Cosima's Diaries

Diary Entry of January 7, 1872

Overview

A routine letter from the King arrives, and Wagner spends the day working while the narrator writes to family and clears paperwork. A misaddressed letter calling him a theater director in Bayreuth prompts dry amusement, and a remark about Laube leads him to reflect on modernity and artistic ruin. The evening turns serious with the opening of the Oresteia and renewed anger over hostile newspaper comments about her father’s Christus.

Content

Sunday, January 7:

Letter from the King in the usual tones. R. works; I write to my father and to Alwine Frommann. Yesterday evening I put away files. A letter comes addressed to 'Herr R. W., theater director in Bayreuth'; R. says, 'Laube at least got as far as theater director in Vienna!' Talking of Laube, R. says, 'The idea of modernity ruined him; whatever is modern is always best.'

In the evening we begin the Oresteia, with a very powerful impact; we talked a lot about Nietzsche's book. We also read some malicious things about my father's Christus in the newspaper; R. is very indignant and intends to make it a condition, if he conducts a concert in Vienna, that no critics will be admitted.