I made haste, dearest friend, to write to D. in accordance with your summons sent to me through our Princess. I wrote to him that doubts had arisen in me whether I still desired the performance of Rienzi at Weimar, and I ask you to agree with me and give up the plan. If anything could have induced me to push my Rienzi at this time of day it would, as you will understand, have been the desire of deriving a good income from it, such as would have been welcome in my poor and uncertain condition. In itself I look upon this revival as an anachronism which, moreover, would be quite premature. After the recent great success of the opera at Dresden I was in hopes that the rapid sale of this opus would supply me with sufficient means for my present wants. That hope, however, has been deceived in the most important points, especially with regard to Munich and Hanover, as I recently informed you. By offering this opera broadcast I had to humiliate my pride very much, and I have now become very sensitive as to this matter. At Weimar, too, the opera is, properly considered, an intruder, and is evidently being looked upon as such. You enlightened me upon this point last winter, when you explained to me the reason for its delay. But I do not desire that you should force this juvenile production upon any one in Weimar. The reasons for keeping on good terms on such an occasion with this person or that person do not exist for me, and my sincere wish is, that they should not exist for you either. In this matter we two should agree. Whether or not I perform my Nibelungen at some future time is at bottom a matter of indifference to me. I shall complete it in any case, for my enthusiasm and strength for such works I do not derive from any hopes, for the realisation of which I should require certain people. All that the world and my admirers and worshippers of whom I have to hear so much can do for me, is to look upon my whole situation in a serious and sympathetic light, and to do all in their power to ease my heavy cares and to preserve to me the pleasure and leisure which I require for my work. Beyond this I want nothing. But to attain it, very different efforts are necessary from those which have hitherto come to my knowledge. Enough of this.
I can do without the Weimar honorarium and douceur for Rienzi, which, in any case, would come too late to be of service to me. By next Easter, till which time I should have to wait, I shall be able to help myself in other ways; in the meantime it will be a hard struggle, but I shall manage somehow. Even the Weimar receipts would, unfortunately, not have enabled me to repay your 1,000 francs. To sum up: you will, undoubtedly, save yourself much trouble and unpleasantness by giving up Rienzi. If you have Tichatschek in the spring let him sing Lohengrin; that will give you much more pleasure.
Imagine that for a week and a half I have not been able to move from my chair. This illness was just what was required to finish me up. I had just resumed my work a little, after a gastric and nervous indisposition, when I was obliged to give in again. However, I am getting better, and hope to be able to walk and work again next week.
Richard Wagner
Source: Project Gutenberg eBook #4234, Correspondence of Wagner and Liszt — Volume 2, No. 277