[Music, Life & Death under the Third Reich] Tietjen, Heinz. (1881–1967) [Krauss, Clemens. (1893–1954)]
Signed Letter to Clemens Krauss about Strauss Premieres
Typed letter, signed "Tietjen" in black ink. Addressed to Herrn Intendanten Professor Clemens Krauss, on letterhead of the "The General Manager and Artistic Director of the Prussian State Theater." Berlin C2, May 12, 1938. Usual folds, in fine condition. Translated in full:"Dear (Artistic) Director, I finished the compilation of the repertoire for the coming season for the Berlin State Opera, and am coming back to the suggestion you made in your letter, dated February 8 of this year. Hence I may invite you to take on, at the State Opera Berlin, the rehearsing for the planned debut performance of the two new Strauss works "Der Friedenstag" (The Day of Piece) and "Daphne" in the second half of February of next year, and besides the debut performance, to also conduct a few repetitions of these works; the number of these we can agree on later. I hope you will let me know your consent. Best regards, with / Heil Hitler! / Tietjen"
A rare letter from Tietjen, the much feared director of the Prussian State Theatre from 1931 - 1944 who was also Bayreuth artistic director from 1931-1948. A deeply entrenched Nazi, his descendants continue to bar access to his archives in Berlin so that his close involvement with Adolf Hitler is kept as much as possible sealed.
The present letter is adressed to the Austrian conductor, Clemens Krauss (1893 - 1954), who became director of the Berlin State Opera in 1935 after Erich Kleiber resigned in protest over Nazi rule. In 1933 he took over the preparations for the premieres of Strauss's Arabella when the conductor Fritz Busch (another non-Jewish anti-Nazi) left. Krauss's own position on Nazism was unclear, although he enjoyed a close relationship with Nazi official Alfred Frauenfeld and it has been claimed that he sought Nazi Party membership in 1933. In 1937 he was appointed Intendant of the National Theatre Munich, following the resignation there of Hans Knappertsbusch. He became a close friend of Richard Strauss, for whom he wrote the libretto to the opera Capriccio which he premiered in Munich in 1942.
Strauss's opera in one act, "Friedenstag" ("Peace Day") is based on a story by Stefan Zweig, though the libretto itself was written by Joseph Gregor after the Nazi authorities had harassed Strauss over his collaboration with Zweig, who was of Jewish ancestry. The opera was premiered at Munich on July 24, 1938 and dedicated to Krauss and his wife, the Romanian singer, Viorica Ursuleac, who sang the lead role and was Strauss's favorite soprano. Strauss had intended "Friedenstag" as part of a double-bill, to be conducted by Karl Böhm in Dresden, that would include as the second part his next collaboration with Gregor, "Daphne." (7920)
TLS Classical Music