Gustav Mahler (1860.7.7. – May 18, 1911) was an Austrian-born romantic composer and conductor who served as a bridge between classical and modern music.
At the tender age of 23, Mahler resigned from his position as conductor of Kazell and came to the Leipzig Opera due to the pain of his crush on Johanna Richter.
1. Meeting a friend’s wife, Marion Mathilde
Mahler became conductor of the Leipzig Opera in April 1887. However, despite holding the position of conductor for a long time, his position remained in a lower position.
Meanwhile, Mahler became friends with Captain Carl von Weber (1849–1897), grandson of Carl Maria von Weber, the composer of “The Gunners of Martan”, which helped him complete the incomplete opera of the composer Weber.
The premiere of the opera on 20 January 1888 was an important event for the German opera house and was well received in the presence of several musicians.
The opera’s success, along with Weber’s reputation, greatly helped raise Mahler’s public profile for helping him and conducting, and also brought financial rewards
However, in the process of staying at Weber’s house and helping him complete his opera, Mahler has a decisive problem of excessive affection.
Mahler, who suffered only from a crush on Johanna, fell into an affair with his friend Weber’s wife, Marion Mathilde, who was interested in reason through Johanna. Marion was also a mother of three.
Unlike when it was Johanna, their love was intense. There was nothing in the eyes of Mahler, who fell in love. Mahler asked Marion to leave and stay together, and to give him time to respond to the sudden offer.
Mahler wrote his first symphony while waiting for Marion’s answer. It is his Symphony No. 1 for Giant.
Marion, who is in trouble, decides to leave at Marler’s will. Finally, after the dark night of the day the two promised, at midnight, Marler was waiting for Marion on the train station platform.
However, the information that they are leaving together is belatedly in Marion’s husband Weber’s ear. Weber tracked down the train that was about to depart with a pistol and captured his wife, Marion.
Weber was angry at Marler’s betrayal, but decided to show patience. Considering that it was damaging to his grandfather’s reputation and his face, he decided to send Marler an unwritten letter.
However, secrets do not last long. This event was later rumored and known by English composer Ethel Smyth.
Marion Mathilde Schwabe (1865–1931) was born in Manchester, England, to a German-Jewish family, not from Germany. Her father, Adolf, was a printer.
The fact that Weber agreed to send it to the unwritten letter caused Marion to be known to the public by the Englishman Ethel later.
Marler was able to stay in Leipzig thanks to Weber’s consideration, but his life in Leipzig was not long.
It is not known in detail what happened to Marler and Marion after being discovered by Weber. In particular, it is not known what Marion went through.
Regardless of what really happened, the world was not interested in this. British composer Ethel informed about their scandal, but it did not become an issue.
It was also because a long time had passed until this was known, and Mahler only records the fact that Symphony No. 1 “Giant” was created in April 1888, inspired by Marion.
The life of Merian was examined afterwards, but nothing was known from the day Marler left Marion’s side until her death in 1931.
This ended Mahler’s second love affair. Mahler later gets married.
2. Gustav Mahler preparing for another meeting
Conducting the premiere of Weber’s opera on 20 January 1888 greatly helped raise Mahler’s public profile and brought financial rewards
Mahler left Leipzig in May 1888 after becoming financially stable due to a conflict with the chief stage director. However, this was the only cause. In fact, it was embarrassing to see his friend Weber’s face continuously because of the scandal with Weber’s wife, Marion Matilde.
Mahler was named a potential director of the Royal Opera in Budapest, Hungary, with the help and efforts of old Vienna friends Guido Adler and cellist David Popper.
Then, on February 18, 1889, Mahler’s father Bernhardt died, and at the end of the year, his sister Leopoldine and his mother all died, and from October, Mahler supported his four younger brothers.
Even at this time, Mahler was unable to escape the pain of separation from Marion and to establish a relationship with another woman. He devoted himself to composing at the end of that year, conducting the premiere of his Symphony No. 4 in Munich.
During his second season in Vienna, he bought a spacious and modern apartment, bought a new land next to the composition studio, built a summer house, and devoted himself to composing.
His abstinence was not a long period. In November 1901, he met Alma Schindler, the stepdaughter of painter Carl Moll, at a social gathering with theater director Max Burckhardt.
Gustav Mahler failed to achieve financial stability at an early age, so his first love ended with a crush.
And he tried to run away after passing over his friend’s wife, but failed, and with the consideration of his friend, he continues his life as a musician, but it is the scent of a woman he is now used to.
Let’s get into his love story in the next episode about how love techniques learned with natural musical talent will affect his life.
