Cosima's Diaries

Diary Entry of July 22, 1874

Overview

After a round of social obligations, she turns inward to an old French favorite that unexpectedly suits her mood and temperament. Later, the theater and visiting singers bring professional scrutiny, but also signs that the young performers are eager to learn.

Content

Wednesday, July 22:

Paid some calls. Strange mood in spite of all my activity, and it finds expression in my taking up my old favorite Eugénie de Guérin again. One could scarcely imagine a calling as different from mine as hers, and yet no one is as close to my heart as this Breton girl, and in this book I love the French very much.

In the afternoon we drive out to the theater; in the evening Frl. Oppenheimer from Frankfurt, who will probably sing Erda; with Frau Grün she sings the duet from Lohengrin (Ortrud and Elsa). R. has a lot of things to point out, but he is satisfied with their eagerness to learn.