[...] My reason for entering into certain explanations—before expressing to you my joy at the success of your undertaking [Lohengrin]—is that, now of all times, I cannot make too much haste to dispel the ill-humour which I know you to be harbouring. I will begin with the Schöneck incident. A letter has come to your eyes written with an ostensible purpose. I recollect especially that I had two situations to guard against. The manager of the Leipzig theatre [Wirsing] wanted (quite without consulting me) to give Tannhäuser with his company in Berlin, and though I might be quite satisfied as regards his company, his conductor [Rietz] was far from satisfied. He is openly opposed to the matter in question and, as I have recently discovered, treats certain directions of mine (one, among others, concerning a perfectly idiotic cut by his manager) with derisive disregard. The "etc." was quite understandable by the initiated; it stood for "Herr Director Engel" (of the Kroll establishment) who, when Schöneck would not consent to certain dispositions, said, very well, he would conduct!—I hope [...] this will satisfy you and that you will not be looking for any further meanings in the "etc."—When I speak of him (Schöneck) as an excellent conductor and yet describe him to you as, for the rest, a commonplace musician, I ought to put it more clearly, that he is not a creative musician, not a shining light. (Was Guhr one, for instance, famous as he was as a conductor?) As regards my judgment on Schöneck as a man, I see that I have lost with you as a matter of course, since you have accepted the report of Schöneck's reputation from the mouth of Director Löwe. As to the latter—I have nothing against him even if I have no desire to enter the lists for him. I am simply content to take great pains never to have anything to do with him.—
Well, I must just put up with the fact that, taking your stand on what I have touched on, you reject my recommendation of Schöneck with a scorn that is unmistakable—for I see that you understand me in this.—
Let there be an end of the matter!
When recently I spoke to you of my anxiety as to the success of Lohengrin in Wiesbaden, the reasons for it were, God knows! quite different from those you appear to suppose. Dearest friend, surely the fact that now at this particular moment in time I entrust Lohengrin to you unreservedly might well convince you of the opinion I hold of you, since—as you very rightly mention—I know quite well that the success of this opera in Wiesbaden would not benefit you especially, whereas failure might do you a great deal of harm. It cannot be, therefore, that I feel any anxiety about matters under your control but simply about a matter which lies outside your sphere of action, and that is the staging. [...] Do remember that I have not yet produced Lohengrin myself; but when I recollect the multitude of discoveries I had still to make when I [...] came to the actual staging of Tannhäuser, I know that in a certain sense Lohengrin has never been completely finished even by me. I know that there are still a number of important relevant matters lying hidden which I myself shall never be clear about till I can some day produce it with all the necessary media. Instead of this, however, I have only the Weimar experiences to go upon, and Liszt now assures me that nothing short of the most unheard-of personal exertions on his part succeeded in rendering the opera intelligible by indirect means, so inadequate was the actual presentation; all this in spite of the fact that I accord Liszt the highest praise as musical manager. Now—after three years—they have come to see in Weimar that almost the entire setting must be done afresh, because the old one was devised without sufficient understanding of my intentions. [...] But I am aware now that it is not only understanding that is lacking, but material, and very rich material at that, for it is just these refinements of production that require the most detailed and costly contrivances. So when I spoke to you of "materials," I was not referring at all to your musical capacities. [...] Nevertheless, in this respect there is a certain need for quantitative resources, by no means regulated simply by the space to be filled, but also purely in regard to the matter of the drama presented. [...] assert [...] that I should never wish to hear the orchestral prelude with less than twenty violins, nor the male chorus (particularly in Act II.) with less than about forty men. [...]
Recently I had occasion to look into Lohengrin a little. At the bare idea of producing the opera myself I felt the terrible challenge of the task in every nerve and muscle and was utterly horrified to know that I had burdened another with it. [...]
Source: Letters of Richard Wagner, Vol. 1, selected and ed. Wilhelm Altmann, trans. M. M. Bozman (J. M. Dent & Sons, 1927), No. 246