Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (1818-1883)
An invitation to Pauline Viardot's opera. 1869
Autograph letter signed ('I. Tourguéneff') to [Henry Chorley] ('Cher Monsieur'), Hotel Prinz Max, Carlsruhe, 11 March 1869.

In French. 2½ pages, 205 x 129mm, on a bifolium with embossed initials 'IT'. Provenance: With Maggs Bros, cat. 343 (spring 1916), no.542, and cat. 365 (spring 1918), 729.

An invitation to the premiere of Pauline Viardot's chamber opera, Le dernier sorcier. 'Do you remember our dinner of 16 April 1849 (nearly 20 years ago!) before going to hear the first performance of [Meyerbeer's] Le prophète?' Turgenev now invites the recipient to another first performance, this time in Weimar, which 'whilst representing a lesser musical interest – cannot however fail to interest you, in view of the friendship you bear for Mme Viardot, its author. I refer to her operetta, Le Dernier Sorcier, which has just been translated into German and which Liszt and Lassen have orchestrated, under the instructions of Mme Viardot; she has added five new pieces to it'. It would give them all great pleasure to see an old friend at 'this first step she is taking in a new career ... I do not doubt that a real success would give her wings. – And then – you would find Liszt in Weimar ... I am sure that this little trip of 5 to 6 days would do you good'.

Published in a rather faulty English translation in The Musical Quarterly, 67, no.2 (April 1981), 185. Henry Chorley (1808-1872) was a leading music critic, and like Turgenev a devoted admirer of Pauline Viardot, who had starred in the triumphant first performance of Meyerbeer's Le prophète which Turgenev remembers in this letter. Viardot's chamber opera, Le dernier sorcier, was first performed privately at the Villa Turgenev in Baden-Baden on 20 September 1867: the performance in Weimar was to be its first public performance. Although Turgenev does not say so, he was the author of the original libretto: it was translated into German by Richard Pohl, and the orchestration of the score (originally for piano only) was mainly by Eduard Lassen, the court music director in Weimar. In spite of Turgenev's hopes, the performance was to meet with a mixed reception.

This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.
Please note this lot is the property of a consumer. See H1 of the Conditions of Sale.