"Nous allons au théâtre en traîneau"

Autograph letter signed by Jules Massenet, two pages written in black ink on a double sheet.
Fold inherent to mailing. A small split at the junction of the two sheets, without gravity.
Fine letter written by the composer during his first stay in the Hungarian capital for Le Roi de Lahore whose premiere took place eight days later: "Répétition générale ce matin [...] excellente exécution" ["General rehearsal this morning [...] excellent execution"]. Massenet mentions the setbacks that occurred which forced the postponement of the opera's programming: "La Benza [Ida], notre Sitia, ne pouvant chanter demain à cause de son deuil, la première est remise à huit jours..." ["La Benza [Ida], our Sitia, unable to sing tomorrow because of her mourning, the premiere is postponed by eight days..."]. This letter also evokes the friendship between Massenet and Franz Liszt, more than thirty years his senior, who took the young composer under his wing at the Villa Medici in 1863: "Je viens de chez Liszt, il est arrivé cette nuit à Peth, et sera à la première..." ["I come from Liszt's, he arrived last night in Pest, and will be at the premiere..."].
Surprised by the hostile climate of this region he is visiting for the first time, Massenet comments: "Le froid est affreux, la neige exaspère, nous allons au théâtre en traîneau [...] Restez au coin du feu, ah ! que vous souffririez de cette température, je t'assure que c'est la sensation de la Russie, la neige couvre tout. [...] je ne sors pas même un oeil, quel hiver même pour les Hongrois enfouis dans leurs peaux comme des Lapons !" ["The cold is dreadful, the snow is exasperating, we go to the theater by sleigh [...] Stay by the fire, ah! how you would suffer from this temperature, I assure you it's the sensation of Russia, snow covers everything. [...] I don't even stick my nose out, what a winter even for the Hungarians buried in their furs like Laplanders!"].