Thursday, April 8:
R. likes Prof. Schrön’s remark that the Germans have lost all their instincts; he finds it correct, and compares these Germanic characters with the Italians, the common people, also with the French, observing that it is remarkable to what extent their second nature has profited from culture.
He laughs when I tell him about Renan’s book, how nicely dished up all the people in it are, Hadrian, John the Presbyter, etc., though it is all very scholarly.
Letters about the success of Lohengrin in Rome arrive, and when we talk jokingly about them, he says, “Lord, how ungrateful we are! It reminds me of Gasparini, who told me how impossible I am to satisfy: ‘When Rossini is given a good beefsteak, he is delighted and gives thanks to God for it, but you despise such things.’”
A young German businessman, whom R. had received, sends a large bunch of flowers; R. mentions the visit and that the man said, “After your battles it is understandable that you need rest.” “I have had no battles,” R. replied, “I have had no opponents, I have just had to wade through a lot of mud.”
Regarding Lohengrin, he says that what interested him about this work was to ensure a completely correct performance of it, and now to have experienced that! Perhaps he could rehearse and stage Tristan very well here. He recalls Euryanthe, his sister Rosalie’s adoration of it, and how he said to her, “It is not Euryanthe at all, it is Ariadne.” He then goes on to Bacchus and says he can understand the festivals and processions and everything else, but the god’s personality does not appeal to him, he can make nothing of it.
(Unpleasant experience with Herr v. Stein, whose severity toward Siegfried is very embarrassing to us.) R. reads Parerga aloud to us.