October 24th, 1884
Certainly, my very dear and kind friend, you have a hundredfold right to appreciate and to relish the present musical Russia. Rimski-Korsakoff, Cui, Borodine, Balakireff, are masters of striking originality and worth. Their works make up to me for the ennui caused to me by other works more widely spread and more talked about, works of which I should have some difficulty in saying what Leonard once wrote to you from Amsterdam after a song of Schumann's: "What soul, and also what success!" Rarely is success in a hurry to accompany soul. In Russia the new composers, in spite of their remarkable talent and knowledge, have had as yet but a limited success.—The high people of the Court wait for them to succeed elsewhere before they applaud them at Petersburg. A propos of this, I recollect a striking remark which the late Grand Duke Michael made to me in '43: "When I have to put my officers under arrest, I send them to the performances of Glinka's operas." Manners are softening, and Messrs. Rimski, Cui, Borodine, have themselves attained to the grade of colonel.
At the annual concerts of the German and Universal Musical Association (Allgemeiner Deutscher Musik-Verein) they have, for many years past, always given some work of a Russian composer, at my suggestion. Little by little a public will be formed. Next year our Festival will take place in June at Carlsruhe. St. Saens is coming; why not you, too, dear friend? You would also hear something Russian there.
When you write to St. Saens, please tell him of my admiring and very constant friendship. By the work of translation which you have bravely undertaken, I think that you are doing wisely and skilfully in freeing yourself from the bondage of rhyme, and in keeping to rhythmic prose. The important point is to maintain the lyric or dramatic accent, and to avoid the "desastreuses salades de syllabes longues et breves, des temps forts et faibles" [disastrous mess of long and short syllables, and of the strong and weak time]. The point is to make good prose without any other scruples whatever. It is said that M. Lamoureux is admitting the "Steppes" by Borodine into one of his programmes. We shall see what sort of a reception it will have. For the rest, I doubt Lamoureux's venturing so soon on the Russian propaganda. He has too much to do with Berlioz and Wagner.
Do not let yourself be disconcerted either by the "ineffable" carelessness, or by the square battalions of objections such as these: "It is confusion worse confounded; it is Abracadabra" [Senseless jabber.]—etc.
Without politeness or ceremony I tell you in perfect sincerity that your instinct did not lead you astray the day when this music so forcibly charmed you. Continue, then, your work with the firm conviction of being in the right path.
Above all I beg that you will not falsely imagine that I am taking hold of the thing wrong end foremost. When you knock I shall not merely say, Enter, but I myself will go before you. To return to Paris and show myself off there as a young composer or to continue the business of an old pianist in the salons does not attract me in the least. I have other things to do elsewhere.
Faithful homage.
F. Liszt
P.S.—I do not know what date to put to these lines. I wrote the first page on the receipt of your bewitching letter. I meant to reply to it in full, but all sorts of pressing obligations and botherations intervened…I have also been to the inauguration of the statue of Bach at Eisenach, illustrated by three concerts, composed exclusively of numerous works of Bach's (the Mass in B minor first and foremost); then I was present at a more curious concert at Leipzig: on my return I had a severe attack of illness, which prevented me for several days from writing. In short, this letter ought to have reached you three weeks ago. Tomorrow, 25th October, I leave Weimar, and shall not return here till after Easter. If you condescend to continue writing to me, please address to Budapest (Hungary) till the end of November. A prompt answer shall follow.