29-3-[18]95
Accompagno l’amico
Le ragioni per cui non credo al momento opportuno di combinare spettacoli al
Qualcuna e breve, eccola:
- Non conviene dare
- Non posso fidarmi delle promesse dell’Impresa, a meno di diventare io quasi coimpresario e direttore, cominciando a sorvegliare le scritture dei Cori ed orchestra.
- Qualunque cogliona di Impresa può pensare ad opere come
- E’ opportuno in linea d’arte che per qualche tempo ancora le ns. opere si facciano desiderare: ciò ne accresce il valore. lo so per esperienza!! -
- Trovo inopportuno che si tenga conto delle raccomandazioni di terzi: senza dire della esautorazione che ne deriva al Gerente, che importano alla ns. ditta gli interessi del
- Infine, non è dopo 30 anni di pratica, che io possa tranquillamente sopportare l’intromissione di terzi!! Non l’ho mai fatto e me ne sono trovato sempre bene: ed io credo che il
- Per ultimo, siccome non agisco mai per capriccio o per puntiglio, così ho la coscienza mia pienamente tranquilla..
[post-scriptum in verticale]
Del resto
Di fretta, ma cordialmente
Aff
Giulio Ricordi
177.
pp. 358-360
CLET002043
29-3-[18]95
Dearest Pisa,
I have entrusted my friend Tornaghi with some candid observations for him to deliver to my friend Pisa, and I must begin by saying that I have been most painfully surprised by what has happened. If I were another man, if I were not bound by ties of sincere friendship to both one and the other individual, I would have an easy answer, which is that by law the General Manager’s action cannot be contested unless the Shareholder shares this responsibility with him! – But it is not my habit to respond this way, even when prompted by my wounded pride to do so.
The reasons why I think this is not the right moment to consider possible productions at the [Teatro] Dal Verme are many, both morally and materially, and it would take too long to list them all.
Here nonetheless are a few of the shorter ones:
- Giving Otello there makes no sense – it’s a step down for the opera both artistically and commercially, and it precludes any possibility of a reprise at La Scala: remember Aida, the concession of which I repent having ever made.
- I cannot trust the promises made by the Management unless I were to practically become co-manager and artistic director, which means starting to supervise the hiring of the Choruses and orchestra.
- Any idiot of a Management can point on popular operas like Otello; but we have others it would be good to produce there as well. And this particular Management has already led me around by the nose in the past – therefore I have absolutely no desire to be their patsy.
- It is politically expedient to continue for now to make our operas seem hard to get; this way their value goes up. I know this only too well from experience!!
- I find it in no way useful to consider third-party recommendations: beyond the fact that it diminishes the authority of the General Manager, what does our company care for the concerns of the Conte Dal Verme? His interests are not ours, and the one principally to blame for having reduced that theatre to a shambles is the proprietor himself.
- Finally, I can hardly be expected to calmly tolerate the meddling of outsiders after 30 years of doing otherwise! I have never done so and I have always managed just fine; and I believe that if the Banco Pisa is a monumentally solid institution, the reason is because it has gone its own way with no regard for the idle chatter of Clubs or Coffeehouses, where gentlemen of leisure love to hold forth on the affairs of others as if they were their own.
- One last thing: since my actions are never motivated by whim or obstinacy, my conscience is totally at peace...
[added vertically (in the margin)]
For that matter, Tornaghi, who is a practical man par excellence, is capable of sustaining these arguments even better than I can.
In haste, but cordially.
Warmly,
Giulio Ricordi