Dear Mr. Sacher,
Thank you very much for your letter of the 11th April, which I got when I came back from Vienna. I’m sorry you had trouble with the score of “Persephone” in which there was no German text. The translation was made before the work came to us, but translations are a permanent headache of ours, in particular where the original language is by a real poet. Completely satisfactory solutions can hardly ever be found. I remember the terrible translations of Don Giovanni, Figaro etc. with which we young people were brought up in Vienna.
Thank you also for your list of queries in “Persephone”. I suppose the instances in the trombones at 31 and two bars before 40 are correct in the score. About most of the other instances I will have to ask Strawinsky, though I suppose that the A flat in the oboe after 50 is correct, and certainly you are right about the mistake in the 3rd flute at 143.
There are a few more mistakes in the score which we have found so far:
The harp should have, of course, octave G on the first beat three bars after 13.
The first note of the flute at 32 is probably A, not F sharp.
One bar after 126: the first and second trombones should obviously be tied over from the previous bar with a crotchet.
[druhá strana]
(Persephone)
At 157 contralto and tenor should have B and E crotchets tied over from the previous bar.
One bar before 215 a flat is missing before the D in the tenor.
At 232 the rhythm of the first two notes of the violins should be thus: [notový příklad – 32pauza cis dvaařicetina spojená trámcem s d šestnáctinou]
Probably you have found all these mistakes, and more, yourself.
Martinu “Toccata e Due Canzone”. I have written to Martinu concerning the doubtful chords after 190 and I shall inform you of his reply.
The Festival in Vienna was partly very interesting. Both Ben and Peter had a tremendous success – I don’t think Peter has ever had to give so many encores as at this recital.
Yours sincerely,
[podpis]
Erwin Stein
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