This text covers the years 1904-1907 and shows Mahler in his final years at the Hofoper coping with the demands on his energy and creative powers of the Opera and his struggle for recognition as a composer in his own right, and shows the first signs of marital difficulties with Alma emerge. This must be one of the most detailed, comprehensive biographies ever written ... this enormous book remains readable ... the author has a narrative gift which ensures that the reader is not swamped by the mass of detail ... this biography will remain a treasure trove for scholars.