David & Paul Gulda

"My child, I ask you to take good care of these things, for you and your sons, my dear grandchildren. If one day they wish to know where they come from, may these objects guide them back to the past of the Loew family, which I no longer have the strength to record."

"Loew" is a fascinating tapestry of world history and personal family biography. David Gulda takes readers through two centuries and half of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, across Italy to South America and back. Using carefully researched facts and fictional elements, he unfolds the story of a Jewish family caught in the tension between religious tradition, increasing secularization, and political upheavals from the beginning of the 19th century to the late 20th century.

Accompanied at the piano by his brother, the musician Paul Gulda, who also contributed the afterword to the book, David Gulda now presents his work.

David Gulda, born in 1956 in Vienna, is the elder son of actress Paola Loew and pianist Friedrich Gulda, a doctor of law with a degree in philosophy, and has worked for many years in business both at home and abroad. Paul Gulda, born in 1961 in Vienna, is the younger son of actress Paola Loew and pianist Friedrich Gulda. Since 1980, he has worked as a pianist, musician, educator, and mentor both at home and abroad.

"After long research, David Gulda has now presented the very personal biography of his mother's ancestors. It is a 'glance into the family rearview mirror'." (Günther Haller, Die Presse)

"Many in the audience had their hearts opened by Paul's 'Interventions', especially when he staged himself brilliantly and excitingly, spicing up his presentations with various delicacies at the piano—alongside Schubert, also Yiddish songs sung by himself." (Walther Neumann, Kleine Zeitung)

"In this way, the book stands against forgetting. Against what the Loew family could fall prey to, and also against the circumstances in which its members lived. When elements of this past threaten to return in new garb, then remembering may be one of the means to counter it. Hopefully." (David Gulda, Foreword "Loew")

"David Gulda, the elder son of pianist Friedrich Gulda and actress Paola Loew, mixes world history and personal family biography in 'Loew', leading with his exciting retelling of the story of a Jewish family through two centuries and half of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, across Italy to South America and back." (Karin Gasch, Böhlau)

David Gulda, Loew - Life Paths of a Jewish Family, Böhlau, 2025.