add CD to Cart

Mahler: Symphony No. 5 / DePreist, London Symphony

Release Date: 12/12/2006 Label: Naxos
Catalog: 8557990 Number of Discs: 1

On sale! ~~$9.99~~

CD: $3.99

In Stock

BUY

On sale! $9.99 CD: $3.99 Add CD to Cart

Idil Biret Edition Vol 5 - Mahler, Franck

Release Date: 05/25/2010 Label: Naxos
Catalog: 8571278 Number of Discs: 1

On sale!

CD: $8.99

In Stock

BUY

On sale! CD: $8.99 Add CD to Cart

All Star Orchestra: Programs 7 & 8 - Tchaikovsky, Mahler / Gerard Schwarz

Release Date: 11/19/2013 Label: Naxos
Catalog: 2110351 Number of Discs: 1

On sale! ~~$19.99~~

DVD: $13.99

In Stock

BUY

On sale! $19.99 DVD: $13.99 Add DVD to Cart

Work: Symphony no 1 in D major "Titan"

Browse 26-50 of 166 Available Recordings

Sort By: View:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

26.

Strauss, Mahler - Masterworks / Haenchen, Sanderling, Tilson Thomas, Leinsdorf

Label: Ica Classics Catalog: 5133 Release Date: 10/28/2014 Number of Discs: 5
Composer: Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Robert Schumann
Conductor: Erich Leinsdorf, Kurt Sanderling, Hartmut Haenchen, Michael Tilson Thomas
Orchestra/Ensemble: Boston Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra ...

DVD: $44.49
In Stock

BUY

DVD: $44.49 Add DVD to Cart

WISH LIST
27.

Phase 4 Stereo - Stereo Concert Series

Label: Decca Catalog: 002188302 Release Date: 10/27/2014 Number of Discs: 41
Composer: John Philip Sousa, Charles A. Zimmerman, Francis S. Van Boskerck, George Norton ...
Performer: Stanley Black, David Parkhouse, Alan Loveday, Robert Merrill ...
Conductor: Rodney Bashford, Stanley Black, Bernard Herrmann, Edward Downes ...
Orchestra/Ensemble: Grenadier Guards Band, London Festival Orchestra, London Festival Recording Ensemble ...

CD: $168.99
Low Stock

BUY

CD: $168.99 Add CD to Cart

WISH LIST
28.

Stravinsky: The Rite Of Spring; Mahler: Symphony No. 1 / Mehta, Australian World Orchestra

Label: Abc Classics Catalog: 4810847 Release Date: 10/14/2014 Number of Discs: 2
Composer: Igor Stravinsky, Gustav Mahler
Conductor: Zubin Mehta
Orchestra/Ensemble: Australian World Orchestra

On sale! ~~$29.98~~

CD: $24.99
In Stock

BUY

On sale! $29.98 CD: $24.99 Add CD to Cart

WISH LIST
29.

Mahler: Complete Symphonies / Tennstedt

Label: Warner Classics Catalog: 627828 Release Date: 09/02/2014 Number of Discs: 11
Composer: Gustav Mahler
Performer: David Hill
Conductor: Klaus Tennstedt
Recommendation

CD: $36.99
Low Stock

BUY

CD: $36.99 Add CD to Cart

WISH LIST
30.

El Sistema at Salzburg Festival / Rattle, National Children's Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela

Label: C Major Catalog: 716908 Release Date: 07/29/2014 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Gustav Mahler, George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, Johann Strauss Sr. ...
Conductor: Simon Rattle, Jesús Parra
Orchestra/Ensemble: National Children's Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, White Hands Choir of Venezuela

DVD: $24.99
In Stock

BUY

DVD: $24.99 Add DVD to Cart

WISH LIST
31.

El Sistema At Salzburg Festival / Rattle, National Children's Symphony Orchestra Of Venezuela [blu-ray]

Label: C Major Catalog: 717004 Release Date: 07/29/2014 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Gustav Mahler, George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, Johann Strauss Sr. ...
Conductor: Simon Rattle, Jesús Parra
Orchestra/Ensemble: National Children's Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, White Hands Choir of Venezuela

Blu-ray Video: $34.99
In Stock

BUY

Blu-ray Video: $34.99 Add to Cart

WISH LIST
32.

Mahler / Abbado, Berliner Philharmoniker [11-CD Set]

Label: Deutsche Grammophon Catalog: 00206510 Release Date: 07/08/2014 Number of Discs: 11
Composer: Gustav Mahler, Alban Berg
Performer: Eteri Gvazava, Anna Larsson, Renée Fleming, Guy Braunstein ...
Conductor: Claudio Abbado
Orchestra/Ensemble: Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Orféon Donostiarra, Lucerne Festival Orchestra ...

