Editing Gustav Mahler (section)

====Royal Opera, Budapest====
On arriving in Budapest in October 1888, Mahler encountered a cultural conflict between conservative Hungarian nationalists who favoured a policy of [[Magyarisation]], and progressives who wanted to maintain and develop the country's Austro-German cultural traditions. In the opera house a dominant conservative caucus, led by the music director Sándor Erkel, had maintained a limited repertory of historical and folklore opera. By the time that Mahler began his duties, the progressive camp had gained ascendancy following the appointment of the liberal-minded Ferenc von Beniczky as [[opera manager|intendant]].<ref name=Franklin5>Franklin, (5. Budapest 1888–91).</ref> Aware of the delicate situation, Mahler moved cautiously; he delayed his first appearance on the conductor's stand until January 1889, when he conducted Hungarian-language performances of Wagner's {{lang|de|[[Das Rheingold]]}} and {{lang|de|[[Die Walküre]]}} to initial public acclaim.<ref name=Sadie509>Sadie, pp. 508–509</ref> However, his early successes faded when plans to stage the remainder of the ''[[Der Ring des Nibelungen|Ring]]'' cycle and other German operas were frustrated by a renascent conservative faction which favoured a more traditional "Hungarian" programme.<ref name=Sadie509 /> In search of non-German operas to extend the repertory, Mahler visited in spring 1890 Italy where among the works he discovered was Mascagni's recent sensation {{lang|it|[[Cavalleria rusticana]]}} (Budapest premiere on 26 December 1890).<ref name=Franklin5 />

On 18 February 1889, Bernhard Mahler died; this was followed later in the year by the deaths both of Mahler's sister Leopoldine (27 September) and his mother (11 October).<ref name=Franklin5 /> From October 1889 Mahler took charge of his four younger brothers and sisters (Alois, Otto, Justine, and Emma). They were installed in a rented flat in Vienna. Mahler himself suffered poor health, with attacks of [[haemorrhoids]] and [[migraine]] and a recurrent septic throat.<ref>Carr, p. 52</ref> Shortly after these family and health setbacks the premiere of the First Symphony, in Budapest on 20 November 1889, was a disappointment. The critic August Beer's lengthy newspaper review indicates that enthusiasm after the early movements degenerated into "audible opposition" after the Finale.<ref>Mitchell, Vol. II, p. 154</ref> Mahler was particularly distressed by the negative comments from his Vienna Conservatory contemporary, [[Victor von Herzfeld|Viktor von Herzfeld]], who had remarked that Mahler, like many conductors before him, had proved not to be a composer.<ref name=Franklin5 /><ref>Carr, {{pp.|53|54}}</ref>

In 1891, Hungary's move to the political right was reflected in the opera house when Beniczky on 1 February was replaced as intendant by Count [[Géza Zichy]], a conservative aristocrat determined to assume artistic control over Mahler's head.<ref name=Franklin5 /> However, Mahler had foreseen that and had secretly been negotiating with [[Bernhard Pollini]], the director of the [[Hamburg State Opera|Stadttheater Hamburg]] since summer and autumn of 1890, and a contract was finally signed in secrecy on 15 January 1891. Mahler more or less "forced" himself to be sacked from his Budapest post, and he succeeded on 14 March 1891. By his departure he received a large sum of indemnity.<ref>Carr, p. 56</ref> One of his final Budapest triumphs was a performance of Mozart's {{lang|it|[[Don Giovanni]]}} (16 September 1890) which won him praise from [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]], who was present at the performances on 16 December 1890.<ref>Blaukopf, p. 83</ref> During his Budapest years Mahler's compositional output had been limited to a few songs from the {{lang|de|Wunderhorn}} song settings that became Volumes&nbsp;II and III of {{lang|de|Lieder und Gesänge}}, and amendments to the First Symphony.<ref name=Sadie509 />