Alan Carrier wrote:

> Poor old Pfitzner, he just never knew when to shut up.  I look on him
>as more opportunistic than national socialist.  The success of Strauss
>and even Mahler in comparison, these two contemporaries of Pfitzner -
>it just drove him mad.

The above caused me to review the pages in La Grange's volume 3 of
Mahler's biography.  Mahler, after being disappointed with Pfitzner's
Der Rose vom Liebesgarten, especially the libretto, changed his mind
and promoted the work.  And when Mahler backed something, he did it
whole-heartedly.  That did not keep Pfitzner from blasting Mahler's music
to anyone who would listen.  It also did not stop him from making advances
to Mahler's wife (I know, easy target; but apparently not successful in
this case).  But Pfitzner's real enemy was Richard Strauss.  Apparently
there was a concert where Ein Heldenleben was greeted with rapture whereas
an act of Der Rose fell flat.  Pfitzner never forgave Strauss.  In fact,
a mid-1930's biography of Pfitzner, in which the composer must have had
a hand, attacked Strauss relentlessly.

La Grange says his problem stemmed from the fact that Pfitzner considered
himself a marginal artist.  He must have been very insecure and an even
more difficult person.

Mitch Friedfeld

             ***********************************************
The CLASSICAL mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R)
list management software together with L-Soft's HDMail High Deliverability
Mailer for reliable, lightning fast mail delivery.  For more information,
go to:  http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html