ID 1109030
Lot 230 | Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Estimate value
£ 1 000 – 1 500
Autograph letter signed (‘F. Liszt’) to an unnamed journal editor, n.p., n.d. [c.1833]
In French. 4 pages, 232 x 183mm, bifolium. Provenance: Sotheby's, 29 & 30 April 1980, lot 390.
Liszt defends his interpretation of a Weber concerto in response to a concert review: ‘In your last article, after much that was excessively kind to me, you believe yourself entitled to make a slight accusation of charlatanism [...] No one is unaware that Weber often made use of the right that genius gave him to innovate, even in form. The well-known titles of Invitation à la Valse and Momento capriccioso are proof of this. As for the masterpiece I played last Thursday, the great composer performed it in Vienna shortly after the immense success of the Freyschutz, and at the time all the connoisseurs and critics criticised the fact that this so-called concerto was not a real concerto, that it was irregularly cut, and that it could at most be called a Fantasie [...]. Please, Monsieur le rédacteur, if you think it appropriate, insert this small complaint in your next issue, and once again accept the assurance of my most distinguished sentiments’.
Liszt writes that his performing career of twelve years is ‘un peu plus de la moitié de ma vie’, making him younger than twenty-four years old at the time of writing. The piece which he had performed was probably Weber’s Konzertstück in F minor (1821), which the composer completed the same morning of the premiere of Der Freischütz.
Address of auction |
CHRISTIE'S 8 King Street, St. James's SW1Y 6QT London United Kingdom | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Preview |
| |||||
Phone | +44 (0)20 7839 9060 | |||||
Buyer Premium | see on Website | |||||
Conditions of purchase | Conditions of purchase |
More from Creator
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.