Intimate Letters - Softcover

Tyrrell, Dr John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0571225101 ISBN 13: 9780571225101

Publisher: Faber & Faber, 2005

Synopsis

In 1928 Leos Janácek completed 'Intimate Letters', his String Quartet No. 2, just a few months before he died at the age of seventy-four. This work encapsulated musically all his passionate feelings about Kamila Stösslová, the married woman nearly forty years his junior to whom Janácek had written hundreds of letters in the past decade.

John Tyrrell has compiled and translated a selection of these letters and presents them together with some mostly unknown photographs, a decoding of the erotic references in the letters and a diary of the couple's meetings.The result is a remarkable book which illuminates the inner life of one of the greatest opera composers of the twentieth century.

About this title

Review:

"'There is no more intimate and honest self-portrait of any composer.' The Times; 'Tyrrell is a splendid guide. Every intimate reference is unravelled and explained. The letters are linked by a narrative which amounts to a substantial biographical effort in itself. This correspondence makes compelling reading and lets the light into the secret love behind Janacek's late creative surge.' Opera Now; 'A beautiful and important book, which will be of interest to anyone who enjoys a good love story.' Humphrey Burton, Sunday Express"

Synopsis:

Over the last decade of his life the Czech composer Leos Janacek wrote regularly to his 'hoped-for wife' Kamila Stosslova. A comprehensive selection of these letters has been translated and edited by John Tyrrell, the renowned Janacek scholar. Supported by a diary of meetings, a decoding of the erotic references in the letters and a selection of mostly unknown photographs, this remarkable book illuminates the inner life of one of the greatest opera composers of the twentieth century.

About this edition

• Publisher: Faber & Faber
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0571225101
• ISBN 13: 9780571225101
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416