In the world of classical music, where prodigies often begin training in childhood and careers are built on decades of rigorous study, Gilbert Kaplan stands as a singular anomaly—a self-made millionaire who became one of the most dedicated interpreters of a single symphony without ever learning to play an instrument proficiently. His story is one of obsession, perseverance, and the transformative power of art, centered around Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, known as the “Resurrection.” Kaplan’s path from financial publisher to international conductor proves that passion can sometimes eclipse traditional credentials, inspiring both admiration and debate in the music world.

Early Life and Business Success

Born on March 3, 1941, in New York City, Gilbert Edmund Kaplan grew up in a modest family with no deep musical roots. His father, a textile manufacturer, passed away when Kaplan was just 17. He pursued economics at Duke University and later studied law at New York University, but his early career took him to Wall Street. Starting as an economist at the American Stock Exchange, Kaplan quickly demonstrated his entrepreneurial flair. In 1967, at the age of 26, he founded Institutional Investor, a magazine that revolutionized financial journalism by blending sharp analysis with glossy, engaging features. Under his leadership as publisher until 1990 and editor-in-chief until 1992, the publication became a must-read for investors worldwide. He sold it in 1984 for a reported $75 million, securing his fortune and freeing him to pursue other passions.

Kaplan’s life might have remained firmly in the realm of finance had it not been for a fateful evening in 1965. At 24, he attended a concert at Carnegie Hall where Leopold Stokowski conducted Mahler’s Symphony No. 2. With its sprawling 90-minute runtime, massive orchestra, chorus, and soloists, the work explores profound themes of life, death, doubt, and ultimate resurrection. Kaplan, who had only rudimentary childhood piano lessons that he abandoned early, was utterly transfixed. “It was as if the music was speaking directly to me,” he later recalled. This encounter ignited an all-consuming obsession that would redefine his existence.

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The Obsessive Pursuit of Mastery

Unlike aspiring conductors who hone their craft through conservatories and assistantships, Kaplan approached Mahler’s Second with the meticulousness of a businessman dissecting a market. He listened to every available recording, attended performances globally, and pored over the score bar by bar—teaching himself to read music specifically for this piece. By the late 1970s, he decided that to truly understand the symphony, he needed to conduct it himself.

In 1981, Kaplan began private conducting lessons with Charles Zachary Bornstein, a recent Juilliard graduate. He consulted Mahler experts like Georg Solti, who was initially dubious but grew impressed by Kaplan’s dedication. Kaplan memorized the entire score and practiced relentlessly. His debut came in 1982 at Avery Fisher Hall (now David Geffen Hall), where he hired the American Symphony Orchestra, Westminster Symphonic Choir, and soloists for a self-funded performance. To ensure an audience, he invited international financiers attending an IMF meeting in New York. The event was a success, marking the start of what Kaplan called his “amateur” conducting career—in the original sense of the word, meaning “lover” of the art.

Over the next three decades, Kaplan conducted the symphony more than 100 times with over 60 orchestras worldwide, always without accepting a fee. Highlights included performances with the London Symphony Orchestra (1987, resulting in a bestselling recording praised by The New York Times as a “Record of the Year”), the Vienna Philharmonic (2002, another acclaimed recording), and ensembles in Los Angeles, Israel, Russia, and China, where he introduced the work for its premiere. He even acquired a baton once owned by Mahler himself and conducted from memory, emphasizing interpretive details drawn from the composer’s original manuscript, which he owned.

Kaplan’s approach wasn’t without controversy. Critics sometimes described his technique as “wooden” or amateurish, and musicians occasionally bristled at an outsider on the podium. A 2008 performance with the New York Philharmonic drew sharp anonymous complaints from players, who felt his lack of broader repertoire limited his authority. Yet many praised his profound sympathy for the score, fresh insights, and the emotional depth he elicited. As Kaplan himself said, “I do get the results I want.”

Beyond conducting, Kaplan became a leading Mahler scholar. He founded the Kaplan Foundation to promote Mahler research, co-edited a new critical edition of the Second Symphony with Renate Stark-Voit, and authored works like The Mahler Album (1995, expanded 2011), an illustrated biography of Mahler, and articles such as “How Mahler Performed His Second Symphony” (1986). He also arranged a version for smaller orchestra with Rob Mathes.

Legacy and Influence

Kaplan passed away on January 1, 2016, at age 74 from cancer, leaving behind a legacy that challenges the elitism of classical music. His story underscores how deep immersion and love for a work can yield remarkable results, even without traditional training. As a philanthropist, he supported Mahler scholarship and preserved artifacts, ensuring the composer’s vision endured. Kaplan’s saga reminds us that great art isn’t confined to professionals; sometimes, it’s the outsiders who resurrect its spirit most vividly.

In one of several interviews Kaplan gave, he shares what drove him to act on his discovered passion, comparing it to being in love. His story is a beautiful example of the importance of having the ears to hear the spirit when it is alive in us **And having the courage **act on it.

I think my experience cannot be generalized. I really do believe that there is something which enabled me to do this which goes beyond the explainable…

I think my experience cannot be generalized. I really do believe that there is something which enabled me to do this which goes beyond the explainable

…in this case, there were really two risks. One– that I’d make a fool of myself. The other risk was for me a far bigger risk, though, the risk that I might live my entire life wondering what would have happened if I tried. And I couldn’t try for about a year, I was so frightened to make the attempt, and then it occurred to me, ‘‘Just do it for a day.’’

Interview Link

Hopefully bringing Kaplan’s story to a new audience will inspire others to act when they feel called, to do things out of love, and to see what good they can do in a day. It’s never been easier to look forward or look back and never address the present. Something brought me to look into conducting myself as a passion and I discovered Kaplan’s story. I may not ever command the ear of an orchestra like Gil did, but learning about his story and sharing it here is stirring up a lot of feelings of love and my incredible urge to share not only information but love in the world. That is why I write.

-S