Volume II Part 33 (1/2)
I cannot tell you how comic it appears to me that I have to transact Weiood mind to tell HIM that he had better leave my opera alone Weimar has lost all its charm for et at you and the Grand Duke You are a very tedious set of people
You told o that you were in possession of a score of ”Rienzi” which I had left there on lad if you would not attach inal score is always at your disposal in case, as I scarcely believe, you should care much about this opus I have only a very few copies left At the time I had no more than twenty-five copies made, more than half of which I have squandered away If it MUST be, get a copy from Fischer in Dresden, and subelstedt Have you had your score altered by Fischer? In the third act there is a long cut and a change necessitated by it which I
Good Lord! it is miserable that one has to take all this trouble for a little et up fro causes me terrible pain; sometimes in the middle of my music I call out loudly, which has a very fine effect
Have the Hartels sent you the first act of ”Tristan?” You will have copies of the poee in a few shrieks, which in a letter would not sound well
A thousand greetings--oh!
From your
R W (oh!!)
Have I really to wait for the wretched twenty-five louis d'or-- oh!!--till after the PERFORMANCE? Lord only knohen that will take place--oh!!
277
VENICE, December 5th, 1858
I made haste, dearest friend, to write to D in accordance with your suh our Princess
I wrote to him that doubts had arisen in me whether I still desired the perforree withcould have induced me to push my ”Rienzi” at this time of day it would, as you will understand, have been the desire of deriving a good income from it, such as would have been welcome in my poor and uncertain condition In itself I look upon this revival as an anachronism which, reat success of the opera at Dresden I was in hopes that the rapid sale of this opus would supply me with sufficient means for my present wants That hope, however, has been deceived in the ard to Munich and Hanover, as I recently infor this opera broadcast I had to humiliate my pride very much, and I have now become very sensitive as to this matter At Weimar, too, the opera is, properly considered, an intruder, and is evidently being looked upon as such You enlightened me upon this point last winter, when you explained to me the reason for its delay
But I do not desire that you should force this juvenile production upon any one in Weiood terms on such an occasion with this person or that person do not exist for me, and my sincere wish is, that they should not exist for you either In this ree Whether or not I perforen” at some future time is at bottom a matter of indifference to me I shall coth for such works I do not derive from any hopes, for the realisation of which I should require certain people All that the world and my ”admirers” and ”worshi+ppers” of whom I have to hear so much can do for me, is to look upon ht, and to do all in their power to ease my heavy cares and to preserve to me the pleasure and leisure which I require forBut to attain it, very different efforts are necessary froh of this I can do without the Weimar honorarium and douceur for ”Rienzi,” which, in any case, would come too late to be of service to me By next Easter, till which time I should have to wait, I shall be able to help le, but I shall e somehow
Even the Weimar receipts would, unfortunately, not have enabled me to repay your 1,000 francs
To sum up: you will, undoubtedly, save yourselfup ”Rienzi” If you have Tichatschek in the spring let hiive you ine that for a week and a half I have not been able to move from my chair This illness was just as required to finish astric and nervous indisposition, when I was obliged to give in again
However, I aain next week
Farewell, and be pressed to my heart a thousand times
Your
R W
278
DEAREST RICHARD,
Hartel has sent me a divine Christhted with their trees and the golden apples and splendid gifts suspended thereon as I, in my own person, am with your unique ”Tristan” Aith all the cares and tribulations of every-day existence! Here one can weep and glow again What blissful charm, what undivined wealth of beauty in this fiery love-potion! What must you have felt while you created and formed this wondrous work? What can I tell you about it beyond saying that I feel with you in my heart of hearts!