November 2, 2023

Dear Nathaniel,

As you are perhaps already aware, I write down in real time whatever happens to be on my mind, a circumstance which does not obligate you to reply or even to read what I have to say.

I see an implicit contradiction when you, as a choral conductor focus on performing a vocal work comprising at most solos, duets, trios or quartets, but no choral compositions.

I am fascinated by the constructive musical, literary, social and political opportunities entailed by this incongruity. I have the following suggestions:

a) That we wait until we have become familiar both with the existing music and the existing libretto of Il Secreto.

b) That you then give members of your chorus the opportunity to consider the number, the lengths and the complexity of the external choruses with which they might want to supplement the existing opera.

c) That you evaluate the scores to the existing opera, the scores of Carteliieri's symphonies and other orchestral works for musical templates to choral pieces with which potentially to supplement the existing music of Il Secreto.

d) Alternatively, that you consider adapting choral scores from composers other than Cartellieri. Consider that in the case of Bach, the composer regularly parodied his own work, adapting secular to religious music and vice versa.

e) If I am still functioning mentally as I am tonight, I would take pleasure in writing for you in English and or in German, choral texts with some pretension to literary value to be sung to the music you had chosen.  You might find a member of your Society who would translate such texts into Italian. You might also ponder the poetic, esthetic implications of a bilingual or tri-lingual opera performance.

Love, Jochen



November 2, 2023

Dear Nathaniel,

As you are perhaps already aware, I write down in real time whatever happens
to be on my mind, a circumstance which does not obligate you to reply or
to read what I have to say.

I see an implicit contradiction when you, as a choral conductor focus on
performing a vocal work comprising at most solos, duets, trios or quartets,
but no choral compositions.

I am fascinated by the constructive musical, literary, social and political
opportunities entailed by this incongruity. I have the following suggestions:

a) That we wait until we have become familiar both with the existing music
and the existing libretto of Il Secreto.

b) That you then give members of your chorus the opportunity to consider
the number, the lengths and the complexity of the external choruses with
which they might want to supplement the existing opera.

c) That you evaluate the scores to the existing opera, the scores of
Catarllieri's symphonies and other orchestral works for musical templates
to choral pieces with which potentially to supplement the existing music 
of Il Secreto.

d) Alternatively, that you consider adapting choral scores from composers 
other than Cartillieri. Consider that in the case of Bach, the composer 
regularly parodied his own work, adapting secular to religious music and 
vice versa.

e) If I am still functioning mentally as I am tonight, I would take pleasure
in writing for you in English and or in German, choral texts with some 
pretension to literary value to be sung to the music you had chosen. 
You might find a member of your Society who would translate such texts 
into Italian. You might also ponder the poetic, esthetic implications 
of a bilingual or tri-lingual opera performance. 

Love, Jochen