BERLIOZ Hector (1803-1869) Lot n° 47

L.A.S. "H. Berlioz", Paris 28 January 1847, to Heinrich Wilhelm ERNST, "famous virtuosecomposer", in St. Petersburg; 3 pages in-8, address with red wax stamp and postmarks (slight freckles). Nice letter about his travel project to St. Petersburg. [Berlioz mentions Count Michel WIELHORSKI, a distinguished amateur musician; violinist and composer Alexei LVOV, director of music at the imperial chapel; and MIKHAILOVITCH, director of the imperial theatres.] Berlioz received Frankoski's letter, written in Koenigsberg, at the time of giving the Debates "an article containing only your name about the little Pixis who dared to play your Venice Carnival. I have to do another article these days in which I will announce your beautiful trip to Berlin, to Koenigsberg and your arrival in St Petersburg; it is only a question of finding the time to write the article and one day of freedom for the newspaper to print it. The two Houses fill everything, and this damned Politics, which God confounds, makes us in this, as in all things of art, an enormous wrong"... However, they will meet again in St. Petersburg: "I am making this great journey, as you have done, so many times planned, so many times postponed. I have written to Count Wilehourski, General Lwoff and Mr. Gédéonof to warn them of my arrival and to obtain three days for my concerts during Lent. Be good enough, when you have settled your affairs, to give mine a glance by talking about them with these gentlemen. ...] I am still waiting here for the German translation of The Damnation of Faust to be completed; I intend to have at least fragments of it heard in St . Petersburg. You know that this work has been more successful here than any of its predecessors. The artists gave me a big dinner, subscribed for a gold medal etc.".