307 - FRANCK (César), 1822–1890.

FRANCK (César), 1822–1890. Autograph letter ""César Franck," (Paris) "95, boulevard St. Michel," November 16, [1888], 2 pp., in-8, to conductor Édouard COLONNE (1838–1910). A very beautiful letter to Édouard Colonne in which César Franck offers to have him listen to *Psyché* and his brand-new Symphony in D minor. “I have finished the four-hand arrangement of my *Psyché*. I would now like to have you hear it, as well as my Symphony,"" Franck writes to the famous conductor. He asks for an appointment and, knowing how busy his mornings are, suggests several possibilities: ""Would you allow me to suggest a few hours? ” He concludes by extending his regards to Madame Colonne. The letter comes at a particularly important moment in the composer’s career. *Psyché*, a symphonic poem with chorus, had premiered a few months earlier, on March 10, 1888, at the Société Nationale de Musique. As for the Symphony in D minor, completed during the summer of 1888, it was still entirely unpublished: its premiere would not take place until February 17, 1889, at the Conservatory, conducted by Jules Garcin. Franck was thus seeking to personally introduce Édouard Colonne to two of his most ambitious orchestral works. Although Colonne ultimately did not premiere the Symphony, he did perform *Psyché* again at his Concerts Colonne on February 23, 1890. This is a valuable record of César Franck’s efforts to have his orchestral music performed, a few months before the premiere of his famous Symphony in D minor. Includes its original cultural property export certificate from the Ministry of Culture.