Ferdinand Ries, Brief an Franz Gerhard Wegeler in Koblenz, Frankfurt am Main, 5. Februar 1828, Autograph

Ries is mainly spending his time completing his opera "The robber's bride". The first performance is scheduled for March. Three copyists are working on the voices. The roles are already being rehearsed, however, the primadonna's role has not been filled yet. In order to enrich his theatre knowledge and experience, Ries often went to the Frankfurt opera. Due to Geord Döring being ill, not all of Wegeler's change requests for the libretto have been implemented. Johann Joseph Reiff, the first text poet, did not approve of Döring's adaptations at all. Apart from that the music magazine "Caecilia" (1827, volume 26, p. 134) published a short announcement presumably from Gottfried Weber that praised Ries's new opera and stated only Döring as text poet: "Unser vielberühmter Ferdinand Ries, jetzt in Frankfurt im Schatten seiner Englischen oder vielmehr Europäischen Lorbeern rastend, doch keineswegs müssig ruhend, hat eine neue grosse Oper, mit schönem Texte von Dr. Georg Döring, beendigt, von der wir, theils schon unbesehens, theils aber auch nach einigen uns bekannt gewordenen Nummern, etwas sehr Ausgezeichnetes erwarten." It is now Wegeler's duty to assure Reiff that it was not the intention of Ries to insult him and that the announcement was printed without his knowledge. Simrock translated Ries's performance-related recommendations concerning the piano concert op. 151 "Gruß an den Rhein" (see W 55) into French. Wegeler is to review the text. Also the title needs a suitable translation. (FG)