[The final year of Gustav Mahler].

"I am three times without a country; a Bohemian among Austrians, an Austrian among Germans, and a Jew among all the peoples of the world". This famous quotation is typical of Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) and reflects his difficult and stormy life. His rheumatic mitral valve disease, diagnosed in 1907, was probably asymptomatic until recurrent throat infections put an end to his life. At the time of his death Mahler was at the peak of his career as a conductor, with 90 concerts scheduled for the 1910-11 season. He had completed his 9th and begun his 10th symphony, but would his real task as a composer have survived the serious domestic crisis and threatened his artistic life? "My time will come" said Mahler, and by this he meant the acknowledgement of his music. But this took a long time. Today Mahler's music is played all over the world. Without doubt he is "eternal among the great".