Cosima's Diaries

Diary Entry of May 25, 1875

Overview

The general atmosphere stayed dark, and R. could joke only half-heartedly that he lacked a hero, while still struggling to secure a Siegfried and writing to Niemann about it. Later, he turned to Fa Juive with admiration, finding in it a grander and more dignified use of Jewish musical material than in newer operas.

Content

Tuesday, May 25:

The atmosphere is still gloomy. “‘I lack a hero,’ as is said at the beginning of Don Giovanni," jokes R., but without merriment.

He writes to Niemann to tell him of his difficulty over Siegfried. Will that help?

In the evening he takes up La Juive, taking pleasure in the great style of this work, a quite different use of Jewish sounds from that in present-day Jewish operas (Die Maccabäer, Die Königin von Saba).