I come to keep you company a little in your convalescence,—far advanced, I hope, so as to be something like a complete cure. For a tisane [A soothing drink] I offer you some news of your cara patria. There are few variations at Weimar: the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess remain there till the end of June; the Emperor of Russia is announced for the 25th June; the Hereditary Highnesses are going to the waters (Marienbad and Pyrmont) in a few days, and will return before the Grand Duke's fete (24th June); Gutschen Watzdorf is going on his own account independently to Carlsbad, Mme. de Loen to Reme (in Westphalia).
At the theater a tempered, but lively activity; during these latter weeks a new Drama by Otto Roquette has been given—Der Feind im Hause. [The enemy in the house.] The subject is taken from the quarrel of the Colonna in Rome; the success of the piece will not occasion any fresh quarrels; nor will that of two new Operas that I have seen—Der Widerspanstigen Bezahmung [The subduing of the refractory ones.] by Gotz and Golo of Scholz, which have come inopportunely into competition with Schumann's Genoveva—a work which has been taken up again with marked success this year (after it had been prudently ignored for twenty years—except at Leipzig and Weimar) at Leipzig and Wiesbaden. Other theaters will mix themselves up with it, in spite of the non-success of Genoveva at Vienna, where it was put on the stage in the winter of '74 with a most praiseworthy luxury of decoration and costumes.
At the time of the performance which I conducted, and that is some twenty years ago, I said: Genoveva is musically the sister of Fidelio; only Leonora's pistol is wanting.
Tristan and Isolde, announced here for the 15th and 19th May,…have remained at Munich with M. and Mme. Vogel, who have lost a child. Loen [The Weimar Intendant] and all the public are very much put out at this untimely mourning; possibly the Vogels will be able to come towards the end of June; I don't reckon on it much, but have written to them on the subject at Loen's request. If they accept, the Commemoration Matinee of Mme. Moukhanoff will take place between the two performances of Tristan, and the "Tempelherrenhaus" in our park has been chosen by us as the spot for this musical commemoration. I will send you the programme.
Meanwhile here is that of Saturday last at the "Orchestral School"—a very useful establishment, well adapted to our modestly proud situation of Weimar, and which Muller-Hartung conducts according to my wishes. [The concert "in honor of Liszt's first visit to the School" consisted entirely of works by him.] Bruch's Odysseus—a musical illustration of Preller's admirable pictures in the Weimar museum—was performed last Thursday, conducted also by Muller-Hartung.
Lassen is in the middle of composing some fine choruses for the two "Fausts," which Devrient is intending to get up here in two evenings, in conformity with his new scenic arrangement.
Very cordially yours,
F. Liszt
Weimar, May 17th, 1875
168. To Eduard von Liszt