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@ Gustav Mahler was much derided and vilified in his lifetime. The emotion, doubt and anxiety expressed in his work seemed absurd to his own generation, but rings true in our own insecure age # Morbidity was a feature of the Mahler family. Although Gustav's parents had fourteen children in all, most died prematurely, only seven of them living beyond the age of two. This had a tangible effect on his personality and his music # Mahler dreaded his 9th Symphony because he feared that the gods allow composers only nine symphonies in a lifetime (this was true of Beethoven; it was also true of Schubert and of Bruckner). Though he did make a start on a 10th Symphony, Mahler did not live to complete it # Mahler first rose to prominence as a conductor in the opera houses of Kassel, Prague, Leipzig, Budapest and finally at the Vienna Court Opera which, during his tenure, became one of the great centres of European music # The young Mahler was something of a daydreamer. Taken to the woods by his father, he was sat on a bench and told to wait. His father went away and forgot about him. To everyone's amazement he was found in the same place several hours later, smiling happily @ Madonna was master of the "anti-photo-opportunity". She went jogging in Hyde Park to publicise her presence in London, but any journalist or photographer who tried to get near her risked being flattened by her bodyguards # Millions of words were written to try to explain the Madonna phenomenon. Part of the explanation appears to be that she was, in the end, plain ordinary - and so infinitely re- inventable # The marketing of a star is a lucrative business. Madonna has always known her worth and insists on tight control of her public image including tough contracts for photographic sessions # Madonna's book "Sex" was sold with "ultra- secure outer packaging" ensuring no pre- purchase peeking. Madonna promised a book "based on fantasies . . a dream world, it's pretend, OK." Nevertheless, the book caused yet another round of hype and controversy # The publication of "Sex" was tied in to the release of Madonna's album, "Erotica". The book and the record were published simultaneously for maximum impact. Madonna was accused of appropriating gay culture for her own ends @ Madonna's conical bra, designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier, soon became a kind of trademark, like Charlie Chaplin's bowler hat or the Beatles' moptop haircuts # In 1992 Madonna's own "multi-media entertainment company", Maverick, was formed. Madonna called it "a vehicle to entertain as well as enlighten, provoke, and naturally, make a profit." # Madonna started as a singer and dancer, became the biggest star in the world, and then turned into a sociological phenomenon to be immortalised in academic theses # Madonna's fame inevitably led to a backlash. Her acting abilities came in for particular scorn, but Madonna remained deadly serious about herself: "Every time I reach a new peak, I see a new one I want to climb. Maybe I should rest and admire the view, but I can't. I've got to keep on pushing." # Madonna's ambition seems greatest in the area where she is weakest: "I always had a great interest in films, and the thought that I could only make records for the rest of my life filled me with horror. Ultimately I want to direct films." # After "Sex" and "Truth or Dare: In Bed with Madonna", the world was left waiting to see what she will come up with next. Her records still sell in their millions, and she remains as ambitious as ever 
