Intimate Letters: Leos Janacek to Kamila Stosslova

Intimate Letters: Leos Janacek to Kamila Stosslova

by JohnTyrrell (Author)

Synopsis

In 1928 Leos Janacek 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 Stoesslova, the married woman nearly forty years his junior to whom Janacek 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.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 416
Edition: New edition
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Published: 03 Mar 2005

ISBN 10: 0571225101
ISBN 13: 9780571225101

Media Reviews
'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
Author Bio
John Tyrrell is Professor of Music at Cardiff University. His books include Czech Opera, Janacek's Operas and editions of the memoirs of Janacek's widow and Janacek's correspondence with Kamila Stoesslova . He is co-author of the standard catalogue of Janacek's works and, with Sir Charles Mackerras, he edited Janacek's opera Jenufa. In 2002 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Masaryk University of Brno for his work on Janacek and Czech music.