“Intimate Letters” is the second string quartet of Czech composer Leoš Janáček, written in 1928. It was inspired by Janáček’s relationships with Kamila Stösslová, who by some criterions was no match to him: she was forty years younger, married, and last but not least – she didn’t reciprocate his ardent feelings. However, he wrote more than 700 letters to her and even wanted to publish his multipage declaration of love. Ironically, the same man who brought Kafka worldwide fame (Max Brod) reasoned him out of doing that. In some sense it's understandable: with cliché lines like “Her eyes were like two deep wells” (taken from his Diary of One Who Disappeared) Janáček wouldn’t measure swords with likes of Nabokov or de Sade. It wasn't required from him, anyway - it's enough that he went down in history as one of the greatest composers.
Sheet music of “Intimate Letters” can be found here: String Quartet No.2, JW 7/13. I hope that you will like this very personal and unique piece as much as I do. Enjoy!
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