a number of reasons: to put across expressions of love is easier than satire because feelings of love are universal, whereas

satire is typical of only a few nations. Rubinsteins own perception of love appears to be somewhat cynical, for
in the same letter to Liszt he continued: I am very much looking forward to
our meeting, and, believe me, a certain Madame S. will not be able to detain me
when it is a question of visiting you; I never had a clearly expressed taste for
paradise, if paradise there is in a woman or near her [si Paradis il y a dans une
femme ou auprs delle]; I always felt a great respect for Satan, whom I personify
in the form of Prometheus, whom I personify in you.31
On the eve of his departure for Weimar, Rubinstein wrote to his brother,
Yakov, who had taken up a post as a military doctor and was shortly to leave for
Warsaw with his regiment. He was keen to ensure that the Russian press was
kept fully apprised of his successes and asked Yakov to call on Messrs Mann and
Andrey Kraevsky and notify them that the romantic opera Die Sibirischen Jger
and not Fomka the Fool was to be performed in Weimar in November.32 He also
told his brother about the recent composition of three instrumental pieces for
violin, Op. 11, which were eventually dedicated to Joseph Joachim, leader of the
orchestra at Weimar from 1849 to 1853. Rubinstein wrote to Yakov: Give my
cordial regards to Kologrivov, and tell Pikkel that I have written for Joachim
three violin pieces which he will enjoy playing.33 This dedication to Joachim
was somewhat premature, however, since Rubinstein had not yet even made his
acquaintance.
Rubinstein arrived in Weimar on 3 September, and during the month he remained there the nal alterations were made to the libretto and score of Die
Sibirischen Jger. At the beginning of October, however, Rubinstein traveled to
Leipzig in the hope of getting his Ocean Symphony accepted for performance
by the Gewandhaus orchestra, but he received a cold reception. The Gewandhaus was ercely proud of its traditionsMendelssohn had conducted it from
1835 until his death in 1847, and Ferdinand David was still its highly respected
Konzertmeister. After Mendelssohns death, Julius Rietz took over directorship
of the Gewandhaus orchestra and of the Leipzig opera, but the two posts proved
too much for him and he was obliged to give up the Gewandhaus concerts (in
his absence they were conducted by Gade and David). Finally, in 1854, Rietz
gave up the directorship of the opera and returned to the Gewandhaus, remaining there until his appointment as Kapellmeister at the Dresden court in 1860.
Not surprisingly, Rietz was a staunch supporter of Mendelssohn and was hostile
to new music, regarding Liszts symphonic poems as sins against art. At this
time Rubinsteins symphonic music was still unknown in Leipzig, and as an
outsider he was treated with considerable aloofness. Writing to Liszt on 6 October, he observed: If I have not sent you news about my sojourn here, it is
because I am in a mood of murrendo assai to the highest degree. I do not like
anything here; the people seem to be the haughtiest, and matters seem to be
unpardonably vile. Your letter to David has elicited the immortal phrase: Seien
sie versichert, dass alles, was ich fr Sie thun kann [Be assured I will do everything I can (Germ.)], etc.34 He made obligatory calls on the resident bigwigs,
54 Anton Rubinstein