VIENNA CONSERVATORY
Dear Henry,
I am writing you at the suggestion of Professor Max Frisch
to seek your aid in a project on which I am working.
Emil Nikolaus von Rezniček (1860-1945) - was a teacher and
composer who wrote, among other things, four symphonies, a
serenade for strings, and about a dozen operas. The fifth,
and most celebrated of these was Donna Diana. It premiered
in Prague in 1894 and was often performed during the first
third of this century, including at the Vienna Opera under
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) who liked it very much. The last
known production was in 1933 at Wuppertal. Today the opera
is only remembered by its brilliant, sparkling overture.
My project consists of three parts:
First, I wonder why the opera all of a sudden disappeared
from the stage. I would like to assemble a history of its
production - where and when it was given and any critical
comment (favorable or unfavorable).
Second, there was a recording made in 1933, but the master
copy (of the recording) was lost in the bombing of Berlin.
However, I have a blind faith that the original record set
still exists somewhere in Europe in somebody’s basement or
attic or deep in the catacombs of some archives (a library
or museum or copyright repository). Even an incomplete set
would make me happy. Or, if the owner is reluctant to part
with it, a transfer to cassette tape would make me happy.
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