ID 1109066
Lot 266 | Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Estimate value
£ 2 500 – 3 500
Autograph letter signed (with initials, 'R.W.') to [Heinrich Szadrowsky], [Zurich, c. November 1856]
In German. Four pages, 136 x 107mm, blue paper, bifolium. Provenance: Sotheby's, 26 & 27 November 1987, lot 417.
On arrangements for his famous concert at St Gall with Liszt. Wagner is delighted at the prospect of his joint concert with Liszt in St Gall, but urges Szadrowksy to pay close attention to the organsation, especially of the orchestra, on which he gives detailed instructions:
We assume that you can, if you wish, increase the prices of the concert in which Liszt and I take part, in order to be able to meet all of our demands for the completeness of the orchestra. I am therefore definitely counting on you to hire at least the musicians I have listed, and in any case bring the string instruments up to 18 good violins, 6 violas, 6 violoncellos and 4 basses.
He goes on to give close instructions for the choice of woodwind, down to the individual musicians, recommending two known to him from Zurich. He then sketches out the programme for the concert, beginning and ending with Liszt's symphonic poems Orpheus and Les Préludes, with the Beethoven symphony as the third item and two unspecified sung works on either side: these could be Senta's ballad and the sailors' chorus from Die fliegende Holländer, although these will require respectively a female and male chorus
The arrangements under discussion are for the famous concert given at St Gall on 23 November 1856 by Liszt and Wagner: the final order of works had Liszt's symphonic poems in the first half, separated by two romances from Gluck operas conducted by Szadrowsky, and Wagner conducting Beethoven's Eroica Symphony in the second half. The concert had in part been put on to give Wagner an opportunity of hearing orchestral performances of Liszt's works, which he confessed made a deep impression on him.
Artist: | Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883) |
---|---|
Place of origin: | Germany |
Artist: | Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883) |
---|---|
Place of origin: | Germany |
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.