Wagner, Richard

offering him his deepest and heartfelt thanks for the surprise news [of the success of a performance of Der fliegende Holländer in Breslau] which has restored his spirits, just when had thrown himself on his bed, mentally tired and weary, and was contemplating his sorry existence, describing the opera as a problem child from a decisive, difficult period of his life, noting that it will only be received with affection and understanding where he is already well-loved, commenting on the peculiar tone colouring of the piece, which saturates the whole work, observing that although it ought only rarely to be put on display, it will be desirable from time to time to lose oneself in the atmosphere created by it, accepting his opinion that it may not have such a long life as Tannhäuser, advising him to take it off when it begins to weary, only so that it might make an enhanced impression later, asking him not to lose sight of the work and to remind the management of it now and then, expressing the hope that he does not postpone writing to him until after Lohengrin is performed, stating that it would be pleasant if he could meet him in June when he will receive a visit from Liszt and Robert Franz, asking finally to be remembered kindly to Mosewius, and requesting him to return the greetings of his splendid orchestra and singers

...nur, wo man mich bereits lieb gewonnen hat, kann der  "fliegende Holländer" (dieses Schmerzenskind einer entscheidenden, schwierigen Periode meines Lebens) auch mit Liebe aufgenommen und verstanden werden: seine eigenthümliche Farbe ist allerdings aber nur seltner dem Auge vorzuführen: sie ist eben etwas ganz, was man gewöhnlich nur gern in der Mischung gewahrt...



4 pages, 8vo, some later pencil and crayon annotations to outer pages, with a nineteenth-century manuscript translation bearing ownership labels of Karl Hahn, Zurich, 31 January 1853, some spotting and browning, tiny hole, slightly affecting text on two pages

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A rapturous and unpublished letter, revealing the composer's personal thoughts about Der fliegende Holländer.

Wagner's correspondent, whose successful direction of the Breslau first performance of Der fliegende Holländer drew from Wagner this ecstatic response, appears to have been Eugen Seidelmann, Kapellmeister in Breslau between 1830 and 1864. Wagner had known Breslau since July 1848, when he visited Johann Theodor Mosewius (1788-1858), an old family friend. The Breslau premiere of Der fliegende Holländer, on 26 January 1853, which in fact appears to have had mixed reviews, had been preceded by a highly successful performance of Tannhäuser on 6 October 1852 (news of which also drew a happy response from Wagner).