Dearest Friend!
I have to write to you once more about the matter, although—God knows—I am at a loss to make the main point any clearer than I believed I had already done in my last letter.
I repeat: I don't really distrust Dorn, and misgivings about his ability as conductor and even about his good intentions are not the reason for my way of acting; furthermore, I state more clearly that I don't at all base the guarantee of a bigger success in Berlin on Liszt's greater ability as conductor, but at least for the most part on definite abilities which are inherent in Liszt's nature and his past as well as in his position and which enable him and him alone to paralyze very definite influences in Berlin which are extremely hostile and harmful to me. I know what tremendous influence Meyerbeer has in Berlin, and I know how very much this influence has already harmed me there and that he is now intent on making it completely impossible for Tannhäuser to have a big success. Just believe me when I assure you that I know that. I found out, for example, that, despite inadequate performance and despite the fact that the press did not in any way conduct itself favorably beforehand, my Rienzi made a completely favorable impression on the still uninfluenced audience at the first performance in Berlin, so that I was certain of success. But I also found out that the press (which in its chief publications was already completely subservient to Meyerbeer) immediately slandered Rienzi; and I then confirmed what already is common knowledge—namely, that the public allowed itself to be taken in by this attitude of the press to such an extent that the second performance was already badly attended. I found out further that Meyerbeer (through his friend Redern) knew how to keep the King from attending one of the three performances conducted by me, as well as from receiving me in audience: I have proof of this. These and similar experiences have made me determined not to permit anything more to be performed in Berlin without extraordinary guarantees against the above-mentioned influences; and I repeat again that it is not the Berlin acclaim (this can indeed be won) which matters to me, but the Berlin receipts, which, after all, I can use. The guarantee through Liszt's influence occurred to me only as a last resort, after I had been refused all other guarantees. At first, two years ago, I asked—simply keeping the main point in mind—for an advance payment of 1,000 thaler on the royalties. Since this was refused, but since, on the other hand, my niece Johanna assured me that she would use all means at her disposal to serve me, and since Hülsen himself also agreed to certain promises in the matter of the repetitions, I was satisfied. But my confidence in Johanna's influence and enthusiasm, as well as in Hülsen's determined good will toward me, were forfeited when, at the time Tannhäuser was scheduled to be produced, Auber's Lac des Fées and Flotow's Indra were (all of a sudden) brought out. I gathered from that how serious Johanna and Hülsen were, withdrew my score, and turned the whole matter over to Liszt. After these last experiences I see in him alone the guarantee for the determined effort which is needed, but which I have been unable to find anywhere else. But Liszt can counteract those harmful influences only in an official capacity: he himself states that it does not matter to him whether he actually takes his place at the conductor's desk; but it does matter that, as representative in Berlin, he exert his influence on the conduct of the management as well as on the party which is harmful to me—an influence which, with his many different connections and associations, he is especially capable of exerting.
Can I be more explicit than this?
But one more word about Dorn. He did not inform you correctly about Riga. If I had become impossible for Riga, how then could Holtei's successor, Hoffmann, who was obliged to engage Dorn for one year only, offer to keep me in Riga for that year by getting me lessons in return for which he at once offered me a new contract after that year? But Dorn was my intimate friend, and when Holtei told him about this arrangement it was up to him—before settling the matter with him—to inform me (as his friend) of Holtei's intention; he could then still have accepted the position. But Dorn settled with him, secretly in the face of all the world and myself, continued his intimate friendship with me, and only later did I discover this—treachery.
But these are old stories: I don't even hold them against Dorn—if my confidence in him is not excessive there are good reasons for that. Here they do not count: I would be quite satisfied with Dorn's direction of Tannhäuser (under different external circumstances).
Forgive me for making excessive demands on your friendship with such explanations; but let me assure you that this time I have no other intention than to justify my way of acting only to you as my trusted friend.
Accept once more a thousand thanks for all the goodness and kindness which I owe to you!
Your
R. W.
Source: Letters of Richard Wagner: The Burrell Collection, ed. John N. Burk (Macmillan, 1950), No. 136