F. Liszt
Venezia, November 26th, 1882
P.S.—Our friends * * * might, I think, do you good service with M. Vaucorbeil, and could tell him also, as a "by the way," that I take a lively interest in your work. Would you perhaps think it advisable to let some fragment of it be given at a public concert? I am remaining here till New Year's Day with the Wagners, at the superb Palazzo Vendramin; then I shall return direct to Budapest.
316. To Adelheid von Schorn
Venezia, December 8th, 1882
Dear Friend,
Your sad news about Bulow's bad state of health are much the same as his wife gave to Daniela. Let us hope for more reassuring news!
Here, in Palazzo Vendramin, a peaceful and most united family life goes on without monotony. But I cannot speak of the things which touch me most, except clumsily. So it is better to keep from doing so. The Princess writes to me from Rome that she shall be delighted to obtain possession of the two water-colors of Gleichen for the splendid portfolios of drawings belonging to her daughter, of which the mother, since the years at Weimar, has regally provided the greater part. These portfolios are among the finest collections in Europe.
Joukowski [Widely known by his "Parsafal" sketches and the portraits of Liszt and of Wagner's family], who has been delayed by a funeral and by the floods, will arrive here today. Neither funerals nor floods have been able to prevent Lassen from scoring our Symphonic Intermezzo "Uber allen Zauber Liebe" ["Above all magic Love">[. I hope Lassen will conduct it at the Court concert on New Year's Day, and I beg you to go and hear it and let me know about it. .—.
I beg Gille to send me the volume "Die deutsche Buhne von einem Weimaraner" ["The German stage, by a Weimarer">[. Do you know who it is? According to the index he seems to ignore the doings of the Weimar theater during the last thirty years, which is not very honorable to a Weimarer, and looks very like a cowardly action of a low standard.