CD: $34.99
In Stock

BUY

CD: $34.99 Add CD to Cart

WISH LIST
33.

Rafael Kubelik - The Symphony Edition [23-CD Set]

Label: Deutsche Grammophon Catalog: 002054802 Release Date: 06/24/2014 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven, Robert Schumann, Antonín Dvorák, Gustav Mahler
Performer: Helen Donath, Teresa Berganza, Wieslaw Ochman, Thomas Stewart ...
Conductor: Rafael Kubelik
Orchestra/Ensemble: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra ...
Recommendation

CD: $108.49
Back Order

BUY

CD: $108.49 Add CD to Cart

WISH LIST
34.

100 Great Symphonies

Label: Deutsche Grammophon Catalog: 002054602 Release Date: 06/03/2014 Number of Discs: 56
Composer: Giovanni Battista Sammartini, Johann Wenzel Stamitz, Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf, Johann Christian Bach ...
Performer: Dame Gwyneth Jones, Hanna Schwarz, René Kollo, Kurt Moll ...
Conductor: Kevin Mallon, Christopher Hogwood, Thomas Füri, Sir Neville Marriner ...
Orchestra/Ensemble: Aradia Ensemble, Academy of Ancient Music, Camerata Bern ...

CD: $245.99
Low Stock

BUY

CD: $245.99 Add CD to Cart

WISH LIST
35.

Rca Living Stereo Collection, Vol. 2

Label: Rca Catalog: 300350 Release Date: 05/13/2014 Number of Discs: 60
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Strauss, Sergei Rachmaninov, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky ...
Performer: Artur Rubinstein, Byron Janis, Gary Graffman, Vladimir Horowitz ...
Conductor: Josef Krips, Fritz Reiner, Pierre Monteux, Charles Munch ...
Orchestra/Ensemble: Symphony of the Air, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra ...

On sale! ~~$125.98~~

CD: $120.99
In Stock

BUY

On sale! $125.98 CD: $120.99 Add CD to Cart

WISH LIST
36.

Mahler: Sinfonie Nr. 1

Label: Dreyer-gaido Catalog: 21082 Release Date: 04/29/2014 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Gustav Mahler
Conductor: Gabriel Feltz

CD: $18.99
In Stock

BUY

CD: $18.99 Add CD to Cart

WISH LIST
37.

James Levine conducts Mahler: Symphonies No 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 & 10

Label: Rca Catalog: 7686092 Release Date: 03/25/2014 Number of Discs: 10
Composer: Gustav Mahler
Performer: Marilyn Horne, Judith Blegen
Conductor: James Levine
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Chorus ...
Recommendation

On sale! ~~$29.98~~

CD: $28.49
In Stock

BUY

On sale! $29.98 CD: $28.49 Add CD to Cart

WISH LIST
38.

Bernard Haitink: The Symphony Edition [36-CD Set]

Label: Decca Catalog: 002010702 Release Date: 03/11/2014 Number of Discs: 36
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Anton Bruckner, Gustav Mahler ...
Performer: Lucia Popp, Carolyn Watkinson, Peter Schreier, Robert Holl ...
Conductor: Bernard Haitink
Orchestra/Ensemble: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Chorus, St. Willibrod Boy's Choir ...

CD: $117.99
Low Stock

BUY

CD: $117.99 Add CD to Cart

WISH LIST
39.

The Westminster Legacy

Label: Deutsche Grammophon Catalog: 001999302 Release Date: 02/18/2014 Number of Discs: 40
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Joseph Haydn, Gustav Mahler ...
Performer: Sena Jurinac, Lucretia West, Hans Loeffler, Frederick Guthrie ...
Conductor: Hermann Scherchen, Pierre Monteux, René Leibowitz, Erich Leinsdorf ...
Orchestra/Ensemble: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Vienna Academy Chamber Chorus ...

On sale! ~~$119.98~~

CD: $118.49
Low Stock

BUY

On sale! $119.98 CD: $118.49 Add CD to Cart

WISH LIST
40.

Roger Norrington - The Romantics

Label: Hänssler Classic Catalog: 93313 Release Date: 01/28/2014 Number of Discs: 10
Composer: Franz Schubert, Hector Berlioz, Felix Mendelssohn, Anton Bruckner ...
Performer: Anu Komsi
Conductor: Roger Norrington
Orchestra/Ensemble: Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart Radio Orchestra
Recommendation

CD: $68.99
In Stock

BUY

CD: $68.99 Add CD to Cart

WISH LIST
41.

