Gustav Mahler
Austrian · 1860–1911
Composer and conductor whose symphonies — epic in scope, emotionally searing, philosophically searching — bridged late Romanticism and modernism and became some of the most performed orchestral works of the twentieth century.
Wikipedia ↗“Wenn du glaubst, dein Publikum zu langweilen, so spiele langsamer, nicht schneller.”
Deutsch
“If you think you are boring your audience, go slower not faster.”
“The point is not to take the world's opinion as a guiding star but to go one's way in life and working steadfastly, neither combating nor deflecting opposition.”
Deutsch
“Die Symphonie muss wie die Welt sein. Sie muss alles umfassen.”
Deutsch
“A symphony must be like the world. It must contain everything.”
“Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.”
Deutsch
Often attributed to Mahler but also to other figures. No verified primary source in Mahler's writings.