96. To Frau Dr. Lidy Steche in Leipzig
[The addressee sang for two winters in the Gewandhaus concerts (as Frl. Angermann). After her marriage she started a Vocal Union, in the forties, with which, in December 1853, she gave so excellent a pianoforte performance of "Lohengrin" at her own house, and afterwards at the Minerva "lodge," that Hoplit, in his account of stage performances (Neue Zeitschrift fur Musik), spoke of the Steche undertaking as a "model performance." This was before the performance of "Lohengrin" at the Leipzig theater in January 1854.]
My dear Madame,
I have the pleasure of answering your inquiries in regard to the performances of the Wagner operas with the following dates:—
For next Wednesday, February 16th, the birthday of H.R.H. the Grand Duchess, the first performance of the "Flying Dutchman" is fixed. (N. B.—For that evening all the places are already taken, and, as a great many strangers are coming, it will be difficult to find suitable rooms in Weymar.) The following Sunday, February 20th, the "Flying Dutchman" will be repeated; and on the 27th (Sunday) "Tannhauser" is promised, and on March 5th (Saturday) "Lohengrin." Between these two performances of February 27th and March 5th the third performance of the "Flying Dutchman" will probably take place, of which I can give you more positive information at the end of this week. The Wagner week proper begins therefore with February 27th and closes with March 5th, and if it were possible to you to devote a whole week to these three glorious works of art I should advise you to get here by the 27th,—or, better still for you (as you are already quite familiar with "Tannhauser"), to come in time for the third performance of the "Flying Dutchman," the date of which is still somewhat uncertain, but which will probably be fixed for the 2nd or 3rd March. Immediately after the first performance we shall get quite clear about it, and I will not fail to let you know officially the result of the theater Conference here (in which I am not concerned).
Accept, my dear Madame, the assurance of the high esteem of
Yours most truly,
F. Liszt
Weymar, February 4th, 1853
97. To Gustav Schmidt, Capellmeister at Frankfort-On-The-Maine