EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH CHOPIN MUSEUMS GREATEST BENEFACTOR You can have tea or tequila - suggested my host, and since he spends six months of the year in Mexico, I took his offer seriously and for the sanity of this exclusive interview opted for tea and a doughnut. MAREK KELLER, whom I met in his country residence near Warsaw, came to the attention of the worlds media for two reasons: as a promoter of the artistic legacy of Mexican sculptor Juan Soriano (1920-2006), whose monumental birds are on display in the vast gardens, and as a donor of Chopins memorabilia - the most generous in history. It all started in 1999 when a pianist friend of mine, Ewa Osinska, who lives in Paris, alerted me that one of Chopins letters been put up for sale at an auction in New York. As it turned out the Fryderyk Chopin Society in Warsaw were bidding for it but were short by a 1000 dollars. My patriotic instinct kicked in and I bought it - instead of allowing it to fall into some rich Texans hands, and I asked Ewa to keep me informed about similar sales in future. Over the years Mr Keller had collaborated with the Chopin Museum in Warsaw enriching its collection further, by almost 70 items in total! The whole process is quite straightforward: the sellers, mainly private individuals, inform the Museum in advance about the intended sale and also make the item available for six weeks in order to have it analysed by the Museum experts. Afterwards it is just the matter of agreeing the right price explains Mr Keller, hesitating to elaborate on the cost of his generous gifts. However, taking into the account that some Chopins letters went under the auctioneers hammer for between 25-30,000 euro per piece, one can assume that Mr Keller has parted with at least two million pounds sterling. Amongst the priceless acquisitions (despite known copies) are the 20 letters which Jane Stirling wrote to Chopins sister Ludwika over the period of 5 years following Fryderyks death. There are 11 letters by Chopin sent to his friend Wojciech (Albert) Grzymala from Paris and Nohant,as well as two of his letters to George Sand and one to Marie de Rozieres written to her from London in 1848. Mr Keller purchased this correspondence from the collection of Chopins grandnieces, Maria and Laura Ciechomska. I obtained these objects in various places of the world: New York, Berlin, Paris, London...In same cases I was outbid, but on a whole I am pleased that I have paid my debt to the country of my birth, Poland, which I left in 1972. I had a sense of guilt that I missed all the hardship,struggles and political chances while mixing with the art world of Paris and Mexico. Now that he spends half a year on his estate at the outskirts of Warsaw, Mr Keller not only has come back to Poland in style but has been appreciated by the countrys President, who awarded his philanthropy with The Officer Cross of the Order of Merit of The Republic of Poland. Well deserved honour since Marek Keller is now the number 1 benefactor of the Chopin Museum in Warsaw, outdoing the generosity of the two Great Arthurs: Rubinstein and Hedley. Marek Ostas Donation by Marek Keller: (as displayed in a recent exhibition at the Chopin Museum in Warsaw) LETTERS: from Fryderyk Chopin to his family: • o My Dearest. Yesterday I received your letter forwarded from Paris …, the 1st of October ([Nohant], 1 October [1845]), pp. 4 filled with writing. o My Dearest. I received your last letter…, Paris. Friday 12th December (Paris, 12 December [1845]), pp. 4 filled with writing. o My Beloved. If one does not replay at once …, Started a week before Easter / and finishes on [word illegible, circled] / 19 April ([Paris, 28 March] – 19 April [1847]), pp. 4 filled with writing. o Dearest Children. I did not reply at once because I have been terribly busy..., Christmas. 