Wednesday, May 21:
R. had a good night. A gay parting after joking about the tableaux vivants I am preparing for him. Final rehearsal of pantomime and festival play, all in excellent shape, the good children dedicated heart and soul. After the rehearsal I inquire at the Reichsadler about rooms for Mimi. Just then she arrives, along with Prince Liechtenstein and his wife. Greetings. A splendid thunderstorm, Dorner cleaning things up thoroughly for tomorrow; it is now warm. R. stands at the door of Wahnfried, impatiently awaiting me, and I tell him about the guests. In the afternoon R. corrects his article. After finishing my arrangements, I visit our friends. Unfortunately R. is vexed by a misunderstanding with W., but it is soon forgotten, and we spend a very pleasant evening with the Liechtensteins, Mimi, and Frau v. Wdhrmann.
Thursday, May 22:
The day of days! It is also Ascension Day! Bells pealing and glorious weather. Setting up the stands; everything has arrived in time except the Parsifal sketches. At 10 o’clock I am able to fetch R., and he is greeted by the Pilgrim! Everything comes off well - Fidi is indescribably moving as he sits before my picture in the costume and hairstyle of Ludwig Geyer, painting it. We gaze at each other as if in a dream - thank you, my children! All the gifts have the good fortune to please R., from my picture down to the glasses. After he has gone, one of the Moorish bowls falls down and breaks; go thy ways, Klingsor’s glory! R. takes a rest, I receive the birthday guests, and we then go for a walk in the palace gardens, where extracts from R.’s works are being played. At 2 o’clock lunch, the guests from outside, among whom is also friend Lenbach. Wolz. provides a dinner for the Bayreuth colony. Fidi proposes the toast to his father. R. is pleased with the song, “An den Geliebten” [“To My Beloved”], and tells me he has found the right ending for it, since he has not slept! After lunch he leads the children in song, and slips into “Wer ein holdes Weib errungen” (from Fidelio): “Oh, if I could die!” Around 6 o’clock R. goes to Angermann’s with friends Levi, Lenbach, and Liechtenstein, and when he returns home we are able to perform our pantomime, which is so successful that R. thanks us with tears for our little bit of nonsense. Oh, my splendid children! In the evening R. has the dance repeated for our guests. When I appear to receive the guests, R. greets me with the same song from Fidelio, but this time just played on the piano. “Ah, there is happiness without remorse!”
Friday, May 23:
R. had a somewhat restless night, but he is looking well. He goes off for his morning rest, I do a bit of straightening up and await the guests whom R. invited to listen to Parsifal. We play it through in his absence - he comes in only at the finish. Lunch with our friends, only Lenbach has left. We come together again at 6 o’clock for the second act. Most unfortunately, R. allows himself to be stirred by it into singing; this puts a great strain on him, and in consequence there is a gloomy shadow over the evening for me.