Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Three autograph letters signed ('Dr Richard Strauss') to Lotte [Lehmann], Garmisch, 25 December 1924 - 15 November 1928
In German. Together 10 pages, 181 x 115mm, bifolia, each with recipient's red date stamp. Provenance: Sotheby's London, 18 & 19 May 1989, lots 516, 525 and 526.

Discussing Intermezzo and Die ägyptische Helena with one of his greatest intepreters. On Christmas Day 1924, Strauss congratulates Lehmann for her performance in Intermezzo, in which she had sung the role of Christine at the premiere on 4 November, and asks when she will return to Dresden, hoping it will be to perform as 'Ariadne, the Marschallin and – Salome!'; although perhaps Franz Schalk (at the Vienna Staatsoper) has other plans for her, such as Mascagni's Freund Fritz or Weber's Euryanthe; the question of whether Intermezzo will have a production at the Staatsoper (where Strauss had been joint-principal conductor with Schalk until earlier that year) is undecided. On 13 September 1928 he tries to mollify Lehmann after the scandal over the Die ägyptische Helena (at the premiere on 6 June the Dresden Semperoper had refused to cast Maria Jeritza in the title role, even though Strauss had written it for her, casting Elisabeth Rethberg instead), insisting that 'although I was very enthusiastic about Frau Jeritza's Helena, I still did not shed any tears over it' and apologising for not having fixed a date for Lehmann's own performance in the role. Two days later, he writes again to say that Lehmann's performance as Helena has been put off from October, and that after two weeks' study of the role she will realise that 'the the role is really not so hard, three times easier than Intermezzo, which you easily mastered in three weeks', and discussing when the Vienna premiere will take place (after Jeritza has left town), and asking in a postscript 'So when will you be singing Ariadne, Marschallin, Christine again?'.

Wann sind Sie wieder in Dresden? Hoffentlich auch als Ariadne, Marschallin und – Salome! Wie steht's damit? Oder hat Herr Schalk eine Reihe wichtiger u. dankbarer (!) Aufgaben fur Sie? Freund Fritz – Euryanthe ...

The great soprano Lotte Lehmann (1888-1976) had a close association with Strauss's operas, and sang in the premieres of Ariadne auf Naxos (1916), Die Frau ohne Schatten (1919) and Intermezzo (1924). Her performance as the Marschallin in Rosenkavalier was particularly celebrated.