The Eighth Mahler and the World in 1910

I greatly enjoyed this book. It has deepened my understanding and indeed sympathy towards Mahler’s Eighth symphony. I found the author to engaging, even when covering dense material, and for me I felt that he achieved a good balance between music analysis and more descriptive prose. I finished this book knowing a lot more about Mahler’s final works, about European history and with a list of pieces to listen to. The pages flew past and I reached the end enriched, but also a little sad that the book was over. This is a book that I return to, not least as preparation for listening to any of Mahler’s final works. Overall, very highly recommended.