How is Hiller? Has his "Advocate" [an opera, "The Advocate." It
had no success, and was publicly ridiculed at the Cologne
Carnival.] won his requisite suit, as I wish from my heart may be
the case? It would be very kind of you to let me know your plain,
unvarnished opinion of the performance. I should like to
recommend an early performance of the opera in Weymar if Hiller
has nothing against it. As you frequently have occasion to see
Hiller I beg you to ask him whether it would be agreeable to him
to send me the text-book and the score, so that I may make the
proposal to the management to give the opera here very soon. -
Should the matter be then so arranged that he himself conducts
the first performance I should be very glad indeed, and I will
write to him more fully about it.
The opera Repertoire here will be rather at a stand-still this
winter. Frau von Milde is in an interesting condition:
consequently there can be no Wagner operas from three to four
months; for Frau von Milde is for us, and for these operas in
particular, not to be replaced. Berlioz's "Benvenuto Cellini"
must also be left unperformed; all the more because Beck, the
tenor, has entirely lost his upper notes, and is less able than
ever to sing the part of Cellini. But Berlioz will come here in
January to conduct his oratorio "L'Enfance du Christ," etc.
(German translation by Cornelius), and his "Faust." I on my side
have also finished my "Faust Symphony" (in three parts - without
text or voice). The entity or non-entity has become very long,
and I shall in any case have the nine "Symphonic Poems" printed
and performed first, before I set "Faust" going, which may not be
for another year. Rubinstein's "Ocean Symphony" is to figure in
one of our next programmes. If it were not the rule to keep these
concerts exclusively instrumental, I should have begged Hiller
for his "Loreley." Probably a good opportunity will occur for
giving this work when he himself comes to Weymar, as he promised
me he would do.
Joachim sent me, together with his Hamlet Overture, which is in
print, two others - to "Demetrius" (by Hermann Grimm), and to
"Henry IV." (of Shakespeare) - two remarkable scores composed with
lion's claws and lion's jaws! -
Have you any news of Schumann? Give me some good tidings of his
recovery. "Genoveva" will be given here in April at latest. -
Once more best thanks, dear friend, for the very pleasant days
you gave us here, which the inhabitants of the Altenburg most
agreeably remember; they send you most friendly greetings. I have
not forgotten about the Weimar orchestra matter - a half-prospect
has already appeared of realizing my wish, which is in accord
with your own. I cannot help, however, always doubting whether it
will be for your advantage to exchange Bonn for Weymar, for your
position in Bonn appears to me to offer you decidedly improving
chances from year to year, and in these regions so much is
wanting...that I am constrained to be satisfied with small
things. Well, what must be will be. Meanwhile keep in kind
remembrance
Yours in sincere friendship,
F. Liszt
Weymar, December 14th, 1854
129. To William Mason in New York
[A pupil of Liszt's, born 1828 at Boston, esteemed as a first-
rate piano virtuoso in America]
My dear Mason,
Although I do not know at what stage of your brilliant artistic
peregrinations these lines will find you, yet I want you to know
that I am most sincerely and affectionately obliged to you for
the kind remembrance you keep of me, and of which the papers you
send me give such good testimony. "The Musical Gazette" of New
York, in particular, has given me a real satisfaction, not only
on account of the personally kind and flattering things it
contains about me, but also because that paper seems to ingraft a
superior and excellent direction on to opinion in your country.
Now you know, my dear Mason, that I have no other pride than to
serve, as far as in me lies, the good cause of Art, and whenever
I find intelligent men conscientiously making efforts for the
same end I rejoice and am comforted by the good example they give
me. Will you please give my very sincere compliments and thanks
to your brother, who, I suppose, has taken the editorship-in-
chief of, the Musical Gazette, and if he would like to have some
communications from Weymar on what is going on of interest in the
musical world of Germany I will let him have them with great
pleasure through Mr. Pohl, who, by the way, no longer lives in
Dresden (where the numbers of the Musical Gazette were addressed
to him by mistake), but in the Kaufstrasse, Weymar. His wife,
being one of the best harpists whom I know, is, now among the
virtuosi of our orchestra, which is a sensible improvement both
for opera and concerts. -
A propos of concerts, I will send you in a few days the programme
of a series of Symphonic performances which ought to have been
established here some years ago, and to which I consider myself
in honor as in duty bound to give a definite impetus at the
beginning of the year 1855. - Toward the end of January I expect
Berlioz. We shall then hear his trilogy of "L'Enfance du Christ,"
[The Childhood of Christ] of which you already know "La Fuite en
Egypte," [The Flight into Egypt] to which he has added two other
little Oratorios called "Le Songe d'Herode" [Herod's Dream] and
"L'Arrivee a Sais." [The Arrival at Sais] - His dramatic Symphony
of Faust (in four parts, with solos and chorus) will also be
given entire while he is here.
