Kallman, Chester: Brief an Henze, Hans Werner. New York, Freitag, 8. April 1960
author: Kallman, Chester
language: en
availability: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Copyright by the Estate of Chester Kallman. By courtesy of the Estate of Chester Kallman. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

72 St. Mark's Place
N.Y.C. 3

April 8th 1960 (?) [Henze himself probably added 1960(?) later. Despite the question mark, it is most likely that the letter dates back to 8 April 1960.]

Dearest Hans:

Many thanks for your letter. How silly can people be![^1] Herewith a little piece about the item of the opera which I hope will soothe the shocked. Also another copy of the outline - can't imagine how the first went astray – and Act I with full stage directions. The other will follow in due course.

[^1: Kallman's expression may refer to a discussion Henze had in Munich with Peter Kehm (program director of the Schwetzinger Festival) and Rudolf Hartmann (intendant of the Bayerische Staatsoper) because of a letter by Ludwig Strecker (Henze's publisher at Schott), in which Strecker asked that Kehm and Hartmann reject the perverted libretto of Elegy for Young Lovers to prevent Henze from setting it to music. (See Henze's Autobiography, p. 166.)]

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Hans love - I arrive on the Hanseatic [Kallman is probably referring to the ship that took him to Cuxhaven, near Hamburg.] at Cuxhaven the morning of april 21 st . It would be ideal if you could meet me.[^2] If you can't, I'll telegraph you the name of my hotel in Hamburg.

[^2: Henze actually met Kallman in Hamburg probably in late April 1960, see Henze's letter in which the composer writes that he discussed the names of the characters of Elegy for Young Lovers with Kallman in Hamburg.]

Baci –––
Chester

P.S. You'll find a few slight verbal revisions in the text. –