Pierre BOULEZ (1925-2016), compositeur et chef d'orchestre - Lettre de Pierre Boulez évoquant la création du Visage Nuptial et l’enregistrement de Polyphonie X - 1951

Letter from Pierre Boulez addressed to the composer and conductor Roger Désormière (1898-1963). 1 page in quarto. Uniformly yellowed paper, one missing corner without damage to the text.
Letter regarding two of his emblematic works: Visage Nuptial and Polyphonie X.
Dear Déso, you may already know that a catastrophe is happening for the Visage Nuptial. The second copyist has just fallen ill, so it is impossible to have the material ready on time. Hegel [the music publishing house Heugel and Company] has canceled [...]. Let’s hope we can reschedule this poor Visage for another date, if the possibility still favors you to include it in one of your programs. [...] You know how difficult it is to find copyists to copy my scores. That’s why we couldn’t find any replacements. (They complain, and I understand them, about not earning a living being paid at the normal rate).
It then concerns another of his famous serial works, Polyphonie X, created in 1951 and performed the same year for the first time at the Donaueschingen festival, under the direction of Hans Rosbaud: 'I have not yet heard Polyphonie played at Donaueschingen. The recording was not yet with Heugel. I will call you upon your return (on November 1st or 2nd, I believe) so that we can discuss this and see each other without any 'professional' concern for dinner together one evening. I still remember with great pleasure the very enjoyable week spent in June [...]. So, see you soon, and please believe that I am the first to be very sorry to inform you of this silly and unpleasant news [...].'
Blue ballpoint pen on tracing paper.