At first, then, I was given a good shaking up in Berlin. It was of course impossible to fix a limit of time for the production of my opera, as Kiistner was still on his travels. However, I got to know Herr von Redern, who made a great fuss of me, and fell in with my wishes so far as to promise provisionally to arrange the repertoire so that rehearsals of my opera should follow the performance of The Huguenots, which will come on at the end of May. So Kiistner will have definitely to contravene present arrangements if he wants to shelve my Dutchman. Anyhow he will not do this, for Mendelssohn (with whom I am on very friendly terms) assures me firstly that he is sure Redern will have the whip-hand for the first half of the year at any rate, and, secondly, that arrangements have been made to interest Kiistner in my favour. But I shall consequently have to go again to Berlin and Leipzig in the middle of this month, which comes rather hard on me. My pecuniary affairs have taken shape in just the way I should have chosen. The best part of it is that it hasn't cost me a word. Louise, Ottilie and Hermann have put their heads together and decided (as they told me) that it was for them, without the intervention of any stranger, to advance me as much as I think necessary for my subsistence for the coming half-year, during which I can count on no income. It is now finally settled that my Rienzi is to be produced here in August. Dear Edward is coming to it; I can pay my debt to him straight away from the honorarium, which will be something for the return journey. Can't it easily be managed? Your Edward need only give you a little money. We shall keep house together. Natalie could be lodged somewhere till then, could she not, perhaps with the good Kiihnes? I really have little to tell you about Dresden. People lionise me and will certainly do everything I want. Rehearsals of my opera will be begun early in July. In most quarters they wish me the luck to be able to be present, as that will have a good influence on the proceedings. Reissiger is perpetually hanging on my neck and devours me with kisses when he can get hold of me. Everyone assures me, too, that he really means fair by me and is full of goodwill. Unfortunately the fellow has become such a rank Philistine that I should be in a terrible way if I had to leave the artistic production of my opera in his hands alone.
Richard Wagner
Source: Letters of Richard Wagner, Volume 1, ed. Altmann/Hull (London: Dent, 1927), No. 66