Kultúra, közegészségügy és közbotrány A víg cimborák bemutatója a Magyar Királyi Operaházban

In February 1891, the Hungarian Royal Opera House hosted a charity evening arranged by the White Cross Association under the patronage of Archduchess Stefánia. The main attraction of this venue was the visit of Emperor Franz Joseph to the Opera House. However, the choice of the program proved to be unfortunate: just after the end of the opera A víg cimborák [The Merry Mates], which was loaded with anti-Semitic jests, the emperor left in a hurry. While the contemporary press reports focused mainly on the presentation, most newspapers did not address the political undertones. Pesti Napló, however, sought to find the responsible person and placed the blame on music director Gustav Mahler; however, he had only a limited authority. In contrast, Egyenlőség pointed out that both intendancy and artistic responsibilities of the Opera House had already been assumed by Count Géza Zichy, who had Mahler blamed for the incident. Additionally, it was improper to play The Merry Mates since the White Cross Association arranged the evening among the members of which there were many Jewish founders. This study aims to shed light into the background of this venue by contemporary sources.