Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-07-07

Although the opera had already
been frequently performed, the Whole
staff fulfilled my wish for a complete
rehearsal. The orchestra played the
prelude 80 beauafuny@ the voices OF
the singers and their other good
qualities all showing a Close ae-
quaintance with the work, came as
such an agreeable surprise that was
overcome by the impression I re-
ceived. and lost all Inclination 10
eriticise. My deep emotion was, APP
parently. not unnoticed, and Br.
Hanslick seemed TO think in a suit
able moment to be introduced to me.
as sat on the stage listening tbsfhe
music. / greeted him .ourtly,4 as
though he was a complete stranger,
whefeupon the tenor, Ander, intro
| duced him to me again, observing that
he was an old acquaintance OF mine.
answered. CURLY, that | remembered
him very Well, and again gave my
whole attention to the rehearsal"
Wagner then adds that perhaps
those people We're not wrong who as
cribed his i'll luck to this renewed
enmity." Al any rate, his visit the
same autumn to arrange tor The .nro-
dhction of Tristan spressa 'fra1tless.
on this occasion, hesVever-Ase
Frau Lufse Dustmann. who really
seemed to Ike the part of isolde, en-
Ideavored to remove the pAfticllar rob
stacIe in the way OF performance by
inviting me to an evening party, at
which she intended to Introduce me 10
DR. Hanslick once more. She knew
that nothing could be ione without
winning this gentleman over. Asf
was in good hdmor, it was very
easy for me to. treat Hanslfes as a
superficial acquaintance until he took
me aside for a private conversation,
and assured me, with tears and, sobs
| tsic) that he could not stand being
| misunderstood by me any longer,
| Anything surprising in his criticisms
| OF me was not due to malice, but sole
| Is the limitation of HIS Individuality,
and he longed for nothing more than
TO widen it under my guidance. He
! made these explanations with sucfi
| strong signs of emotion that / could
only calm his distress and promise
! him my complete sympathy In hts. flu
ture efforts, As a matter of fact.
just before leaving Vienna learned
that Hanslick had expatiated In vague
terms to my acquaintance about me
and my amiability.p 80 t'ezH
The result of this change was that
the following autumn, 1852, Wagner
was again summoned to Viennawfor
THE production of Tristan" but i'm
mediately after his arrival the follow
ing strange" incident occurred
I wanted to read to my friends. the
Standhartners, the libretto of the
sMeistersinger," which / had finished
| since our separation, and. as Herr
Hanslick really interested me since
| that evening, ! thought / should do
well TO have him invited, too. we
now noticed, in the course Of the
reading, that the dangerous critic got
more and more pale and out of huraor.
| and. oddly enough when 1t was over.
he could not be persuaded to stay. but
soon took his leave, obviously irri-
lated My friends agreed that Han
slick regarded the whole poem as a
lampoon on him. and the invitation to
the reading as an insult. In fact the
attitude of this critic changed strik-
| ingly from that evening, soon becorrl-
ing keen hostility. on which he lives
| lucratively up to the present day. in
contented limitation of his Individual
Iity."
| 1t only remains to be added that the
''MerkerR in the original version Tof the
''Meistersinger'' was not called Sixtus
| Beckmesser, but-"Hans Lug."A<Pall
| Mall Gazette.