《我的生平——第一卷》

Back home, the political fuss had died down, but Wagner’s old money troubles returned. He re-read the response to his salary petition, and realized with horror that the small pay supplement Lüttichau had told him was annual was just a one-time payment, the director had lied to him. His anger at Lüttichau boiled over when he learned the truth about the supposed “orchestra deputation demanding his dismissal”: Lüttichau had pressured the orchestra’s officials to send the complaint, threatening them with the King’s displeasure if they refused, then lied and said he’d defended Wagner against the musicians’ demands to make Wagner feel grateful. Wagner realized Lüttichau would never support his theater reform dreams, and stopped caring about retaining his conductor post, doing his duties conscientiously while throwing himself into Lohengrin.

Just after the March revolutions, Liszt showed up at his door, on his way to settle permanently in Weimar. They met at Schumann’s house that evening, argued so heatedly about Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer that Schumann stormed off to his bedroom in a rage, but Wagner was cheered by Liszt’s warm, energetic company. He visited Liszt in Weimar that August, got a recommendation letter that ultimately proved useless, but left feeling profoundly encouraged. Back in Dresden, he wrote to all his remaining creditor-friends, explaining his dire financial situation and asking them to pause their demands indefinitely until his fortunes turned, so his unscrupulous general manager couldn’t use their anger as an excuse to sabotage him. His friends agreed without hesitation, even his mother’s old friend Frau Klepperbein and his friend Pusinelli offered to give up their claims entirely, giving him a small measure of breathing room.