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Phone: 212-860-5541 * Fax: 917-677-8247
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Price: $150.00 |
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MINT CONDITION |
OLGA SAMAROFF - PIANIST |
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The great Texas pianist and pedagogue writes to John Erskine, President of Juilliard about reducing her hours at the school. At the time she was teaching at both Juilliard and The Philadelphia Conservatory. She also invites Erskine to the American Premier of Berg’s “Wozzek” led by her then ex-husband Leopold Stokowski. (The Premier occurred on March 19, 1931 with Nelson Eddy in the title role.) The Ernest she mentions is Ernest Hutchenson, her teacher. Samaroff was one of the most important American piano pedagogues, turning out pupils like William Kapell, Eugene List, Rosalyn Tureck, Yian Chang, Alexis Weissenberg and Claudette Sorel. Dear John, Your letter released me from a most unpleasant and self-critical state of mind. I was quite horrified with myself for writing to you as I did; in fact if U.S. mail boxes could be opened after mailing a letter, mine never would have reached you! Now I am glad I did write and please do not think if Ernest agrees with the extension ideas, that you need reduce my teaching unless you want to, or unless the other work should later make it impractical for me to do both. I do not imagine that will be the case for I have considerable capacity for work and my present salary is quite enough to warrant my giving a great deal more time to Juilliard than I do. I sent word to your secretary that “Wozzek” is on March 19th in Philadelphia. Can you and Mrs. Atwater surely go? If so I shall get tickets and expect you both to dine with me at the Acorn Club. I doubt if you could return that night unless you take the sleeper, but we could return early the next morning if necessary for work here. It would surely be great fun! Sincerely yours, Olga S. With a postcard portrait drawing of the pianist with Madame Stokowski and her daughter .
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