Mahler: Symphony No. 1 "Titan" / Paita, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Label: Lodia Compact Discs Catalog: 776 Release Date: 12/10/2013 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Gustav Mahler
Conductor: Carlos Païta
Orchestra/Ensemble: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Recommendation

On sale! ~~$18.98~~

CD: $16.99
Back Order

BUY

On sale! $18.98 CD: $16.99 Add CD to Cart

WISH LIST
42.

Carlo Maria Giulini - The Chicago Years

Label: Warner Classics Catalog: 317522 Release Date: 12/03/2013 Number of Discs: 4
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven, Hector Berlioz, Johannes Brahms, Anton Bruckner ...
Conductor: Carlo Maria Giulini
Orchestra/Ensemble: Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Recommendation

CD: $27.99
Low Stock

BUY

CD: $27.99 Add CD to Cart

WISH LIST
43.

Boulez Conducts Mahler - Complete Recordings

Label: Deutsche Grammophon Catalog: 001931702 Release Date: 11/19/2013 Number of Discs: 14
Composer: Gustav Mahler
Performer: Johan Botha, Dorothea Röschmann, Anna Larsson, Christian Gerhaher ...
Conductor: Pierre Boulez
Orchestra/Ensemble: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna State Opera Chorus Konzertvereinigung, Cleveland Orchestra ...
Recommendation

CD: $48.99
In Stock

BUY

CD: $48.99 Add CD to Cart

WISH LIST
44.

Mahler: Symphonies Nos 1, 2 & 3 / Maazel, Philharmonia Orchestra

Label: Signum Classics Catalog: 360 Release Date: 11/19/2013 Number of Discs: 5
Composer: Gustav Mahler
Performer: Sally Matthews, Michelle DeYoung, Sarah Connolly
Conductor: Lorin Maazel
Recommendation

CD: $39.99
In Stock

BUY

CD: $39.99 Add CD to Cart

WISH LIST
45.

Mahler: Symphony No. 1 - Live At The Berlin Philharmonie / Cabrera, San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra

Label: San Francisco Symphony Catalog: 67 Release Date: 07/09/2013 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Gustav Mahler
Conductor: Donato Cabrera
Orchestra/Ensemble: San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra

CD: $24.99
Special Order

BUY

CD: $24.99 Add CD to Cart

WISH LIST
46.

Mahler: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 / Piano Duo Trenkner & Speidel

Label: Md&g (Dabringhaus & Grimm) Catalog: 9301778 Release Date: 06/18/2013 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Gustav Mahler
Orchestra/Ensemble: Trenkner-Speidel Duo
Recommendation

On sale! ~~$34.99~~

SuperAudio CD: $24.99
In Stock

BUY

On sale! $34.99 SuperAudio CD: $24.99 Add to Cart

WISH LIST
47.

Mahler: Symphony No 1 / Jurowski, London PO

Label: Lpo Catalog: 70 Release Date: 05/28/2013 Number of Discs: 2
Composer: Gustav Mahler
Conductor: Vladimir Jurowski
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Recommendation

CD: $17.99
In Stock

BUY

CD: $17.99 Add CD to Cart

WISH LIST
48.

Mahler: Symphonies 1 & 8 / Haenchen, Netherlands Philharmonic

Label: Ica Classics Catalog: 5094 Release Date: 03/26/2013 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Gustav Mahler
Performer: Kurt Rydl, Glenn Winslade, Reinhild Runkel, Ofelia Sala ...
Conductor: Hartmut Haenchen
Orchestra/Ensemble: Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Ukrainian National Capella "Dumka", Ukrainian Radio Choir ...

CD: $24.99
In Stock

BUY

CD: $24.99 Add CD to Cart

WISH LIST
49.

Mahler: Symphony No. 1 / Edo De Waart, Royal Flemish Philharmonic

Label: Royal Flemish Philharmonic Catalog: 4 Release Date: 02/12/2013 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Gustav Mahler
Conductor: Edo De Waart
Orchestra/Ensemble: Royal Flemish Philharmonic

CD: $17.99
In Stock

BUY

CD: $17.99 Add CD to Cart

WISH LIST
50.

The Berliner Philharmoniker in Singapore / Rattle

Label: Euroarts Catalog: 2058908 Release Date: 01/29/2013 Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Sergei Rachmaninov, Gustav Mahler
Conductor: Simon Rattle
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

DVD: $9.99
Low Stock

BUY

DVD: $9.99 Add DVD to Cart

WISH LIST