Aldwinckle, Eric, Letter, 1 June 1945

Letter, Eric Aldwinckle.
Description: 
Letter to Harry Somers

Tabs

Case Study: 
Creative Dialogue Across the Ocean: Eric Aldwinckle’s Letters to Harry Somers
Creator: 
Aldwinckle, Eric
Source: 
letter
Date: 
1 June 1945
Place: London
Collection/Fonds: 
Contributer: 
McMaster University Libraries
Rights: 
Copyright, public domain: McMaster University owns the rights to the archival copy of the digital image in TIFF format. Reproduced with the kind permission of Margaret Bridgman.

Identifier: 
00001617-2
Language: 
eng
Type: 
image
Format: 
jpg
Transcript: 

voice, carefully written to maintain the natural rhythm of the poetry. The combination was irritating and the erratic, badly co-ordinated ideas of sound which he employed with the reading seemed to be concerned only with being as discordant as possible and made me feel he was trying to 'illustrate' the words spoken. It was bad music -- thoroughly and everlastingly bad and I am sure will not live a very long or healthy life.
Shostakowitch's Concerto for piano trumpet and strings was full of his usual vivacity and colour. The five movements continue without the old fashioned break. There is always a moment or two of real humour in his work. It was good but light.
Serenade for Tenor Voice, Horn and Strings by Benjamin Britten which I have heard before was even better for a second hearing and to hear that beautiful voice of Peter Pears alone is to dwell in the spheres. I wish you could hear Pears. His technique is all the more perfectly illustrated by the fact that he never makes you conscious of it until afterwards. He is merely sound -- He plays his words and throat like an instrument.
The work is interesting and pleasing.
This chap is prolific. (Britten)
His new and first opera 'Peter Grimes' is opening this week. The seats were sold out a month ago, three days after the announcement of it coming.
At Wigmore Hall last week I went to hear an "Introduction" to it.