Fondly,
Dick
560. Leonard Bernstein to Helen Coates
Hotel Sacher, Vienna, Austria
14 April 1972
Dear H,
This is a brief moment grabbed out of a monstrous schedule just to send love and say that all is well with health – though not with the schedule. There's been some poor planning (too much at once) and the Vienna Philharmonic simply doesn't know Mahler27 – so it's all from scratch. Besides, I don't feel like performing much these days: I'd rather be quietly composing. But I'll get through it, somehow – and there is the compensation of beautiful music.
The sun is just beginning to show itself for the first time since I arrived here.
I hope all is well with you, and thanks for all the envelopes filled with goodies.
Love,
Lenny.
Felicia is in Venice for a few days, returning on the weekend. Then, I guess, she'll return to NYC on Monday.
561. Leonard Bernstein to Shirley Bernstein
Hotel Sacher, Vienna, Austria
21 April 1972
Dearest Hilee,
I think of you with every puzzle (and in Europe that's 2 or 3 a day). But when a Nation puzzle arrived from la Belle with a whole wrong diagram then I had to write. It's not enough to think: one must share. What is happening to our world?
What indeed?
I want to write music.
I've had Vienna.
I think I've had performing.
Spring is not here, and all is somewhat sad, foolish, exaggerated. Very tiring indeed.
Why don't you ever write me, you thriving, prosperous, presidential wonder?
Please call BB & Ellen & send my love. I can't write any more – Mahler calls.
And special hugs for Ofra.
And mostly to mein Schwest –
L
21 Ape, '72
562. Luciano Berio28 to Leonard Bernstein
Villa della Mendola 131, Rome, Italy
28 April 1972
Caro Leonardo,
I want to thank you once more for your precious contribution to C'è musica e musica.29 The 9th program, where you led the way deeply into yourself and through American music, was certainly one of the best. I hope you will be able to see it soon. In 10 days this incredible TV adventure will be finally over – and now, because of these 12 TV hours on music I have more “enemies” in Italy than I ever had (mainly singers and conservatory professors and one music critic wrote that I have prostituted music).
I will be in NY very soon and I hope to see you.
Love, as ever,
Luciano
P.S. Maybe a correspondent of an Italian newspaper (“Messaggero”) will call you for a short interview. Please give him a few minutes – even on the phone. I promised him that you will not push him away.
563. Leonard Bernstein to Shirley Bernstein
3 October 1972
For Mine Schwestöahs
“Nothing Could Be Finer Than to Be a Forty-Niner”
I thought of finding you a gift
Of cashmere, silk or leather;
But nothing seems so precious as
October's Bright Blue Weather.
When H. H. Jackson thought it up
She had her head together,
And Hilee in mind, as high she penned
“October's Bright Blue Weather.”30
So may it be for all your life
And when your birthdays trouble you
Remember you are shone upon
By high O. B–B–W.
Love moöahs,
L
564. Jerome Robbins to Leonard Bernstein
7 October 1972
Len,
Tried to reach you before departing.
If the ballet isn't working out (I think it is, and is mostly there) then we'll do it next year when you are less pressured.31 I'll tell the N[ew] Y[ork] C[ity] B[allet] not to count on it for their Gala of June 7th – that way they don't get fucked up on their money raising – and if by chance something breaks there for you, and you feel more optimistic – or one of your miracles occurs – we can always do it in June with less commotion around it. Anyway, write me in London, care of Royal Ballet, Covent Garden Opera House.
Love to all,
J.
(Interplay32 went very well!)
565. Benjamin Britten to Leonard Bernstein
The Red House, Aldeburgh, England
[Spring 1973]
My dear Lenny,
Please forgive p. c. (I'm not supposed to write!) – but I was very touched by your wire. The present little medical blow is maddening, boring & v. painful! I am just coming up to one of these miracle modern operations and shall be inactive for several months – which means I'll miss Owen Wingrave (first time on stage)33 & Death in Venice (first time ever!).34 But they must look after themselves. It was so good of you to think of me with the 1001 things you have to do.
Yours ever,
Ben
566. Jennie Bernstein to Leonard Bernstein
21 March 1973
Birthday reflections.
This seventy five year young mother and grandmother is counting her blessings, moments filled with joy and pleasure. I am indeed blessed to have such precious children and grandchildren. All these wonderful things in my life will keep me happy and young. How do I love you all, let me count the ways?
With all my love,
Jennie (Elizabeth Browning)
Circa 1898.
567. Benjamin Britten to Leonard Bernstein
The Red House, Aldeburgh, England
[?December 1973 or 1974]35
My dear Lenny,
I am so sorry I haven't answered your last letter – but writing is still very difficult for me. I do want to write a proper letter to you, & to say how touched both P. & I are that you have come on to the board of the Maltings Friends, how deeply I have been touched personally by your concern about me, & several other things too! Can I have your address to write to, please?
