| Content | Miloš Šafránek and his family were delighted with a letter from Otakar Šourek dated 31 January [1946]. They also learned about the new conditions at home from some of [Ferdinand] Peroutka's articles in Svobodné noviny. They could be translated into English, but "this is politics and we are musicians". The book on Bohuslav Martinů was sent directly by the MŠ to OŠ and V[áclav] Mikoto. The Czech edition of the book is imagined by the author to be much revised. He originally wrote it in English, French and Czech, and in each case had to style the text differently; in addition, he had a rather limited scope when working on the English edition. He would like to make the Czech version more relevant to the current Czech cultural context. The book will not be a direct polemic with Soviet cultural policy, even if the author disagrees with it. He recommends that VM order an English version from England, which is already printed and has two new chapters and a more complete catalogue of compositions.
The MoS is surprised that the MoS did not know about his and BM's American activities, evidenced by numerous publications and concerts - why did the Cultural Officer conceal this in his correspondence with the Arts Council and musical personalities? A woman [Germaine Leroux] asks the OC to mention to F[rantiška] Bartos about Martinů's "delightful" work SINFONIETTA GIOCOSA, which BM composed for her in 1940-1941. It played its world premiere at Carnegie Hall in 1942. The Czech Philharmonic owes her a concert announced for the end of October 1938 after Munich with R[afael] Kubelík, the Mozart Concerto in E flat major, whose poster BM saw in Prague on the day of his departure, 15 November 1938.
Stefan's Dvorak [The Life and Work of Anton Dvorak, 1941] was published in the USA in about 1942. MŠ reviewed the book for the New York Times and in this context spoke of Šourka's "monumental" work on Dvořák. This is a work that MŠ admires. When his wife [GL] played Dvořák's Piano Suite at Town Hall, he quoted an entire passage from it.
His wife would like to play in Prague next season 1946/47. She is planning her own revision of Benda's Sonata - would they be interested in it in Prague? They're seriously planning to return to Prague. They'll be taking old recordings of Czech music in their original editions. |