Letters of Richard Wagner to Emil Heckel Author:Richard Wagner Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: of his art should " be kept alive and strengthened in the most instructive fashion." In the summer of 1877 I had accepted the Presidentship of the Mannheim Co... more »urt-theatre Committee, with the firm intention of transforming that institute in a Wagnerian sense. The brilliant traditions of the Mannheim stage, the independence of its administrators, and the circumstance that the performances could be thoroughly prepared, since— contrary to the custom of great cities—the theatre was opened but four times a week : all this made me approach my task with eagerness and the best of hopes. Anton Seidl, who had acted as musical assistant at Bayreuth conjointly with Franz Fischer, applied for the soon vacant post of Kapellmeister, but withdrew his application upon reflecting that he had not yet had experience enough. Dear Friend, Seidl informs me that he is renouncing his candidature for Mannheim. He does well, and removes a stone from my heart, for— although gifted, he has no experience at all.— All the more strongly do I commend Fischer to you. After I had been promised that he should be made a Musik- direktor, he has merely been given a place as chorus- practiser (Chorrepetitor] ; which has offended me! Fischer is thoroughly experienced, well up in the repertory, and anout and out reliable man. I answer for him !—Please tell him of this my recommendation, and—procure him the musical conductor's post to be shared with Langer. His full name is: Franz Fischer; his exact address I do not know ; but Hotel Vier jfahreszeiten (his relations) will see to it. Best and heartiest greetings from Yours sincerely Richard Wagner. Bayreuth, 1. Oct. '77. Meanwhile Hans Richter had taken into consideration my offer that he should assume the post of Kapellmeister to the Mann...« less