Dearest Tschek!
Two words in haste.
What are you thinking of? Me in what is called a German opera enterprise, with all kinds of repertory, etc.? My boy, this is not in my line! Now listen attentively:
I want to produce my Tristan, and in order to bring it about, I plan—while we rehearse that opera—to have Tannhäuser and Lohengrin performed. Nothing more! I'll be lucky enough if those three operas turn out well; more would be downright unthinkable or everything would go wrong. Rienzi?? And where to find the time, the enormous costs, the ballet, etc.? Especially here in Paris, where they are used to seeing everything only in a perfect presentation? Let us try to give these three operas well; that will be more than enough. There is public enough in Paris for twenty performances of one of the operas. So this time you have to relinquish the legitimate ambition of a singer to appear in many different parts, if you want to go on with me!
Besides, dearest, you have already seen from my recent letter that I am most careful not to demand any great financial sacrifice from you. You surely are to get a margin above your expenses. Now listen! Make a computation how much you could earn in those 6–7 weeks as guest on German stages; and if you want to be kind, deduct something from it on my behalf, which you will be good enough to sacrifice. Thus we will find the way and you will not come off too badly.
Arrange your time off and guest appearances: the last week of April until the 16th of June, that is my time. Now God protect us! Excuse my haste. A thousand greetings from
Your
Richard Wagner
Well, Ignaz Lachner??
Not bad! Lüttichau seems to want to get rid of me. All right!
Goodbye.
Source: Letters of Richard Wagner: The Burrell Collection, ed. John N. Burk (Macmillan, 1950), No. 216