Third act of Siegfried; R. staging and arranging it, most exhausting for him. In the morning Herr Kögel not very pleasant as Hagen; afterwards orchestra, in the evening setting up of the score. Herr Unger, as ever, still hoarse; Herr Brandt in despair because the painters, the Brückner brothers, have abandoned him; the mechanic from London[1] has nothing completed; and, in addition, news of war!!! Herr Feustel apprehensive; each day costs two thousand and something marks! R. compares himself with Benvenuto Cellini[2] at the casting of the Perseus. — Great delight in the writing of Herr von Hagen on the first scene of Rheingold.
[1] The giant serpent for Rheingold (Scene 3) and Fafner for Siegfried (Act II) were manufactured in London; cf. July 7, 1875. The “worm” reached Bayreuth only in parts; one section allegedly ended up in Beirut in the Middle East.
[2] Benvenuto Cellini (1500–1571): Italian goldsmith and sculptor, creator of figures of the gods; his autobiography became known in Germany through Goethe’s translation in 1803.
Revised English translation by Jo Cousins [© Jo Cousins | WAGNER Salon]