Alma & Gustav:
THE MAHLER FAMILY ALBUM
A WINDOW INTO ALMA AND GUSTAV’S INTIMATE FAMILY LIFE
Published for the first time, this book is Alma’s personal family album of her life with Gustav and provides an intimate look into the private lives of these two extraordinary musical and cultural figures.
The book is a facsimile reproduction of the original monogramed album and contains Alma’s own selection of family photos – many of which have not been made public to date – annotated in her distinctive purple ink. The photographs cover the period between 1903 and 1911 including the time they spent their summers in Maiernigg and Toblach.
There are touching glimpses of their children Maria and Anna playing at their summer home by the lake and the warm, relaxed aspect of Mahler amidst his family. We also see them in New York, on the ocean liner, and on other travels…to Rome, to Basel, to the Netherlands, and Mahler in Prague for the world premiere of his Seventh Symphony. Amongst the snapshots we also see friends: Willem Mengelberg, Oskar Fried, Bruno Walter, and others.
Looking at these pages one has the feeling of participating in the daily life that Alma and Gustav created together and that gave him the inner freedom, silence and time to compose some of the most powerful music ever written!
Alma’s annotation
“The summer was beautiful, no conflicts, happy. At the end of the vacation, Mahler played me the now finished Symphony No. 6”
GUSTAV MAHLER
Gustav Mahler (1860–1911) was a visionary Austrian composer and conductor, best known for his expansive symphonies that blend emotional depth with philosophical inquiry.
A bridge between the Romantic and Modern eras, his works are grand in scale and rich in orchestration, often exploring themes of life, death, and transcendence. As a conductor, Mahler was revered for his intensity and precision, notably at the Vienna Court Opera and later the New York Philharmonic. Though underappreciated in his time, his music gained immense recognition posthumously, influencing generations of composers.
ALMA MAHLER
Alma Mahler (1879–1964) was an Austrian composer, muse, and intellectual figure at the heart of early 20th-century European culture. Trained in music, she composed lieder and instrumental pieces, though her creative output was curtailed by societal expectations and her marriage to Gustav Mahler, who initially discouraged her composing. Alma later became romantically linked with prominent figures such as Walter Gropius, Oskar Kokoschka, and Franz Werfel. Celebrated for her beauty and intellect, she remains a symbol of both suppressed artistic potential and the complex role of women in cultural history. Alma’s influence is described in-depth in this recent New Yorker article by Alex Ross, ‘The Esthetic Empire of Alma Mahler-Werfel’
ABOUT THE BOOK
For more than a hundred years this album – compiled by Alma Mahler with handwritten notes in her signature purple ink - has been cared for by the family and is now being shared in this special, first edition, along with detailed descriptions by leading historians of the scenes and people captured.
Edited by Morten Solvik, this 230 page tome covers the period between 1903 and Gustav’s death in 1911 and gives readers an intimate insight into the personal lives of Alma and Gustav Mahler, their travels, family and friends, including such figures as Willem Mengelberg, Oskar Fried and Bruno Walter, among others.
This hard back coffee table book (24cm by 34cm) is presented in a box cover decorated with Alma’s personal monograph, reflecting the Art Nouveau influences of the time.
Alma and Gustav’s granddaughter Marina has provided a foreword reflecting on her own time spent with Alma, and the renowned conductor Ivan Fischer and the singer-conductor Barbara Hannigan, winner of the Polar Music Prize 2025, have contributed their reflections as well.
