Na Sung-in
The author is a music critic and director of the classical music brand Poongwoldang.
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911), one of the most influential composers of the early 20th century, sought to expose the contradictions of a world where ecstasy and suffering coexist. Through the eyes of an outsider, he embraced what was sometimes grotesque, sometimes distant from beauty, because it felt closer to the truth. This was not only his artistic lens but also his lived reality. He was, in his own words, a "triple outsider" - a Bohemian, an Austrian and a Jew. Even after becoming one of the world's greatest conductors, hostility toward him persisted.

Around the turn of the century, as he approached 40, Mahler fell in love. Yet, love did not dispel solitude. For him, this was the limit of human existence. If imperfect love on Earth is but a sign of eternal life in heaven, then love and death are not opposites. Love and death, the fleeting and the eternal, began to take root at the core of his being. His uncertainty about his identity remained, and he sank deeper into philosophical reflection. It was during this period that one of his most personal songs was born.
"I am lost to the world
With which I used to waste so much time,
It has heard nothing of me for so long
It may well think that I am dead.
It is of no consequence to me
Whether it thinks me dead or not.
I cannot deny it,
For I am indeed dead to the world.
I am dead to the world's tumult
And rest in a quiet realm.
I live alone in my heaven,
In my love and in my song."
This song, part of "Songs on the Death of Children" (1901-04), represents Mahler's truest confession. Its tone is contemplative, almost Taoist - an ascetic voice quietly preparing to leave the world without striving for greatness. One person's loneliness was transformed into art, resonating across time and touching the hearts of many. It is a plea to listen to the loneliness that exists here and now, and an appeal to reach out to those forgotten by the world.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

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