๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ง๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ซ – ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง – ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ – ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ – ๐๐๐ก๐ฅ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฒ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ก๐จ๐ง๐ฒ ๐๐จ.๐
It was wonderful to be at City Hall on November 22, 2025, in celebration of legend, Bernhard Gueller. It was a treat to be there, with Gueller conducting the =Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. The Mahler Symphony no 5 is a hectic piece of music โ an epic symphony. This was very much a legacy concert – and about passing on the baton to others – sharing and holding space.
The internationally celebrated conductor was born in Germany. He put down roots in South Africa in 1995 โ a momentous year in this country. โHis illustrious career includes a 16-year tenure as the Music Director of Symphony Nova Scotia in Canada, where he now holds the esteemed title of Music Director Laureate. Gueller has also held prominent positions as the music director of the Nuremberg Symphoniker and principal conductor of both the Cape Town Philharmonic (CTPO)ย ย and the Johannesburg Philharmonicโ. https://cpo.org.za/bernhard-gueller/
Guellerโs new title is Conductor Laureate – a lifelong title – in โacknowledgment of his remarkable contribution to music in Cape Townโ, says Louis Heyneman – CEO and artistic director of the Cape Town Philharmonic.
Bravo to Bernhard Gueller – and to his wife, the extraordinary Shirley De Kock Gueller for their commitment to music in Cape Town.
On the subject of legacy; and the musical legacy of the Mahler family, I recently read an excellent book*, The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz, about Alma Rosรฉ – the niece of Gustav Mahler. She was the conductor of the Womenโs Orchestra of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Alma Rosรฉ died in Auschwitz in 1944 – from apparent poisoning. Her mom was Gustavโs sister. Yes, Gustavโs wife was also named Alma, so it can be confusing. Alma Rosรฉโs mom, Justine, i.e. the sister of Gustav, managed to avoid deportation to Auschwitz by fleeing to London. She died in London.
Alma Rosรฉ was a brilliant violinist before the war and had a glittering career, touring Europe. She was a superstar. In 1932, she founded an all-female ensemble, “Die Wiener Walzermรคdeln” (The Waltzing Girls of Vienna). Love that.
Circling back to Gustav, reading up on him -in order to nab his job as director of the Vienna Court Opera – he converted to Roman Catholicism in 1897. ย He composed Symphony no 5 in 1901 and 1902. That was long before Auschwitz. Gustav Mahler died young, in 1911, as a result of heart disease. He was 51,
Hearing the Mahler Symphony on November 22, 2025, I found it emotionally wrenching – and dark. It ends upbeat and hopeful but still it is not a fluffy symphony. It pushes the musicians – trumpet, harp, French horns. Excellent programme notes by Albert Combrink. He mentions the antisemitism that Gustav dealt with in his life. Combrink mentions the loss that Gustav experienced in his life – including losing 13 siblings. Death, loss, fear were very much part of his life but so was love and passion. He was a complicated man, living in uncertain times. Turmoil and anxiety are leitmotifs of Symphony no 5 and experiencing it live, in performance, heightens its jittery sense of lament.
*The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz: A Story of Survival by Anne Sebba
