Abstract
The paper describes the history of invitation of Anton Rubinstein (1829–1894) as the artistic director of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien (Society of the Friends of Music in Vienna) and his activities as such in the 1871/72 concert season. The concert programs of Rubinstein, his reception in Vienna as pianist, as conductor and as composer by the Viennese musical public, his contacts with Austrian and German musicians are discussed. The paper is based on the unpublished original sources from the Archive of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde and other historical documents.