With much Xmas love from
Ben
568. Virgil Thomson36 to Leonard Bernstein
222 West 23rd Street, New York, NY
14 March 1974
Dear Lennie,
My warm congratulations on the success of Candide.37 Way back in 1945, when I used to help out the French radio with broadcasts of American music from discs available through U.S. Information Service, by far the most popular with the public were excerpts from On the Town. And the French musicians around simply could not get over their astonishment that in New York an opérette composed in so advanced a musical style could be successful.
So still, with West Side Story and Candide you remain world master of the “musical”. All honor to you!
Now that I have been through the Norton lectures (three by video, all six by reading) it is clear that your skill in explaining music is also tops, as indeed it was when you used to do it at Carnegie Hall.
Myself I find nothing reprehensible about your bringing in linguistics. You needed an authority to support an “innate musical grammar” and Chomsky's heavy artillery is surely that. Especially since post-war researches in the physiology of hearing, though they do support a syntax based on the harmonic series as unquestionably built into the human ear, are being treated by both the Germanic twelve-tone world and the French-based solfeggio world as “controversial”.
So the linguistic argument, though merely an analogy, as you pointed out, does carry weight. And it enables you to by-pass vested musical interests.
I am sure your conclusions are valid, and I see no reason why you should not have used any material conveniently to hand for expounding them. All the more so since that material is relatively familiar and hence easily acceptable. I enjoyed everything.
Many thanks for the courtesies of your office.
I am returning the borrowed scripts with gratitude.
Ever warmly your admirer,
Virgil
569. Alan Jay Lerner38 to Leonard Bernstein
15 May 1974
Dear Lenny,
Blessings tonight. I can't wait to see it and hear it.39
If Jerry wants any more changes after tonight I'll put a contract out on him.
I'm starting the second act40 and waiting for you like Duse for D'Annunzio. The room is ready, the piano has been tuned, the plane is revved up and I have fired my children.
Hurry,
Always,
Alan
570. Maurice Abravanel41 to Leonard Bernstein
Utah Symphony, Salt Lake City, UT
4 June 1974
Dear Lennie,
Please accept my apologies for having taken so long to thank you for your lovely telegram. I passed it on to all the participants who thank you for your kind message.
The two performances went exceedingly well and were highly successful, and your Mass was exceedingly impressive and moving even in the very large auditorium. We had in excess of 12,000 attending between the two consecutive nights.
In addition to the fact that I felt it essential to present Mass in our city, I felt very gratified that it was only possible through cooperation among our orchestra, Repertory Dance Theatre, some people from Ballet West, the Music and Theatre Departments of the University of Utah, in addition to three other universities in the state from which we borrowed sound equipment and robes. As far as I know, it is the first time so many organizations worked together for the common goal. 6,195 University of Utah students attended, which is almost one-third of the total enrolment.
I discovered that you and I are part of the establishment and were therefore (especially!) outrageously censured by a small but very vocal group. Also, our top Roman Catholic personage was personally against Mass, but even though quite a few of his people prompted him to do something about it, he refused to take any stand against it.
My associate conductor, Ardean Watts, did a fantastic job of organization and conducting. He used our entire orchestra plus a dozen extras, 185 singers and 10 dancers. The set was terrific, and I think that you would have been very happy with the whole thing. Of course I knew that you were working on Dybbuk which is a much more important thing.
I was putting in a strong pitch for asking you to serve again on the National Council on the Arts. I realize that right now, as I was told, it would be hopeless to expect President Nixon to appoint you, but I would like to know whether you would be ready to again serve. Even if you could attend meetings but rarely, your name alone would mean a great deal to the Endowment and in particular to its music component.
I am not quite sure that you yourself know how much your name means and how much more it could mean for us, the hewers of wood, who have to confront day in and day out the unrelenting putdown of the symphony orchestra in America.
Forgive me for having written such a long letter. Again, many thanks for having written Mass and so much other beautiful music, and for having done so much for music in our nation.
With best wishes always.
Affectionately yours,
Maurice
571. Leonard Bernstein to Felicia Bernstein
Clarendon Hotel, Christchurch, New Zealand
[August 1974]
Dearest F,
This letter has been a-borning for days, ever since arriving in Auckland, but there was always a reason to postpone – until we'd seen something to write about, until the first concert was over, until the first Mozart Trial by Fire42 was over, etc. Well, they're all over now, and all is more than well – triumphant concerts, orchestra in top form, even the Mozart last night in Wellington was a joy, with only a moment here and there of Frozen Fingers, and no Heart Attacks to speak of. Mozart again tonight here, and Steinways all the way, which is 50% of the joy. (And I can't tell you the joy of having Axel43 along, he's a glorious companion.)
Interruption: the “Physiotherapist” has just arrived for massage purposes. Be back in a flash.
An hour later:
Terrific treatment – all those neck and shoulder pains gone. A genius; he brought along his 2-year-old daughter Katie, who “helped”. The aches aren't serious – just this sudden spate of thick schedule – much rehearsing in Auckland, then nightly concerts in a row, all in different cities. Tonight is Christchurch (where I was greeted at the airport this morning by, natch, the Christchurch Hebrew Youth Group or something, with flowers and planted trees in Israel) – and they have a gorgeous new concert hall where I've just been trying out the piano: I'm really looking forward to this concert.
