Mahler's Forgotten Conductor: Heinz Unger and His Search for Jewish Meaning, 1895–1965

"This is a worthy tribute to a long-forgotten conductor and devoted Mahlerite, whose evangelistic zeal did much to promulgate the composer's music. This in-depth coverage of Unger's life fills a void and, hopefully, paves the way for some trawling of the archives and release of some of the artist's live performances."

Stephen Greenbank, MusicWeb International

"It is exciting to learn about Unger’s eventful, unjustly forgotten life and archive, buoyed by Tesler-Mabé’s passion for reconstructing the conductor’s story."

Judah M. Cohen, Canadian Jewish Studies Vol. 31

"A useful contribution to Jewish studies, this monograph is a microhistory, a contextual biography of German conductor Heinz Unger."

M.N.H. Cheng, Colgate University, CHOICE

“The engrossing prose and honest narrative about a life that included many disappointments will fetch a broad audience as well as contribute rich material to musicologists who, finally, re envision their field as more than a series of great men. It is to our peril when historians skip over a stratum of musical life that was often ignored in the press.” Karen Painter, University of Minnesota, German Studies Review

"Hernan Tesler-Mabé’s book on the life and legacy of renowned international conductor Heinz Unger compellingly interweaves Unger’s dedication to the music of Gustav Mahler and his cultural heritage as a German Jew amid the turbulence of the twentieth century. It deftly reveals Unger’s embrace of and significant influence on the musical life of his adopted country of Canada."

Ira Robinson, Chair and Director of the Concordia Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies, Concordia University

"With crisply written historical overviews and fascinating discussion, Mahler’s Forgotten Conductor is an immensely valuable text that will appeal to scholars of Jewish studies, emigration, and music history."

Karen Painter, School of Music, University of Minnesota