Mitch Friedfeld responds to me:

>> 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 I personally think Mahler was right Re: Liebesgarten - a ridiculous
libretto and only marginally better music (IMHO).  But when I think of
Pfitzner I immediately think of "Palestrina" - not only is the libretto
solid (and dramatically solid as well) but the music is brilliant.  I
come to music and opera from a performance perspective (not music but
theatre) so I cannot tell anything about the composition and style -I
leave that to others much more learned than I, but as a performance
piece, "Palestrina" is one of the greats of the 20th century - along
with Hindemith's "Mathis der Maler" and Busoni's "Doktor Faust." When I
think that Furtwaengler was scheduled and had cast "Palestrina" for the
1955 Salzburg Festival then died in November 1954 - for me one of the
great missed opportunities.  Kempe was hired in WF's place.  The only
tape I have been able to find is just not a good source but what I can
hear sounds appealing.  I only wish Salzburg had a copy in their archives.

Alan Carrier
Austin

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