Letter from H. W. Henze to G. Weil, February 9, 1952

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sweety,

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.* 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 friend Walter Hapke that he shall
ask for the umdrehungszahl of the mashine[sic]
I can use there. I shall prepare my lecture
more skilful than I would have had for
students.*

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.*

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 opera-
attitude 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 opera-
typy attitude. My music, too, needs more or
less a more raffiné manner. It is too fresco
for the silver-pen-drawing of the formal con-
struction.

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 too 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

Editorial

Responsibilities

Editor(s)
Irmlind Capelle
Transcription
Irmlind Capelle

Tradition

  • Text Source: Stadtbibliothek München (D-Mst), Monacensia
    Shelf mark: GW 31

    Physical Description

    • Document type: Letter
    • Material

    • beiges Papier
    • Faltung: 2mal auf DinA6
    • Extent

    • 1 folio
    • 2 written pages
    • Dimensions: 295x212 [mm] (HxW)
    • Layout

    • Rand: 4,5 cm
    • kein Einzug

Writing styles

Text Constitution

  • "n""u(?)" overwritten with "n"
  • "mashine"sic
  • "s"added inline
  • "it’s"added inline

Commentary

  • "… Saturday 9. Februar 1952"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.
  • "… not mean hotel bills etc."Vgl. zur finanziellen Situation den vorangehenden Brief Henzes.
  • "… 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.
  • Correspondent du Monde
    • Korrespondent von
  • "… enclosed letter might enjoy you."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.
  • "too"recte "to".

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        Credits

        Mit freundlicher Genehmigung der Hans Werner Henze-Stiftung (Dr. Michael Kerstan).

        If you've spotted some error or inaccuracy please do not hesitate to inform us via henze-digital [@] zenmem.de.