Gustav Mahler and Hungary

The reception of the Budapest years in the contemporary Hungarian press, with particular regard to Pester Lloyd

Abstract

The following study aims to connect with the Gustav Mahler research through the Hungarian German-language press, primarily focusing on its flagship, the Pester Lloyd, and its cultural mediation activities. The investigation faces, on one hand, the Gustav Mahler narrative conveyed by the newspaper and, on the other hand, addresses the newspaper’s orientation in music criticism.
The question arises: What justifies the research when Gustav Mahler’s work in Budapest, spanning two and a half years, is considered a well-explored area, especially from the perspective of press history? Zoltan Roman’s Mahler monograph was written with scientific rigour, primarily based on the processing of sources related to the Budapest years, including relevant press sources. Beyond the Budapest career, the central focus of his study is on opera premieres, while stage dance has been marginalized, this segment has not yet been explored. Taking this into account, given the available literature and the quantity of contemporary press material, I divide my research into two parts: I intend to separately examine the press reception of operas premiered during Mahler’s time and the reception of ballet performances staged during his tenure. In this study, I aim to outline the Mahler image of Pester Lloyd and its music reviewer, Ágost Beer, based on some of his writings.