1847 ([Paris, 26 December 1847 – 6 January 1848]), pp. 2 filled with writing. o My Life. With regard to your books..., (Thursday 10 fevrier 1848, [Paris],10 February 1848), pp. 4 filled with writing. o Dearest. I have not written for a long time…Friday 11 fevrier 1848 ([Paris], 11 February 1848), pp. 4 filled with writing. o Envelope of Fryderyk Chopin’s letter to Justyna Chopin in Warsaw addressed Madame / Madame Chopin / par Berlin à Varsovie / en Pologne / Nowy Świat Street at the house of Mr. Barciński / next to Warecka street, near Bentkowski. from Jane Wilhelmina Stirling to Ludwika Jędrzejewiczowa in Warsaw: • Bien chère Amie votre lettre était attendue..., le 20 Mars 1850 ([Paris], 20 March 1850), pp. 8 filled with writing. • Chère Amie. Je reçois à l’instant..., le 13 Juin 1850 ([Paris], 13 June 1850), pp. 2 filled with writing. • Letter from Jane Wilhelmina Stirling to Ludwika Jędrzejewiczowa in Warsaw, Chère Amie. Il nous tarde davoir..., le 16 Juillet 1850 ([Paris], 16 July 1850), pp. 8 filled with writing, and an envelope. • Chère Amie. Jai été très désappointée..., Barnton House / Cramond. Ecosse (Barnton House. Cramond. Scotland [10 October 1850]), pp. 4 filled with writing. • Je lai donné..., (Paris, [before 17 October 1850]), letter incomplete, the beginning and end missing, pp. 8 filled with writing. • Bien chères Amies. Je ne peux pas..., Jeudi 17 Ocbre 1850 / Paris (Paris, 17-18 October 1850), pp. 6 filled with writing. • Chère Amie. Je vous prie de mécrire..., Maison Valin [?] / 81 [?] Avenue des Champs Elysées / 22 Ocbre 1850 ([Paris], 22 October 1850), pp. 4 filled with writing. • Bien chères Amies encore un jour..., Mercredi le 30 Ocbre 1850 ([Paris], Wednesday 30 October 1850), pp. 8 filled with writing. • Bien chère Amie Notre bonne Made..., Maison Valin / 69 Avenue des Champs Efysées / Paris le 4 Novbre 1850 (Paris, 4 November, 1850), pp. 8 filled with writing. • Chère Amie. Merci bien de votre prompte réponse..., le 10 Novbre 1850 ([Paris], 10 November 1850), pp. 4 filled with writing. • Jai défait un des paquets..., Dimanche 24 Novbre ([Paris], Sunday, 24 November [1850]), pp. 4 filled with writing, and an envelope. • Bien chère Amie. Je veux finir..., Barnton House / Edinbourg Ecosse / 31 Decbre 1850 (Edinburgh, 31 December 1850), pp. 4 filled with writing, and an envelope. • Bien chère Amie. Voilà bien long temps..., 12 Avenue Lord Byron / Beaujon. Paris / le 1er Mars 1851 (Paris 1 March 1851), pp. 4 filled with writing, and an envelope. • Bien chère Amie. Jarrive chez la Csse Lanne [?], ([Paris, 14 June 1851]), pp. 4 filled with writing. • Chère Amie votre souvenir nous est toujours..., 12 Rue du Châtean Neuf / St Germain en Laye / 23 Juillet 1851 ([St. Germain-en-Laye], 23 July 1851), pp. 4 filled with writing, and an envelope • Bien chère Amie. Je pense avec plasir..., 12 Rue du Chateau [!] Neuf / St. Germain en Laye / Mercredi 17 Sepbre / 51 (St. Germain-en-Laye, 17 September 1851), pp. 10 filled with writing. • Bien chère Amie. Je désir bien avoir..., 12 Rue du Château Neuf / St Germain en Laye / le 30 Sepbre 1851 (St. Germain-en-Laye, 30 September 1851), pp. 8 filled with writing. • Bien chère Amie. Votre lettre mest arrivée..., ([St Germain-en-Laye, 29 October 1851]), pp. 8 filled with writing. • Bien