ERICH KLEIBER Conductor autographed photograph to Teatro Colon Manager, 1952

Description

Autographed 3” x 5” original double-weight photograph (not a postcard) of the legendary Austrian, later Argentine conductor, 1952.  He has dedicated the photograph to Cirilo Grassi-Diaz, the General Manager of the Teatro Colon at the time.
Kleiber (1890-1956) was the Generalmusikdirektor of the Berlin Staatsoper a position he held from 1923 until 1934.  He left Germany in 1934 after spending a year under Nazi rule, the listing by the German government of Berg’s opera “Lulu” as degenerate was the final straw.  He initially conducted in Amsterdam, London, Milan and Rome, as well as Buenos Aires and Montevideo. He settled in Buenos Aires in 1936 and was made Music Director of the Teatro Colon and remained in that position until 1949. When Mussolini aligned with Hitler in 1938 and instated racial laws in Italy, Kleiber tore up his La Scala contract.  During the early 1950’s, Kleiber conducted regularly at Covent Garden.  He was appointed Generalmusikdirektor of the Berlin Staatsoper in 1954, but resigned the position the following year, as he did not like doing business with the Communists there.  Kleiber throughout his life was closely associated with the works of Beethoven and Wagner.  He recorded their works significantly and they have stood the test of time as digital reissues.
Cirilo Grassi’s collection has been dispersed over the last few years.  We offered a Furtwängler photograph dedicated to him earlier in 2018.  Grassi was his paternal last name, though he often hyphenated it with Diaz, his maternal last name.  Cirilo Grassi (1884-1971) had a long storied career with the Teatro Colon.  Originally hired in 1922 to be a Stage Director at the Theatre he stayed in that position until 1924 when he was promoted to Technical Director of the Theatre from 1925-1929.  He was the Administrative Director of the Theatre from 1933 to 1943 and in 1946 was made General Director by Juan Peron. He also ran a concert bureau managing concerts and artists in Buenos Aires called Empresa de Conciertos Quesada y Grassi.  He was responsible for bringing Serge Diaghilev and his Ballets Russe to the Teatro Colon in the 1920's, as well as bring Furtwängler to Buenos Aires in 1948 and 1950.  Kleiber was the Music Director of the Teastro Colon for three years whilst Grassi was the intendant.
Near mint condition save the small smudge to the right of his signature.
Harmonie Autographs and Music, Inc.
Music Antiquarian and Appraiser
New York, New York
All items guaranteed authentic