- 382
Barber, Samuel
Estimate
2,000 - 3,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Barber, Samuel
- Collection of twenty-five letters and ninety telegrams addressed to Samuel Barber, many about Vanessa or Antony and Cleopatra
- paper
including autograph letters by Aaron Copland (wishing him all the best for Antony and Cleopatra), Rudolf Serkin (“your old Mountain guide, Rudi”), William Schuman, John Browning (who premiered Barber's Piano Concerto), Rosalind Elias (the original Erika in Vanessa and Charmain in Antony and Cleopatra), Roberta Peters (about 'Nuvoletta', a setting of Finnegan's Wake), Gian Carlo [Menotti] (to Edith Braun), Ellie Frankfurter, Ignace [Strasfogel, the assistant conductor of Vanessa in 1958], the violinist Mikhail Fikhtengolts, Kathie Katsoyanis (about Mitropoulos), David Johnson (of Time-Life Records), the horn-player John Barrows, Channing Way, Andrew Chiappe, C.W. Bailey, William Gordon, Mary T. Holt, Nina Fassler and others
the 25 letters, various sizes, some autograph envelopes, 1958-1980; together with 90 telegrams about the première of Vanessa in 1958, sent by Auden, Noel Coward, Stephen Spender, Copland, Bernstein, Leinsdorf, Dorati, Kostelanetz, Regina Reznik ("Your old Baroness"), Peters, Martha Graham, Lillian Gish, Bing, Chotzinoff and many others (in an envelope inscribed by Barber)
“...The entire second act is for me perfect. The clarity of the battle music, and those two incredible arias of Eros and Antony. Cleopatra's death scene is so fantastic and particularly the way you go from the death music to the end without any loss of musical tension of the death. If only Zeffirelli had had the same feeling of that scene in particular...” (John Browning)
the 25 letters, various sizes, some autograph envelopes, 1958-1980; together with 90 telegrams about the première of Vanessa in 1958, sent by Auden, Noel Coward, Stephen Spender, Copland, Bernstein, Leinsdorf, Dorati, Kostelanetz, Regina Reznik ("Your old Baroness"), Peters, Martha Graham, Lillian Gish, Bing, Chotzinoff and many others (in an envelope inscribed by Barber)
“...The entire second act is for me perfect. The clarity of the battle music, and those two incredible arias of Eros and Antony. Cleopatra's death scene is so fantastic and particularly the way you go from the death music to the end without any loss of musical tension of the death. If only Zeffirelli had had the same feeling of that scene in particular...” (John Browning)
Condition
Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Vanessa was first produced at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York on 15 January 1958 and was a great success, with Rosalind Elias in the mezzo-soprano role of Vanessa's niece Erika. Antony and Cleopatra, composed for the opening of the Metropolitan Opera House in 1966, was awaited with great expectation, but was a famous operatic debacle. Much of the opprobrium was in fact directed at the staging by the librettist, Franco Zeffirelli, but the failure affected the composer profoundly; he left New York disillusioned and and depressed, and lived largely in seclusion in Italy thereafter.