Exhibited: The Beethovens on the Rhine (2020). Exhibition text: Lola Montez was an Irish actress who refashioned herself as a Spanish dancer and was rumored to be having an affair with Liszt. During the festival ball, she created a stir by dancing on the tables. The year after the Beethoven festival, she became the mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, who gave her the title Countess of Landsfeld. A gala dinner attended by 500 guests closed the festival. After reciting a list of the most illustrious guests, the correspondent writes: “The dinner commenced at two o’clock, and an indication was afforded that smart firing in the way of toasts, was to be anticipated by a general order for champagne, the bottles being decorated with Beethoven’s portrait in Prussian blue. Indeed, statuettes of the composer appeared in every sugared variety. The toasts did not take place after the dinner, but between the courses. Thus a member of the Committee after the second round, rose, and eulogized the character of the King of Prussia, which was well received. It had been arranged that the principal toasts should be introduced by speeches from Professor Wolff, who discourses eloquently, and has a marvelous gift of improvisation. This plan, however, proved to be unfortunate. The poet was quite happy in his speeches relative to Spohr and Liszt; but when he referred to Dr. Breidenstein, the unanimous cheering that had attended the former was changed to signs of disapprobation. ‘The Memory of Schiller,’ from Wolff, was well responded to, as was that of ‘Goethe,’ from a celebrated Hanoverian Deputy. The ‘Queen of England’ came late, and only after it had been suggested to Liszt and Spohr by your correspondent and other Englishmen. The toast was, however, much cheered, as was that subsequently of ‘Prince Albert.’ But an orator with a croaking voice, and Dr. Breidenstein, met with no sympathy but much merriment. Liszt, in proposing the ‘Foreigners who came to the Festival,’ compromised himself by an eloquent tribute to England for what had been done for Beethoven. He omitted to specify ‘France’ particularly, and this was resented by Chelard, a Frenchman by birth, but now a resident in Germany. A great storm arose, but was allayed, after a spirited explanation from Liszt. By this time, as the Germans had taken two or three glasses of champagne, they became excited and unruly, and on Wolff rising for the fourth time, a dead set was made at him by a knot of persons, who were joined in the outcry by individuals who fancied that they had not been sufficiently signalised and honoured by the Committee. At length, after some personal collisions, the most refractory interrupter was turned out, but it was too late to restore harmony, and angry groups were formed. A dead set was then most unfairly made at Liszt, who had conducted himself as a high-minded and gentleman-like artist throughout the meeting. The scene, altogether, was one of great confusion, and the worst episode of the Inauguration. The Ball at the Beethoven Hall in the evening was brilliantly attended, but, with the exception of the dancing of Lola Montes, and the pertinacity of an Englishman, who insisted on his right to dance in spurs, the affair was rather flat. The rain come down in torrents during the evening.”
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