"Finally, this blessed, difficult, and incomplete speech is finished" - Typed Letter Signed

Lengthy and amusing in its over-the-top style TLS from the Italian conductor to Professor Irma Antonetto of the Associazione Culturale Italiana, attempting to schedule an upcoming speaking engagement around his considerable commitments.  23 IX 1952 (23 September 1952); 2 pp., on Villa S. Maurizio/ Fiesole (Firenze) stationary.  [Translated from Italian]  "Dear Signorina,/ Here in Fiesole, where I have finally returned after a long absence, I have received your letter.  The lecture on Dante and the music is written... it is already something; I don't even know how this miracle happened, because among other things, while I was resting, after 10 months of work in every part of Europe, I had to take a plane and fly to Edinburgh to replace my colleague Ansermet who was suddenly ill and conduct two more concerts...  Finally, this blessed, difficult, and incomplete speech is finished.  When can we hear it and make it heard?  For the Turinese, I think the only possibility is the week in which I will be there to conduct Cesar Franck's Beatitudes;  the concert falls exactly on March 13, and of course I will be in Turin one day before for rehearsals; it could perhaps be done on the 14th, because I must immediately leave for London where I am expected for concerts and records.  In order for you to have an idea of ​​how overworked I am and not to have the impression that there is ill will on my part, I am writing my work plan to you from now until August 1953. From 23 Sept. to 7 October I am recording 4 concerts for Rai here in Florence; then in Naples where I have a concert at San Carlo on the 19th.  Immediately after that, I go to London where until 23rd November I have six concerts at the BBC, five in Manchester, and Norma performances at Covent Garden in London.  I have time to catch a plane to be in Rome for the opera season I am opening, and I stay there until 28 Dec.  I leave immediately for Venice where I will direct the Fenice until February 15th;  from there I go to Vienna until the end of the month;  on 7 March I go to Milan, on 8th March I am in Turin where - as I said - I can stay until the 14th to immediately return to London where I stay until the end of March; I return to Rome for the concerts at the Theater / Argentina and then I have three operas to direct for Rai in Milan; in Florence until 20 May, then back to England for the opera season until 15 July; I hope to have a few days off then, before I return in mid-August to Edinburgh for the festival, where I am conducting some performances of Cinderella at the King's theater and three concerts at Usher Hall.  Do you think that's enough?  God will give me the strength to get to the bottom; but I'm not going to tell you how many other offers I have refused, from tours in North America to Canada to Australia, to many small things in Italy, like Genoa, Naples, Bari, etc, etc.  Could we consider having me read the speech myself in Turin, and having it read by a different speaker in other cities?  It is an idea like any other.  Think about it./  I greet you distinctly/  [Signature]."  Expected mailing folds, two holes to left margin, else fine.  8.5 x 10.5 inches (21.6 x 26.7 cm.).

In addition to his busy career as a conductor, Gui was a prolific author and critic.

Irma Antonetto (1920-1993), was founder and director of the Associazione Culturale Italiana [Association of Italian Culture] for 46 years, during which time she brought some 400 philosophers, writers, scientists, artists, and Nobel winners to lecture in Italy. She was recipient of the 1964 Cavaliere al merito della Repubblica italiana. (19039)

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TLS

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