Gustav Mahler in the Village of Steinbach

Gustav Mahler arrived in Steinbach am Attersee for the first time in the summer of 1893. The breathtaking surroundings worked wonders for Mahler’s creativity, inspiring half a dozen songs and most of two enormous symphonies (2nd and 3rd) over the course of four summers (through 1896).

To get even closer to the nature around him and to be able to work in peace, the composer had a hut built in a meadow on the edge of the lake. That hut, or “Komponierhäuschen” as it is known in German, is still standing today and has become a point of attraction for Mahler lovers all over the world.

This documentary journey by Jason Starr into the music of Gustav Mahler´s Second Symphony was also shot in Steinbach am Attersee. The DVD includes interviews of numerous outstanding scholars, musicians and orchestras and is narrated by Thomas Hampson.