Don't forget Dr. Clarke check-up.44
Tomorrow is a free day, and Alexander and I are going skiing in the nearby Alps. Yesterday in Wellington we spent the afternoon sailing in the harbor: glorious it was, with buckets of beer and a jolly crew of real leathery mates. The city is a beauty – all great green hills around a huge harbor, and the cleanest air in the world. Architecture abysmal, however. Auckland even worse: it's all so new, just a century old, that everything is either the worst Victorian or plastic office buildings. The houses are sort of seaside shacks with a curiously familiar Oaf Gloves look.
But oh, the country around Auckland – that whole north tip! You would adore it: all rolling Scottish hills and Scandinavian fjords, massive firs, etc. – and anomalously, mitten drinnen, palms and other tropicalia. Rain forests. Monster fern-trees, vines. And around it all, the green hills with the millions of little sheep grazing peacefully. I don't know anything quite like it. Also, in that region, we discovered some thermal pools, hot mineral baths, and we became addicted: we went out there twice, and whiled away two mindless afternoons soaking in these pools while it rained on us, shone on us, and rainbows adorned the Hobbema skies.
Aside from a bit of a dust-up with the press on first arrival from Hawaii, we've found the people warm and simple and delightful – sort of provincial British midlands mixed with beautiful Maoris (Tahitians who came over in the 14th century) plus all kinds of other Islanders – Fijians, Samoans, etc., who keep arriving owing to the population explosion back home. It's all a beautiful mixture.
And the milk! The best on earth.
Interruption: concert time – (to be continued).
It's now two days later; it's all one can do to find ten minutes to write a letter. So much activity! First the concert itself, Mozart & Mahler, in the great new concert hall here – and I mean great. I've never played the piano so well – really deep Mozart, and no nerves. You'd have been proud of the Town Hall.
And yesterday, a free day. Axel and Paul and I were taken skiing by some charming local ladies & small son – it was bliss. A perfect day, cool, brisk mountain air and a hot sun – dream Chilean weather. We came back last night in rapturous exhaustion, Axel and I both with banged-up knees & Paul with torn Pectorals. We're all limping around today, happy as clams.
Axel is actually doing a local crossword (in the authentic British style)45 while I finish this letter, and then we're off to mad gay Brisbane, & the Australian leg commences – probably all downhill from here on. New Zealand was climactic, and those who say it's a final refuge when the crunch comes are probably right.
We miss you terribly; it seems incredible that ten days ago I had a last glimpse of you standing in the airport being abandoned by your males. I hope you're not too lonely, that there are all kinds of cheery visitors and chums, and that Nina is also not lonely. I miss her so. And Jamie, of course, would have gone bonkers over all this; it's a pity for her to miss it, and that Axel doesn't have her to share so many things with. But he's having a great time: he even acquired a cute dimply girlfriend of 17 in Auckland.
Well, the siren blows for Australia, and we're off, as Shirley would say, across the straits of Magellan. Take care of yourself, rest, have fun, and I fervently hope to find a letter from you waiting in Brisbane, full of news about the Dakota and Dixie's love life and the great Sublime Kitchen of Life.
Hugs and kisses to all, and so much love to you, my angel.
>
Ben
P.S. Don't forget to see Dr. Clarke. Or have I already mentioned that?
xxx
572. Lukas Foss to Leonard Bernstein
12 September 1974
Dearest Lenny,
Welcome back. I know you could not care less, but I do: ages ago a Mr. Buketof[f] sent me a form (the 111st of the year) to fill out: the 15 best American orchestral pieces – for some European library. I sent him my choices. 2 Sundays ago I open the N.Y. Times, find an asinine list of 11 pieces, find myself listed, also among the jurors who “deliberated” to arrive at their idiotic choices.46 I called Buketof[f], asked him to fish out my list: sure enough, it has little in common with the published one. Mine starts with Age of Anxiety, proceeds to Aaron's Variations etc. No Harris, no Brown. So I wrote to the Times a small note of protest for publication, calling their list: “conspicuous for the absence of America's best composers.” (So far not publ. to my knowledge). You can laugh it off; but I can't write about my frustration to all the colleagues. In fact I won't write to any but you. Basta.
I'm off for 7 long weeks, 3 to Jerusalem, 4 with the Jerusalem Symphony all over Europe. Also trying to write a string quartet. There must be a saner way of life. What is it? How was Kyoto without me and my Buddhist nuns? Congrats!!!
Write the flute piece.
Arigato.
Love to Felicia, Nina, Jamie, Alexander [and] you.
Lukas
573. Christa Ludwig to Leonard Bernstein
Vienna, Austria
1 February 1975
Dear Maestro,
You are so famous, but in N.Y. the telegram office doesn't know your address! When your wishes for New Year arrived I learned that you have a new home. So I am really very sorry that when I came back from holidays and I saw your cable, my answer couldn't reach you. But I do hope that things will go better for Israel, but: oil! It is a terrible world. But we can hide ourselves a little bit in the music. I am glad that you come back to Salzburg. Why don't we make music together any more?!
The Leonard Bernstein Letters Page 73