Mahler: Autopsy of a Genius

As directed by Andy Sommer from a script that he wrote with Catherine Sauvat, this revisionist documentary cuts through much of the romantic mythology surrounding Austro-Bohemian composer Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) to provide a "sensorial" portrait of the said musical genius. In other words, it uses newly-discovered evidence to convey, for the viewer, the signs, sounds, hostilities and obsessions that Mahler experienced from day to day and over the years. In evoking Mahler's soul, the film also draws on many objects central to his life, such as his summer home, his glasses and his baton. Those who appear in the film include: Thomas Hampson, Jonathan Nott, Pierre Boulez and Claudio Abbado.