Donald Macleod examines the influence on Mahler's music, for good and ill, of his wife Alma.

Gustav Mahler rose from humble beginnings on the fringes of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to become one of the most powerful figures in the musical establishment. Nowadays his symphonies are almost guaranteed to fill concert halls, but during his lifetime Mahler made his name as a conductor.

Alma Schindler, known at the time as "the most beautiful woman in Austria", entered Mahler's life around the turn of the 20th century. She initially found the composer abrupt and dogmatic, but their relationship sparked into life very quickly and they were engaged within three weeks, despite Mahler's reluctance about the age difference between them. Their relationship would determine the course of the rest of Mahler's life.

Symphony No 6 in A minor (2nd mvt) (Scherzo)
London Philharmonic Orchestra conduc ted by Klaus Tennstedt

Der Einsame im Herbst; Von der Jugend; Von der Schönheit (Das Lied von der Erde)
Violeta Urmana, mezzo-soprano
Michael Schade, tenor
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Pierre Boulez

Symphony No 7 (5th mvt)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Chailly

Producer: Callum Thomson. Show less