| Content | Bohuslav Martinů thanks Vladimír Vaňek for the draft of the condolence letter in Italian, which he copied and sent to Mrs Asunta together with the money. The Martins were in Zurich with the Webers and brought a goose as big as an ostrich, BM ate the bird for a week. The theatre [meaning the premiere of GREEK PASSIONS in Zurich] is in a mess, the publisher doesn't want to do it, they probably have something against the director. Anyway, BM made a deal with one person from the theatre on the controversial end of the opera, which was like a weight for the director. BM will redo it without changing the scenery to make it more theatrical. [Jan] Brázda sent designs for the whole opera, including the costumes, which are nice and BM likes them. The first movement [of the CONCERT FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA No. 5] made the mistress [Margrit Weber] happy, but that will probably pass when she starts to study it, there is acting when her fingers ache. The second movement will be quiet, BM is working on it now. News has come from America that Rudolf Serkin will finally play the SONATA for piano, BM is now correcting the copyist's mistakes. BM couldn't learn it himself, it's too hard. The release will be in Paris probably by Christmas. They haven't seen the sun for a long time, but they're warm in their apartment. BM has a room separate from the others where he pours his imagination into a piano named after Clara Schumann. Sometimes he goes to Basel. BM knows neither [Anton] Bruckner nor Szyman [Karol Szimanowski], so VV is to decide for himself [it is not clear what]. BM didn't catch the Sudeten [presumably Süddeutsche Rundfunk], he didn't know when they would be on the air. |