Sunday, October 19:
Presentation of the picture in memory and celebration of the 19th, twenty-three years ago, when I heard the Tannhäuser Overture and R.’s music for the first time. R. is pleased with it!
He says the curious thing about Lenbach is that at first sight his pictures strike one like an idea; afterward one might find this or that not very good, but the overall impression is always a convincing one. R. drapes and hangs the picture himself, and frequently during the day he shows it to me. He calls me his gift of a giver, and many other things also flow from his lips! ...
I spend the day reading the text of Tannhäuser, and my heart sings along with it. Unpleasant episode with friend Rubinstein, though I hope it will eventually do some good. In the evening the first act of Coriolanus for the young people, and whist. R. writes to Prof. Overbeck for news of friend Nietzsche.