Item 28 - Letter from Donald Tovey to R. C. Trevelyan

1 item

C/o Herr Geheimratt Strecker, Kaiserstrasse 32, Mainz. - Thinks a letter of his has gone missing, so will repeat the contents. Trevelyan's criticism of his own work in Act V of "The Bride of Dionysus" is 'very strong': he himself had thought of some of it but would not have felt sure until Trevelyan put it so strongly. Doesn't feel that Trevelyan's new proposals quite remove 'the appendix-like effect of Dionysus'. If it is clear that Ariadne does destroy herself, the Dionysus finale will be 'a mere Gounod's-Faust-resurrection'. Asks if Dionysus could be got into the action of the play earlier, and sketches out a proposal for this, outlining advantages. Cannot face the pause Trevelyan suggests between Ariadne's disappearance and the finale: he sat through [Wagner's] "Lohengrin" the other day (an excellent performance except that Elsa was just like '[Henry Gabriel?]Pelissier in one of his feminine rôles') and noticed how 'every stoppage on the stage becomes increasingly annoying' though there are not many and they are theoretically very dramatic. Question of the visibility of Dionysus now re-opened.

Thinks he will get on well now. Has been struggling with the Theseus-Phaedra duet, which he hopes to finish tomorrow; for the last couple of months has 'been suffering from a most disgusting inability to tackle anything', a feeling he is used to, but it has been very bad this last year, and coincides with depression about music in general. Feels that it is 'about the worst period in musical history since the 17th century' though admits this might be affected by his own low spirits. Thinks he should be over the worst now, and hopes in the summer they will be able to get the last act done together. Doesn't see how he can get back before the Classical Concert on the 25th as he wants to stop at Cologne and especially Amsterdam on the way home. Begs Trevelyan to 'put in an occasional week-end at Northlands': he will not be able to get about next term, as he needs to practice. Needs to make Northlands his base, as there aren't any academic posts which would give him such good chances for work: English music has no official openings for anyone not 'a cross between Marie Corelli, [John Philip?] Sousa, and Bernard Shaw'. Something which has been 'out of order' with him over the last year is coming right again. Is more sure than ever that the opera will be a 'big thing' if they can 'pull it through'.

Has been looking at [Trevelyan's] "Sisyphus" again; feels it will make 'a splendid modern Zauberflöte' and will certainly take it on when 'let out of Hanwell [Asylum] for finishing Ariadne. Is going to play the prison scene to Herr Geheimrat [Strecker] tomorrow, and will tell Trevelyan how it goes.