[Real Live Cam Alma And Stefan
Jamar Lizarraga
1946
Alma Mahler-Werfel becomes an American citizen. On the occasion of her
seventieth birthday, on August 31 1949, Alma is given a birthday book at her
home in Pacific Palisades, California. The bound volume contains
seventy-seven letters from significant representatives of European and
American cultural and intellectual history.
www.libraries.psu.edu/speccolls/FindingAids/mahlerwerfel/index.htm
In the early 1950s Alma moves to New York, hoping to leave painful memories
behind in Los Angeles.
A malicious obituary was given to her by American songwriter Tom Lehrer:
"The loveliest girl in Vienna was Alma, the smartest as well.
Once you picked her up on your antenna, youd never be free of her spell.
Her lovers were many and varied from the day she begun her beguine
there were three famous ones whom she married, and god knows how many between!
Alma, tell us: all modern women are jealous,
which of your magical wands got you Gustav and Walter and Franz?"
Mrs. Alma Mahler Werfel, widow of the writer Franz Werfel and earlier of the composer Gustav Mahler, died Friday in her apartment at 120 East 73d Street. Her age was 85. She had also been married to Walter Gropius, the architect.
Mrs. Werfel, who was once described as "The most beautiful girl in Vienna," recalled in her autobiography that she had always been attracted to genius. She noted that she had once confided to her first husband, Mahler, that what she really loved in a man were his achievements.
The former Alma Schindler, the daughter of Emil J. Schindler, a landscape painter in Austria, she grew up in Vienna surrounded by art and artists. Her intellect, which was nurtured by her brilliant father, complimented her beauty.
After a short courtship they were married. Alma traveled with her husband on conducting tours in Europe and the United States. They had two daughters, but only one, Anna, survived. She became a sculptor.
While still married to the composer, she met Walter Gropius, then a little known architect. She described him in her diary as an "extraordinarily handsome German," and added that the night of their first meeting wore into sunrise.
Mahler died in 1911 and his widow returned to Vienna to live with her parents. One day her father told her of "a poor starving genius" who painted. Later he brought Oskar Kokoschka home to paint her picture. She wrote that after he had finished sketching her he stood up, embraced her and walked out. He then started sending love letters and they became lovers. The affair lasted three years until Kokoschka joined the German Army. Shortly afterward Alma began corresponding with Gropius, who had become successful, and they were married in August 1915. They had a daughter, Manon, who died in her teens.
While still married to Gropius she met Franz Werfel and had a son by him. The child died in infancy. Gropius and Alma finally agreed to divorce in 1918. She then moved in with Werfel, and they were married in July, 1929.
She also wrote in her diary that she was pursued by other geniuses. The following was dated 1926 and referred to a conversation she had with Gerhart Hauptmann, the German drammatist and poet: " 'It's a pity,'he said to me, 'that the two of us don't have a child together. That would have been something You, you my great love....' " 'In another life,' he once told me, 'we two must be lovers. I make my reservation now.' "His wife heard it. 'I'm sure Alma will be booked up there too.' she said flippantly. "He and I only smiled...." She also wrote that other great men who were in love with her were Dr. Paul Kammerer, the biologist, and Ossip Gabrilowitsch, the Russian pianist and conductor who later married Mark Twain's daughter.
Werfel and Alma fled Nazi Germany in the late nineteen-thirties. Their experiences prompting Franz to write "The Song of Bernadette" and "Jacobowsky and the Colonel." They came to the United States in 1940 and settled in California, where Werfel died in 1945. She moved to New York in 1952.
1907-1911
Alma Mahler was three times in New York between 21 December 1907 and 8 April 1911, together with her husband Gustav Mahler who worked at the Metropolitan Opera till he became chef of his own orchestra, the Philharmonic Society of New York.
1909
Mahler conducts Le nozze di Figaro in New York, Brooklyn and Philadelphia. In February singer Marcella Sembrich bids farewell to the Met with Mahler conducting. Mahler also conducts Fidelio at the Met. March: Mahler conducts a trial concert with the New York Philharmonic. 9 April: Mahler sets sail from New York to Paris, where he sits for sculptor Auguste Rodin.
