| Content | Jaromír Š[paček] first writes to Charlotte Martinů about personal matters. "Nynka" [Anna Špačková?] thanks him for sending [the medicine] Adelphane. Her health is bad and they will look for a new doctor, a neurologist.
The stay with [AS]'s brother was nice. On Monday they arrived by bus back to Prague. Because of the bad weather they did not go to the country afterwards, although they would have needed to go there. JŠ goes on to describe an incident where they were flooded: Marie was filling the bath for [AS], went to see Hana ["Hanička"] and left the water running.
As for the negotiations between JS and ChM:
1) JS translated the letter from W[erner] Koller and sent it back to Charlotte with the translation. On the other side of the German letter he copied the letter he had written to Koller. He translated Charlotte's approval and advised him to write to Charlotte in French. Since he did not know that it was SUISU, he wrote that writing to Charlotte in German was an act of German insolence. He called Jaroslav Mihule. He was very interested in the film, but would only be able to deal with it after he returned from his trips to Belgium and Denmark. He promised Špáček that he would call him in about a month to discuss matters concerning Bohuslav Martinů in general. In his letter WK asks Charlotte to allow him to meet Paul Sacher. JS leaves it entirely up to her. PS [and Maja Sacher] should definitely appear in the BM film, but it depends on their will. ChM will hopefully be able to see if the project is serious enough for PS. All she has to do is send Sacher a letter from WK, or at least a letterhead written in green ink. JS has spoken to JM about ChM's memoir, which JM could draw on for the script. Does ChM agree with this?
2) Regarding the French text of JULIETTA: [Zdenek] Pechold has found out that [Anna Marie] Wurm and [Eleuterio] Lovreglio agree to the terms regarding their fees proposed by Dilia through ChM. ZP is despondent about JULIETTA's situation in Lyon. He promises Spacek that he will write to the cultural attaché of the Czechoslovak Embassy [in Paris?] to intercede with the Ministry of Culture in Paris. The next time ChM is in Paris, she could visit the Ambassador and ask him to take a personal interest in JULIETTA in Lyon. The communication with the director of the [National Opera?] in Lyon ["Directeur de Lyon"] is strange and it is necessary to find out what is actually going on. ChM is to get Georges Neveux to look into this and also to look for any reports of JULIET in "Le Monde". He is also to report on the possibility of JULIETTA appearing in the G.O. [?]
3) She has instructed ChM Georges [Neveux] in the matter of "G.L." [referring presumably to Miloš Šafránek and his translation of JULIETTA, see ŠpaJ 1967-09-28, ŠpaJ 1967-11-07]. [Zdeněk] P[echold] learned that ChM could not accept [MŠ?]'s participation in a television production of JULIETTA, and promised to inform Czech [Slovak] television. The contract could only be concluded if Dilia negotiated it with the television. To begin with, Dilia was waiting for Charlotte's consent and acceptance of the conditions they were also imposing on her behalf. JS told Pechold that both were taken for granted. ChM is to explain to Neveux (whose letter JS sends back to her) that because of ZP's illness on her last visit to Prague, ChM is only giving her consent now, after correspondence with Prague. JS communicated with Dilia about GN's royalties from the JULIETTA performance in Vienna. JŠ encloses two letters concerning JULIETTA left by ChM. On the letter of 17/7 he transcribes in translation the part of the letter he received from Dilia on 23/8 concerning the negotiations with the TV. JS wrote to Charlotte about this when he was at his brother-in-law's.
4) During Charlotte's June stay in Prague, Dilia gave her a list of what had been agreed so far regarding the preparation of the French text of JULIETTE. JS quotes from it item 5, which he has reworked; it concerns ChM's arrangement with the Paris office of Boosey & Hawkes and the two translators for the insertion of the French text into two piano lifts, one of which will be made available to ChM and the other to Dilia. JS does not know whether ChM has made arrangements with these parties. In any case, it is necessary to have all the texts [of the translations].
5) Mr. Jelinek is a kind of finance minister in Dilia. He signed the report to the GN in the absence of the OC.
Regarding the book My Life with Bohuslav Martinů: JS understands that the names "Berkshire school" and "Barrington school" refer to the same school. This needs to be corrected.
JS received a letter from ChM dated 9/9, enclosing a letter from [Václav] Kašlík. He immediately tried to arrange a meeting with the VP but he was absent and JS will not see him until tomorrow at the earliest. He will discuss with him the matter raised by VK. JŠ does not know what reason ZP has for refusing to broadcast JULIETTA in France for five years except for performances in French theatres. JS sent Charlotte this provision on 28 Aug and thought she had accepted it. ZP cannot begin negotiations with the TV until he gets ChM's approval. (JS adds that this is a TV station from the N.S.R. GN seems to have confused the N.S.R. and the G.D.R.) JS does not say in advance that VK is wrong, but he is not convinced by the artful style of his letter. JULIETTA was a success in Vienna. However, JS is not sure whether they are right to refer to the opinions of the Viennese critics and not mention the success in [West?] Germany ["en Allemagne de", part of the text missing]. In Germany, there is no need to make propaganda for the BM via television. JŠ considers Kašlík's arguments to be exaggerated: Leoš Janáček's The Makropulos Affair is based on Karel Čapek's 1922 drama (the opera was written in 1925) [ChM transcript: 1967 - 1925 = 42 years, not 60; 1926 premiere at the theatre]. JS quotes the passage under discussion as formulated by ZP and then VK's paraphrase of it. VK argues differently from ZP: according to ZP, the film may not be broadcast in French-speaking countries for five years after the conclusion of the contract before the theatrical performance of the opera in France and no earlier than one year after that performance, whereas according to VK, Dilia prevents broadcasting for five years after the theatrical performance of the opera in France.
[Part of the letter written on 15 Sep:] JS did not see Pechold and the following day is Saturday. He will therefore not be able to speak to him until Monday. Hopefully this will be possible, ZP leaves again on Tuesday for Germany for about ten days.
JS now returns to the personal matters from ChM's last letter. He comments on Angèle Q[ennehen]'s accident. Treatment is slow at this age and patience is needed. Although they did not know her personally, they are close to her thanks to Charlotte's narrative.
Next week will be a busy one for them, they will be painting their apartment. They have a lot of things at home and they can't store them at the Vaclavik's because they will be painting there as well. Marie has been sick for three weeks. |