Memories of a Musician: Reminiscences of Seventy years of Musical Life

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

247-8

text excerpt

Verdi heard Madame Patti again in 1893 in his opera La Traviata at the Scala, Milan: she wrote me an interesting letter about the performance. "MILAN, January 1893. "MY DEAR PAPA GANZ, I must send you a line at once, to tell you of the enormous success I had last night in the Traviata. The place was packed full, and when I came on the reception was so great, all the people standing up, that I know, had you been there with that big heart of yours, you would have cried your poor eyes out, just as Verdi did. I am told that throughout the per- formance he did nothing but sob, he found that my phrasing was so pure and touching. At the end of the Farewell Scene, just as I was rushing off, my foot caught in the lace of my skirt, and I fell right down on the floor. ' Dieu Merci,' I did not hurt myself much. ... It is a real pleasure to sing to these Italians, they do so well appre- ciate each phrase, to the highest degree ; and then their 4 Brava ' always comes in just at the right moment. You could have heard a fly, so quiet they were, and took everything in, and at the end the enthusiasm was glorious oh ! ! ! " I love to sing to them ; ' Cela fait un vrai plaisir,' and a real success here is something worth having. " Now I must close, as Verdi has just come to see me. Love to all your dear family, not forgetting your dear self. Always affectionately yours, "ADELINA."

excerpt from 'Memories of a Musician: Reminiscences of Seventy years of Musical Life' pp. 247-8 (267 words)

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