Arnold Schoenberg Letters

urn:iso:std:iso:639:ed-3:eng

288

288-289

text excerpt

My illness hitherto prevented my hearing your records of my violin concerto, also the fact that I had no suitable record-player. I once played it through on my very inadequate machine and even then received an amazing impression of your overpowering presentation of my music. But it is only now that I have heard it decently that I can fully and completely understand why everyone talks of you and your playing with such enthusiasm. It really sounds as if you had known the piece for 25 years, your rendering is so mature, so expressive, so beautifully shaped. I must say that I have never yet come across such a good performance without having myself helped with every detail. The fact that you discovered all this for yourself is not only evidence of your outstanding talent; it gratifies me, besides, in that it shows me how distinctly my music can speak to a true musician: he can know and understand me without explanations, simply through the medium of the written notes. / I am very grateful to you for this experience, and I wish I were younger in order to be able to provide you with more material of this kind. I shall in any case follow your performances with the closest of attention.

My illness hitherto prevented my hearing your records of my violin concerto, also the fact that I had no suitable record-player. I once played it through on my very inadequate machine and even then received an amazing impression of your overpowering presentation of my music. But it is only now that I have heard it decently that I can fully and completely understand why everyone talks of you and your playing with such enthusiasm. It really sounds as if you had known the piece for 25 years, your rendering is so mature, so expressive, so beautifully shaped. I must say that I have never yet come across such a good performance without having myself helped with every detail. The fact that you discovered all this for yourself is not only evidence of your outstanding talent; it gratifies me, besides, in that it shows me how distinctly my music can speak to a true musician: he can know and understand me without explanations, simply through the medium of the written notes. / I am very grateful to you for this experience, and I wish I were younger in order to be able to provide you with more material of this kind. I shall in any case follow your performances with the closest of attention.

excerpt from 'Arnold Schoenberg Letters' pp. 288 (211 words)

excerpt from 'Arnold Schoenberg Letters' pp. 288-289 (211 words)

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1448990140345