Henze-Digital, Briefedition
author: Henze, Hans Werner
language: en
availability: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Mit freundlicher Genehmigung der Hans Werner Henze-Stiftung (Dr. Michael Kerstan). (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Saturday 9. Februar 1952[^1]
sweety,

[^1: Da dieser Brief an einem Sonnabend geschrieben ist, aber noch Einladungen zur Premiere von Boulevard Solitude verschickt werden sollen, müsste er am 9. Februar 1952 geschrieben sein. 2. Februar scheint unwahrscheinlich, da Henze einen Brief beigelegt hat, bei dem es sich um den Brief von Heinz Poll vom 3. Februar 1952 handeln müsste, der sich im Nachlass von Grete Weil erhalten hat.]

on the way back I had time to think about the last days in Hannover and I came to the very striking result that you and he are really fine people, and that I feel a thankfulness for you which does not mean hotel bills etc. [Vgl. zur finanziellen Situation den vorangehenden Brief Henzes.] but something more, confidence and humanity.

I've just received your letter. I'm glad to have the opportunity to speak more in public than I had first intended. the more important is it thereby that I get the magnetophone-bands from the NWDR; please tell my frie n d Walter Hapke that he shall ask for the umdrehungszahl of the mashine I can use there. I shall prepare my lecture more skilful than I would have had for students. [Zu den mehrfach in den folgenden Briefe erwähnten Rundfunk-Aktivitäten im Zusammenhang mit der Uraufführung von Boulevard Solitude ließen sich leider bislang keine konkreten Angaben ermitteln.]

To-day I shall telephone Mme Ponnelle about how to come to H. again.

Please remind Blaul to send invitations to Rosbaud, Strobel and to Allain Clement, Correspondent du Monde Mainz, also to Prof. Dr. Hermann Scherchen, Hotel Maingau, Frankfurt.

My ballet people will come too: Fris, Peter with Zehden and Kaida, Olfli with Dr. Strecker. It will be a terrific invasion of people. I shall come with Jean-Pierre, Monday night. the enclosed letter might enjoy you.[^2] –

[^2: Hierbei dürfte es sich um den Brief von Heinz Poll vom 3. Februar 1952 handeln, der sich im Nachlass von Grete Weil erhalten hat. Heinz Poll spricht darin ausführlich und z. T. kritisch über Boulevard Solitude.]

Sometimes I think (as butzi has supposed) there should be more effects. And, on the other side, some of the effects are a little conventional. There should not be one operaattitude but, instead of these, different new ballet-like, or, if one thinks it's dangerous mixing ballet figures with opera, new artifically found gestures of an arm, a hand, a head –

A bad impression I have from the distance is that – not mistaken through the Friday morning's rehearsal standard – my little scenes sometimes seem to be put in scene with a too operatypy attitude. My music, too, needs more or less a more raffiné manner. It is too fresco for the silver-pen-drawing of the formal construction.

In my opinion, this mistake is easily done undone, when loving Butzi would take them some of their wildness and would give them more orders and swuggestions, how to keep standing, how to go etc. So the whole thing would have much more the impression of as-well-constructed as form and music. I'm sure that I'm not irritated by the singer's nervosity: it's just a general impression.

Well, sweety, be good. Give your husband my regards, my heart and read him this if you're pleased.

hänschen