Bayreuth Friday 18 Dearest Mother. We got your postcard from Rokely last night and are delighted to think that you are fairly on your way. It must be very nice. I am writing to you again this time, you will send my letter on to Papa won't you. Wednesday I think I left off. On the whole the performance of Siegfried was the least satisfactory. Neither Schmedes nor Gulbranson were equal to the tremendous last scene, but on the other hand the orchestra was unusually good, there were even rumours that Siegfried Wagner was not conducting, but these turned out to be untrue. The second act was very beautiful, but in spite of a wonderful Mime, there were terrible longueurs in the 1st. There always are, I think. It doesn't seem to me as a whole to be as fine as the Walküre though the last act generally lifts it awfully high. The scene between Wotan (Van Rooy) and Erda (Schumann Heink) was splendid - the best thing of the evening almost. Isn't it delightful to be called back by those trumpets after the intervals. Siegfried and the Sword summoned us back on Wednesday evening. We saw Frau Cosima arrive before the play, with Siegfried. He is a horror to look at! but she is very striking. Yesterday morning Florence and I took a little stroll after breakfast and presently came upon our Grand Duke sitting in front of his hotel. He asked if he might join us and suggested that we should go up to Wahnfried and sit in the garden. So off we all went and established ourselves on a bench - he's a cheerful young man. After a little there came a lot of people along the path, the Grand Duke jumped up and said "Oh there's Frau Thode, I must say good morning to her" and we saw a lady with a green eye and a brown one and a profile very like Liszt's making a deep curtsey to him. He brought her up to us and introduced us and we had an interesting talk about the operas. She told us that her brother had had an awful moment the night before for Alberich hadn't laughed when Mime was killed by Siegfried and Siegfried Wagner couldn't think what was happening nor whether he ought to go straight on and was dreadfully perturbed. It appeared that the man who was acting Alberich couldn't laugh höhnisch so "Mamma" had arranged with another man that he was to be ready behind at the right moment. He mistook the time and arrived half an hour late! We bowed ourselves discreetly away after a little as we were afraid Uncle Frank would be waiting for us. We drove out to the Fantaisie to lunch, very agreeable it was. The whole Pollock party were there too. The Götterdämmerung was magnificent, it swept you off your feet and left you breathless. Everyone was sniffing and wiping their eyes during the funeral march which was truly glorious. The whole impression was so perfect - the lovely scenery, especially the Rhine scenes, the extraordinary story, and the evident excitement of the actors. Schedes [sic] was wonderfully fine in the last act where he sits and tells the story of his youth - beautiful it is, and isn't the scene with the Rhine maidens delicious! I love that music so much. The Norse scene took you by the throat from the very beginning and you never lost interest the whole evening. The good Gulbransen rose to great heights in the final song. On the whole it was, I think, the greatest impression I have ever had from anything on the stage. Hugo was wildly excited but he is going to write you his impressions. We altered our plans last night; we had tea after the first act and supped at the end of all things. The long interval after the second act we spent in walking about in the woods and talking to people. There was a very electric atmosphere, everyone was so much excited and on the whole too much really interested to pose about it. The Moberley Bells and Lady Conway supped with us (- what she looked like!) All the people we knew seemed to be supping too, and the restaurant was crowded when the door opened and in came the whole Wagner family in procession, Frau Cosima first on Siegfried's arm. There was a great clapping as she passed down the room to her table and it began again when Schmedes appeared. Gulbransen had an ovation, people stood up and waved their napkins as she passed. She certainly deserved it. Schumann Heink didn't appear to our sorrow. We were prepared to applaud her most heartily. She had played Waltraute and her scene with Brünnhilde had been gorgeous. It was a most exciting and delightful evening.
We all came home and read the papers - isn't it awful about Labori! Mr Chirol seems to think it quite possible that Dreyfus will be condemned again. It's too terrible to think of his being sent back to that place. I suppose he would kill himself - I should, I know.

It's cold today and stormy - we have had two days of thundering heat. We propose lunching at the Bürgerreuth and walking up to the Siegerthurm. Frau Cosima's party is this evening.

We have decided to stay here on Sunday night and leave early on Monday. Ever your affectionate daughter Gertrude