Chapter 5, 14 November 1954
Title
Chapter 5, 14 November 1954
Subject
Nadia Boulanger
Creator
Igor Stravinsky
Date
14 November 1954
Source
Bibliothèque nationale de France
Type
Letter
Extracted Text
Stravinsky to Boulanger
Hollywood
November 14, 1954
Carissima Nadia,
Your kind letter gave me great pleasure. Indeed, we’ve been without news from you for a long
time, but, as you say nothing to me about yourself, being full of discretion, I will not ask you
questions and will try to convince myself that everything is following its normal course. It
depends on one question: am I right? Please respond.
We are going to Europe once again this spring, at the end of March this time, because Vera will
have (at the start of April) her first art show (Galleria Obelisco in Rome). Exciting news, isn’t it?
To make this journey work I have arranged a few concerts. So, we fly from NY to Lisbon to
conduct my first concert in Madrid (March 25), from there to Rome (April 6), then Baden-Baden
(April 22), then Lugano (April 28) and Stuttgart (May 3) from where we go to Copenhagen to
take this new SAS Danish airplane from there that as of today flies to Los Angeles (22 hours
through the Arctic). Will we see one another somewhere in Europe? Please respond.
Happy to have your kind remarks about my In Memoriam. I have already recorded it (Columbia),
yes, just a few days before its premiere in concert (conducted by Bob Craft) in Dylan Thomas’s
memory, this piece was played beside unforgettable works by Purcell, Gabrieli, Schütz, and
Bach. Aldous Huxley also very graciously took part in this, paying homage to the great poet. I
will conduct In Memoriam in Rome (probably Cuénod) with my Cantata (probably Laszlo and
Cuénod); the second half of the program will be Oedipus Rex (probably Laszlo and Peter Pears).
It would be too good so see you at this concert!
Love,
I Str.
Hollywood
November 14, 1954
Carissima Nadia,
Your kind letter gave me great pleasure. Indeed, we’ve been without news from you for a long
time, but, as you say nothing to me about yourself, being full of discretion, I will not ask you
questions and will try to convince myself that everything is following its normal course. It
depends on one question: am I right? Please respond.
We are going to Europe once again this spring, at the end of March this time, because Vera will
have (at the start of April) her first art show (Galleria Obelisco in Rome). Exciting news, isn’t it?
To make this journey work I have arranged a few concerts. So, we fly from NY to Lisbon to
conduct my first concert in Madrid (March 25), from there to Rome (April 6), then Baden-Baden
(April 22), then Lugano (April 28) and Stuttgart (May 3) from where we go to Copenhagen to
take this new SAS Danish airplane from there that as of today flies to Los Angeles (22 hours
through the Arctic). Will we see one another somewhere in Europe? Please respond.
Happy to have your kind remarks about my In Memoriam. I have already recorded it (Columbia),
yes, just a few days before its premiere in concert (conducted by Bob Craft) in Dylan Thomas’s
memory, this piece was played beside unforgettable works by Purcell, Gabrieli, Schütz, and
Bach. Aldous Huxley also very graciously took part in this, paying homage to the great poet. I
will conduct In Memoriam in Rome (probably Cuénod) with my Cantata (probably Laszlo and
Cuénod); the second half of the program will be Oedipus Rex (probably Laszlo and Peter Pears).
It would be too good so see you at this concert!
Love,
I Str.
Stravinsky à Boulanger
Hollywood
14 novembre 1954
Carissima Nadia,
Votre sympathique lettre m’a fait grand plaisir ; en effet, il y a longtemps qu’on est sans
nouvelles de vous mais, comme vous ne me parlez rien de vous-même, plein de discretion je ne
vous pose pas de questions et tache de me convaincre que tout suit son cours normal. Une
question dependant : ai-je raison ? R.S.V.P.
Nous allons de nouveau en Europe ce printemps, fin mars cette fois-ci, car Vera aura (debut
avril) sa premiere exposition de tableaux (galleria Obelisco a Rome). Exciting news, n’est-ce pas
? Pour realiser ce voyage j’ai arrange qq concerts. Donc on vole de NY a Lisbonne pour diriger
mon premier concert a Madrid (25 mars), de la a Rome (6 avril), puis Baden Baden [sic] (22
avril), puis Lugano (28 avril) et Stuttgart (3 mai) d’où en va a Copenhague pour y prendre ce
nouvel avion danois SAS qui commence aujourd’hui meme ces vols a Los Angeles (22 heures
par les regions arctiques). Se verra-t-on quelque part en Europe? R.S.V.P.
Heureux d’avoir vos bonnes paroles sur mon In Memoriam. Je l’ai déjà enregistre (Columbia),
oui, juste qq jours avant sa premiere dans un concert (dirige par Bob Craft) a la mémoire de
Dylan Thomas, ou cette piece était jouee a cote des pages inoubliables de Purcell, Gabrielli ,
Schütz et Bach. Alduous Huxley y pris part tres gracieusement lui aussi rendant hommage au
grand poete. Je vais diriger In Memoriam a Rome (probablement Cuenod) avec ma Cantate
(probablement Laszlo et Cuenod); la seconde moitie du programme sera Oedipus Rex
(probablement Laszlo et Peter Pears). Ce serait trop beau de vous voir a ce concert !
Love
I Str.
Hollywood
14 novembre 1954
Carissima Nadia,
Votre sympathique lettre m’a fait grand plaisir ; en effet, il y a longtemps qu’on est sans
nouvelles de vous mais, comme vous ne me parlez rien de vous-même, plein de discretion je ne
vous pose pas de questions et tache de me convaincre que tout suit son cours normal. Une
question dependant : ai-je raison ? R.S.V.P.
Nous allons de nouveau en Europe ce printemps, fin mars cette fois-ci, car Vera aura (debut
avril) sa premiere exposition de tableaux (galleria Obelisco a Rome). Exciting news, n’est-ce pas
? Pour realiser ce voyage j’ai arrange qq concerts. Donc on vole de NY a Lisbonne pour diriger
mon premier concert a Madrid (25 mars), de la a Rome (6 avril), puis Baden Baden [sic] (22
avril), puis Lugano (28 avril) et Stuttgart (3 mai) d’où en va a Copenhague pour y prendre ce
nouvel avion danois SAS qui commence aujourd’hui meme ces vols a Los Angeles (22 heures
par les regions arctiques). Se verra-t-on quelque part en Europe? R.S.V.P.
Heureux d’avoir vos bonnes paroles sur mon In Memoriam. Je l’ai déjà enregistre (Columbia),
oui, juste qq jours avant sa premiere dans un concert (dirige par Bob Craft) a la mémoire de
Dylan Thomas, ou cette piece était jouee a cote des pages inoubliables de Purcell, Gabrielli ,
Schütz et Bach. Alduous Huxley y pris part tres gracieusement lui aussi rendant hommage au
grand poete. Je vais diriger In Memoriam a Rome (probablement Cuenod) avec ma Cantate
(probablement Laszlo et Cuenod); la seconde moitie du programme sera Oedipus Rex
(probablement Laszlo et Peter Pears). Ce serait trop beau de vous voir a ce concert !
Love
I Str.
Files
Collection
Citation
Igor Stravinsky , “Chapter 5, 14 November 1954,” Digital Exhibits, accessed April 24, 2024, https://digex.lib.uoguelph.ca/items/show/2709.
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