Esther Honens International Piano Competition, Third Floor, 116 Eighth Avenue SE, Calgary Alberta T2G 0K6 - Recalls evenings at Tanglewood with him in the sixties; recently took a job in Prague as dean of a new music academy, but found himself 'bamboozled' alas; is now in Calgary working on the competition for professional pianists, was devastated by Leinsdorf's death; remembers Murray Abraham as compere of the Van Cliburn competition which he ran, not realizing he was a Texan until he saw his boots; found the stuffiness in the music world about 'Amadeus' just stupid, perhaps envy; enjoyed his description of Mozart's music as bountiful and economical; paraphrases what Colin Davis used to say about Mozart, that much of the music went by like clouds on a windy afternoon, and the trick was to make those moments felt without losing the sweep of the work.
Letterhead of Garbet Hotel, Kinlochbervie, Sutherland, IV27 4RP, with added at home 11 Campden Hill Sq., London W.8. - Is pleased to hear of the success of 'Equus', but disagrees that Canada is more English looking than Ireland; hopes he is writing a comedy; hoped to see him but has to go to Colombia and Venezuela; had a letter from Ray [Leppard] from San Francisco, but Leo doesn't think that running away will help matters in England, it's bad enough that talent like Peter's should be driven out; is in northernmost Scotland visiting Brian & Rosemary Howell; at the Edinburgh Festival went to a sublime performance by [Carlo Maria] Giulini and one of the worst performances of the 7th Symphony he 'ever hopes to see', conducted by [Pierre] Boulez; visited his Austria cousins; reviews the new 'Siegfried', which raises his estimation of Colin Davis as a Wagnerian and admires the Mime; contrasts that to the production of 'Belle Hélène' at the Coliseum; moves to Campden Hill Square at the end of October, it will be a wrench to leave after 30 years, but very necessary.