Letter 2836a
| Date | 22 December 1885/3 January 1886 |
|---|---|
| Addressed to | Hans von Bülow |
| Where written | Maydanovo |
| Language | French |
| Autograph Location | unknown [1] |
| Publication | Tchaikovsky Research Bulletin No. 1 (February 2011), p. 57 (extracts only, with English translation, p. 58) Чайковский. Новые материалы к творческой биографии (2013), p. 295 (extracts only, with Russian translation, p. 295-296) |
Text and Translation
Based on the extracts published in the 1926 and 1983 auction catalogues [2], which may contain differences in formatting and content from Tchaikovsky's original letter.
| French text (original) |
English translation By Luis Sundkvist |
Cher maître et ami !
Je crains que Vous ne m'en vouliez un peu de ce que je ne suis pas venu à Petersbourg pour jouir de l'audition de ma Suite sous Votre magnifique direction. Il est vrai que mon frère m'avait transmis Votre invitation mais pour des raisons qu'il serait trop long à compter — il m'était tout à fait impossible de venir. Mais j'espère que Vous ne pouvez pas douter de ma reconnaissance pour tout ce que Vous avez fait pour moi et que rien ne me serait aussi pénible que de mériter Votre mécontentement [...] c'est moi qui suis en pure perte car on me dit de tous côtés que la Suite a été exécutée encore mieux (si cela est possible) cette fois que l'année précédente [...] Ce, qui est tout à fait sur, c'est que dans tous les cas je viendrai à Petersbourg pour Vous [...] serrer la main, quand Vous reviendrez pour la deuxième série de concerts [...] |
Dear maestro and friend!
I fear lest you should be a little angry with me for not having come to Petersburg to enjoy listening to my Suite under your magnificent direction [3]. It is true that my brother had relayed to me your invitation, but for reasons which it would take too long to spell out, it was quite impossible for me to come. However, I hope that you cannot doubt my gratitude for everything that you have done for me, and that nothing would be more painful for me than to deserve your displeasure [...] it is I who lose by this completely, because I have been told by everyone that the Suite was this time performed even better (if that is possible) than last year [...] What is completely certain is that I shall come to Petersburg in any case in order to [...] shake your hand when you come back again for the second series of concerts [...] |
Notes and References
- ↑ The autograph was sold at auction in 1926 by W. Heyer, Berlin, and in 1983 by J. A. Stargardt, Marburg.
- ↑ See Musiker-Autographen aus der Sammlung Wilhelm Heyer in Köln. Auktionkatalog 6–7 Dec 1926. Beschreibendes Verzeichnis von Georg Kinsky (Berlin, 1926), p. 105, and J. A. Stargardt, Autographen aus allen Gebieten, Katalog-Nr. 601 (Marburg, 1983), p. 296, item no. 984.
- ↑ Bülow, was in Saint Petersburg as part of his latest Russian tour and had recently, on 14/26 December 1885, conducted the Suite No. 3 at a Russian Musical Society concert in the imperial capital.
