Jerry Bruck

In 1962 Jerry Bruck presented the first radio broadcast cycle of Mahler's music over New York City's WBAI-FM. These 14 two-hour programs included extensive biographical material and interviews with musicians and others who knew Mahler. This led him to Mahler's widow, Alma - whom he helped convince to rescind her ban on completions of her husband's Tenth Symphony - and to a lasting friendship with Mahler's daughter, Anna. Since then, his researches have brought him into close contact with musicians and scholars who have further encouraged his avid interest in the music and life of the composer. In 1971 he was awarded the Mahler Medal of the Bruckner Society of America.

Jerry Bruck was directly responsible for the release of the suppressed first movement of Mahler's early cantata Das Klagende Lied and his early Piano Quartet-satz. He also assisted with the American premieres of those works and of the Symphony No. 10. He produced and engineered the first commercial recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 1 with its Blumine movement for CBS/Odyssey, and later co-engineered the same work with James Judd and the Florida Philharmonic for Harmonia Mundi.

In addition to records and CDs, Jerry Bruck has recorded sound for many music oriented film and video projects. Currently he is working with Jason Starr on a video documentary about the Mahler Third Symphony. His recording of Joe Wheeler's performing version of Mahler's Tenth Symphony is available from the Colorado MahlerFest, for whom he also recorded Mahler Symphonies 2, 3, 8 and 9 in concert. Other recent CD releases of Mahler's music include the Third and Sixth Symphonies for Titanic Records (the latter also with liner notes by Mr. Bruck). His most recent project has been the preparation of a "White Paper" for the Kaplan Foundation, intended to restore the correct order of its inner movements to performances and recordings of Mahler's Sixth Symphony.

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