Cosima's Diaries

Diary Entry of March 22, 1870

Overview

Duefflipp’s letter brings further trouble over Die Walkuere, prompting Wagner to restate his Munich history and ask that the king at least hear the work privately. Cosima also writes, reviewing the past and arguing for what a genuine artistic flowering could mean for Bavaria amid political disorder. The entry is dominated by advocacy, memory, and a final attempt to turn personal grievance into cultural purpose.

Content

Tuesday, March 22:

Letter to me from Secretary Düfflipp; more Walküre machinations, deplorable. R. replies to it, again summarizing his whole life in Munich and simply asking the King at least to have Die Walküre performed privatim. I write to him as well and finish by considering and summarizing the whole Munich past. I also tell the secretary what a great artistic flowering could mean for Bavaria now, when everything is crumbling and chaotic.