Chapter 19 - Mahler’s Press from London to Los Angeles

Summary

Mahler liked to present himself, especially in letters, as an unrecognized genius whom future audiences would honor even if contemporaneous critics remained dismissive. If he had cause for disappointment with the German-language press, the foreign press often recognized his accomplishments. This essay focuses on Mahler coverage in the press in England, New York, and California, where positive reports and unflagging curiosity defy any presumptions of provincialism. Far-flung publications admired the conductor, awed if perplexed by his compositions, at a time when their Austro-German counterparts disparaged his music. Their attention did not result from a more profound understanding than in Central Europe; rather, staying abreast of foreign affairs, including musical ones, was a mark of cultivation. The stakes were simply not as high as in Vienna and in Germany, where protecting the integrity of classical music against the claws of modernism underlay so much reporting on Mahler.