R. STRAUSS, AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED, TO AN UNNAMED RECIPIENT, ABOUT DIAGHILEV AND "JOSEPHSLEGENDE", UNDATED [1913]

informing him that he is expecting Diaghilev on Tuesday, after which he will be able to tell him whether the German première can be given at his festival, and stating that he is currently hard at work on the instrumentation of the score; in the rest of this chatty, spontaneous letter, Strauss asks for his correspondent's opinion on a repetiteur named Guttenberg, commiserates with him about his car accident, reports on the recently finished Strauss Woche, relates his wife's amusement at his romantic night with Fräulein Walker, and asks him to write soon, noting that the subject matter doesn't always have to be about the theatre ...Dienstag erwarte ich Diaghilew u. kann Ihnen dann berichten, ob Aussicht besteht, eine erste deutsche Aufführung des Joseph, an dem ich fleißig instrumentiere, bei Ihren Festspielen (Juli oder August) vom Stapel zu lassen. Ich werde jedenfalls in diesem Sinne mit Diaghilew verhandeln! 3 pages, 8vo (18 x 11.4cm), on printed stationery of the composer (the former address "Joachimsthalerstr. 17" deleted by Strauss and replaced by "Westend, Kaiserdamm 39"), some passages underlined in red crayon, two later pencil annotations, presumably Berlin, no date [1913], splitting along central fold; together with an autograph envelope addressed to A. Wernicke, postmarked 1904

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."

Strauss began his only ballet score for Diaghilev, Josephslegende, op.63, in the summer of 1912, completing it in February 1914. The première was given at the Paris Opéra on 14 May 1914, the composer himself conducting. In the event, the first German performance did not take place until well after the first war, in 1921, in Berlin.