19 October: Mahler and Alma arrive again in New York. Mahler conducts 44 concerts with NYPO, including a series of six historical concerts. Notable works included in the programmes are Mahler's own 1st Symphony, Strauss's Till Eulenspiegel, and Rakhmaninov's 3rd Piano Concerto with the composer himself at the piano. 16 December: Mahler conducts his own 1st Symphony. December: Bote & Bock publish a pocket score of 7th Symphony.
1910
January: Mahler conducts Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto with Ferrucio Busoni as soloist; the occasion is a triumphant success. 4th historical concert, including Mahlers Kindertotenlieder (Songs on the Death of Children). Pianist Josef Weiss throws a tantrum and walks out of a rehearsal with Mahler. February: first American tour (New Haven, Springfield, Providence and Boston). 5 April: Mahler sets sail from New York.
25 October: Mahler and Alma arrive again in New York. Mahler conducts 47 concerts, including seven in Brooklyn and eight on tour. Among the works performed are his own 4th Symphony, and works of American composers such as George Whitefield Chadwick's Melpomene Overture, Stanford's Irish Symphony, Elgar's Sea Pictures, Charles Martin Loeffler's La Villanelle du diable and Henry Kimball Hadley's The Culprit Fay. November: concert in Brooklyn. December: second American tour, visiting Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Utica; Christmas and New Year spent nursing sore throat.
1911
Mahler conducts all-Wagner programme in Philadelphia and Washington, DC. 21 February: final concert in New York. 24 February: Mahler falls ill with slow endocarditis, initially diagnosed as influenza. 8 April: Mahler and Alma sail from New York on the same vessel as Ferrucio Busoni and Stefan Zweig.
18 May: Mahler dies in Vienna at 23:05.
What I liked: As noted in the afterword, Katsu took numerous liberties with the real-life narrative, in telling this tale of the group of settlers migrating west in the hopes of settling in California. They want to leave their troubles and worries behind and create new lives for themselves and for their families.
The characters are so well done. Each and every one of them is given the room to grow and breathe so that when things go south, we feel the losses, we are saddened and dismayed and repulsed when Katsu starts to dispatch them.
What has been your favorite Green Technologies project that you worked on at USC and why?
My favorite Green Technologies project that I have worked on was in my environmental engineering class. My group and I explored the different carbon impacts of an omnivore, vegetarian, and vegan diets based on specific food groups. We took an in-depth approach to how the foods are made, where they come from, and how they get to a location, which is something that not many people consider. The project really made me think about my own personal food choices and the impact it has, which has led me to make various changes in my own diet.
How has living in Los Angeles impacted your experience as a Green Technologies student?
Living in LA has greatly impacted my experience as a Green Technologies student. Los Angeles is one of the most innovative cities in terms of Green Technologies and there are countless companies and groups that are moving towards more sustainable energy in the city. Being able to see these different companies and their work firsthand has really inspired me in my classes. In addition, a lot of the professors draw on data and events in the LA area, which really makes the classes much more interactive and applicable.
As a Green Technologies student, what do you see as two of the most pressing changes our businesses and society must make in the coming years?
The two most pressing changes that society must make in the coming years are the transition towards more sustainable buildings and more incorporation of renewable energy. 39% of carbon emissions come from buildings, so society needs to focus around meeting standards such as LEED that will promote more energy-efficient, safer, and more materially responsible buildings. In addition to this, I think that another large change that needs to be made is to expand renewable energy infrastructure. Around 62% of current electricity comes from fossil fuels, so to avoid the impacts of climate change, this needs to be reduced through more sources like solar, wind, and tidal power.
Why did you choose to enroll at USC?
I chose to enroll at USC as it had a program that uniquely fit my interests. After finishing undergrad, I knew I wanted to go into the renewable energy field and USC's Green Technology program precisely prepares students for work in the field while also allowing for flexibility in pursuing other interests, such as environmental policy or green buildings.
Looking back, what is an experience at USC that you'll never forget?
An experience during my time at USC that I won't forget was going to a USC Women's soccer game with my dad in the Fall. My dad is a high school soccer coach and had two players playing in the game, so it was fun to both cheer on my school and share a fun experience at USC with my dad.