Gustav Mahler (7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was a Jewish Bohemian-Austrian composer and conductor. Mahler’s lifetime spanned the most crucial period in musical history. Behind him lay the rich, Romantic pastures of Anton Bruckner and Johannes Brahms, and ahead the “alien” musical landscapes of Schoenberg and Boulez and the harrowing emotional terrain of Shostakovich and Benjamin Britten. Such was Gustav Mahler’s all-embracing vision that he earned the respect and admiration of all these composers.