Bidspirit auction | LYAPUNOV SERGEI: (1859-1924)

LYAPUNOV SERGEI: (1859-1924) - LYAPUNOV SERGEI: (1859-1924) Russian composer, pianist and conductor. A.L.S., S. Liapounov , four pages, 8vo, Rue Nicolas, St. Petersburg, 7/20th November 1908, to Michel Dimitriewitch, in French. Lyapunov states that he received his correspondent´s letter at almost the same time as the manuscript of Op. 30 (Four songs), remarking ´Comme le texte de Maikow est traduit d´allemand (d´après Heine) je pensais qu´il serait mieux d´adapter ma musique au texte original. Mais je ne l´avais pas alors entre mes mains. A présent après avoir vu le texte de Heine j´ai trouvé malheureusement, que ma musique ne peut pas être adaptée à ces paroles sans changements sérieux. La fin surtout doit être tout a fait transformée pour que ça soit convenable´ (Translation: ´As Maikow's text is translated from German (based on Heine), I thought it would be better to adapt my music to the original text. But I did not have it in my possession at the time. Now, having seen Heine's text, I have unfortunately found that my music cannot be adapted to these words without serious changes. The ending in particular needs to be completely transformed to make it suitable´ ) and further expressing his gratitude, ´Permettez moi de vous exprimer mon vif plaisir d´avoir en votre personne un collaborateur si expérimenté et si disposé en notre faveur. Je ne doute pas que les traductions sont excellentes et je vous dis mille remerciements´ (Translation: ´Allow me to express my great pleasure at having in you such an experienced collaborator who is so well disposed towards us. I have no doubt that the translations are excellent, and I thank you a thousand times´ ). Lyapunov further writes ´Ce que vous parlez à propos de Boris Godunov est très étonnant. Comment l´opéra dont le texte est incompréhensible au public pouvait avoir un tel succés! Cette nouvelle me rejouit sans doute sincèrement, puisque je trouve que cet opéra a fait une époque non seulement dans la musique russe, mais dans la musique du monde entier´ (Translation: ´What you say about Boris Godunov is very surprising. How could an opera with a libretto that is incomprehensible to the public have been so successful! This news gives me sincere pleasure, as I believe that this opera marked an era not only in Russian music but in music throughout the world´ ) and also refers to another piece of Mussorgsky's music, ´Je me permets d´appeler votre attention à une faute que j´ai trouvé sur la page 19 de votre livre sur Moussorgski. Vous dites que le choeur d´Oedipe fut exécuté grace à l´initiative de Mr. Anatole Liadow. Mais Anatole Liadow n´etait alors qu´un gamin de 3-4 ans. C´est son père Mr. Constantin Liadow qui l´a exécuté´ (Translation: ´I would like to draw your attention to an error I found on page 19 of your book on Mussorgsky. You say that the chorus of Oedipus was performed on the initiative of Mr. Anatole Liadov. But Anatole Liadov was only a child of 3 or 4 at the time. It was his father, Mr. Constantin Liadov, who performed it´ ). About EX Boris Godunov was composed between 1868 and 1873 by Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) and as well as being considered his masterpiece, it is also the composer´s only completed opera. Several composers, notably Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Dmitri Shostakovich, created new editions of the opera and it is the former´s 1908 version to which Lyapunov refers to in the present letter. Constantin Liadov (1820-1871) Russian conductor, composer and pianist, the father of Russian composer and conductor Anatoli Liadov (1855-1914).