Editing Gustav Mahler (section)

====First appointments====
From June to August 1880, Mahler took his first professional conducting job, in a small wooden theatre in the spa town of [[Bad Hall]], south of [[Linz]].<ref name=Carr23 /> The repertory was exclusively [[operetta]]; it was, in Carr's words "a dismal little job", which Mahler accepted only after Julius Epstein told him he would soon work his way up.<ref name=Carr24 /> In 1881, he was engaged for six months (September to April) at the Landestheater in Laibach (now [[Ljubljana]], in Slovenia), where the small but resourceful company was prepared to attempt more ambitious works. Here, Mahler conducted his first full-scale opera, Verdi's ''[[Il trovatore]]'', one of 10 operas and a number of operettas that he presented during his time in Laibach.<ref name=Carr31>Carr, pp. 30–31</ref> After completing this engagement, Mahler returned to Vienna and worked part-time as chorus-master at the Vienna [[Carltheater]].<ref name=Franklin2>Franklin, (2. Early conducting career, 1880–83).</ref>

From the beginning of January 1883, Mahler became conductor at the Royal Municipal Theatre in Olmütz (now [[Olomouc]]) in [[Moravia]].<ref name=Carr31 /> He later wrote: "From the moment I crossed the threshold of the Olmütz theatre I felt like one awaiting the wrath of God."<ref name=Carr32>Carr, pp. 32–34</ref> Despite poor relations with the orchestra, Mahler brought nine operas to the theatre, including [[Georges Bizet|Bizet]]'s ''[[Carmen]]'', and won over the press that had initially been sceptical of him.<ref name=Carr32 /> After a week's trial at the Royal Theatre in the [[Hesse|Hessian]] town of [[Kassel]], Mahler became the theatre's "Musical and Choral Director" from August 1883.<ref name=Franklin2 /> The title concealed the reality that Mahler was subordinate to the theatre's [[Kapellmeister]], Wilhelm Treiber, who disliked him (and vice versa) and set out to make his life miserable.<ref name=Carr35>Carr, pp. 35–40</ref> Despite the unpleasant atmosphere, Mahler had moments of success at Kassel. He directed a performance of his favourite opera, Weber's {{lang|de|[[Der Freischütz]]}},<ref name=Sadie507>Sadie, p. 507</ref> and 25 other operas. On 23 June 1884, he conducted his own incidental music to [[Joseph Victor von Scheffel]]'s play {{lang|de|Der Trompeter von Säckingen}} ("The Trumpeter of Säckingen"), the first professional public performance of a Mahler work.{{refn|The music of {{lang|de|Der Trompeter von Säkkingen}} has been mostly lost. A movement entitled "Blumine" was included in the first, five-movement version of [[Symphony No. 1 (Mahler)|Mahler's First Symphony]].<ref name=Sadie507 />|group=n}} An ardent, but ultimately unfulfilled, love affair with soprano Johanna Richter led Mahler to write a series of love poems which became the text of his song cycle {{lang|de|[[Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen]]}} ("Songs of a Wayfarer").<ref name=Carr35 />

In January 1884, the distinguished conductor [[Hans von Bülow]] brought the [[Meiningen]] Court Orchestra to Kassel and gave two concerts. Hoping to escape from his job in the theatre, Mahler unsuccessfully sought a post as Bülow's permanent assistant. However, in the following year his efforts to find new employment resulted in a six-year contract with the prestigious [[Leipzig Opera]], to begin in August 1886. Unwilling to remain in Kassel for another year, Mahler resigned on 22 June 1885, and applied for, and through good fortune was offered, a standby appointment as conductor at the Royal {{lang|de|[[State Opera (Prague)|Neues Deutsches Theater]]}} in Prague by the theatre's newly appointed director, the famous [[Angelo Neumann]].<ref name=Franklin3>Franklin, (3. Kassel, 1883–85).</ref>