chère Amie. Votre lettre mest arrivée..., 3 Avenue Fortuna / Beaujon le 26 Novbre 1851 ([Paris], 26 November 1851), pp. 4 filled with writing. • [...] il ma repondu [sic!] „attendez un moment”!..., [Paris, after 6 March 1852], letter incomplete, beginning missing, pp. 4 filled with writing. • Envelope of an undetermined letter from Jane Stirling to Ludwika Jędrzejewiczowa addressed Madame / Madame Jędrzejewicz. others: • o Letter signed with letter G to Mr. Fontaneille, mon [word illegible] ami ..., Lundi 28 av[ril?] [1828], with the addressee’s note on p. 4 dated 17 août 1828, pp. 4 (including p. 1 and p. 4 filled with writing.) o Letter to an undetermined person written on behalf of (?) Duchess Somerset, Parklane (park Lane?), Wednesday / 24: May. 48 (Wednesday. 24 May [18]48), pp. 2 (including p. 1 filled with writing.) o Letter from Katherine Erskine to Ludwika Jędrzejewiczowa in Warsaw, Votre bonne lettre que je viens de reçevoir..., Paris le 19. Avril/50 (Paris, 19 [-24] April 18[50]), pp. 6 filled with writing. o Letter written in an undetermined hand to an undetermined addressee, undated, pp. 20 filled with writing. MANUSCRIPTS: • o Written in an undetermined handwriting and in Jane Wilhelmina Stirling’s hand on a piece of paper torn out of a larger whole: Artôt / présente Madelle / Kologrivoff, undated, pp. 2 (including p. 1 filled with writing). o By Katherine Erskine containing texts copied from the Bible, I do not know..., pp. 4 (including p. 1 – p. 3 filled with writing.) o By Izabella Barcińska containing copies of Zygmunt Krasiński’s poems To Kajetan Koźmian and Kajetan Koźmian’s The Answer prepared on the basis of a magazine “Nowiny” 1855 no. 1, 1855, p. 3 and p. 4, pp. 4 (including p. 1 and p. 3 filled with writing). • By Laura [Ludwika?] Ciechomska, a page with a note: Chopin’s Letters, pp. 2 (including p. 1 filled with writing). • Signed LCiech, written in Laura’s or Ludwika Ciechomska’s hand: The following objects were returned to me / by Mr. Leopold Binental / on 8.XI.1930..., pp. 2 (including p. 1 filled with writing). DRAWINGS: • o Two drawings by an undetermined author on a sheet consists of 4 pages depicting a woman sitting on a monument, black crayon, (a drawing on p.1) and a man wearing a moustache, black boots, big turban on his head, standing on a pedestal, black crayon, (a drawing on p. 3, on p. 2 the drawing’s carbon copy is visible). PRINTS OWNED BY FRYDERYK CHOPIN: • o Entry ticket for two persons for a dress rehearsal of the Symphonie militaire (Grande Symphonie militaire funèbre et triomphale op. 15) by Hector Berlioz, which took place on Sunday 26 July 1840 at the Salle des Concerts de la rue Neuve-Vivienne in Paris, p. 1. Facsimile prints from the collection of Fryderyk Chopin: • o Fautes de Gravure dans les pages de la première édition des Cours de contre-point by Luigi Cherubini attached to “Revue et Gazette Musicale” 1836 no. 23, 5 VI, after p. 190 (within the text on pp. 185-194), p. 2. o Three one-page letters: from Niccolò Paganini to Hector Berlioz, Paris, 18 December 1838; from Hector Berlioz to Niccolò Paganini, Paris, 18 December 1838; from Jules Janin to Hector Berlioz, [Paris, 20 December 1838, attached to “Gazette Musicale” 1838 no. 51, 23 December, after p. 516, p. 1. o Signatures of renowned musicians published as a supplement to “Revue et Gazette Musicale” in the issue 1 out of 7 January 1844, pp. 8. Photos: Polands Minister of Culture and Marek Keller; Marek Keller.
Posted on: Thu, 22 May 2014 09:50:32 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015