Vienna, 1st of July, 2006
Dear Carlo Alessandro!
It is with the greatest of pleasure that I write these lines. If it is really true that you have found a private or corporate sponsor for our project of establishing a permanent home for my museum and the cultural activities of the collection in the Castle, this means that we are very close to achieving the goal of my life. For me it is a very serious moment, as what we decide now will determine the path of the rest of my life. From this point on we will then be living and working in Duino for a long time to come (God willing), working towards preserving and perpetuating the cultural heritage that the collection has come to represent. It is therefore crucial that you, the prospective patron and I develop a common vision as to both the short-term and the long term goals we wish to realize and a preliminary schedule for the realization of the project.
Matters that we need to discuss between ourselves before we approach your patron or benefactor.
We should have a chance to discuss the project among ourselves in order to formulate the program before we present it to the sponsor. We should perhaps approach him with two or even three alternatives, and perhaps a spectrum of possibilities for the future with a projected timetable. But this we should first consult among ourselves, so that all of us have a clear conception of what we would like this project to be, for the present and for the future, so that we can best present it to our sponsor in order to receive both his recommendations and his blessing. After all, he is paying for the project, so he should very much so have a say in it. It has to become his project, too.
In any case, it should be clear to all of us that we are founding an institution which will considerably alter the cultural landscape of the whole region for a long time to come. In time the museum should become a reference point for all of Italy and, due to its special geographical location, also of Austira, Slovenia and Croatia. But in view of the contents of the collection and its presence in the virtual world of internet, the Museum in Duino should become a reference point reaching even beyond that.
I. Exhibiition
Will the whole of my collection be permanently in Duino or will we have a part of the collection there, another part in Avignon or on tour?
Very important decision, as this will obviously define all subsequent the costs.
Don't worry: there are enough instruments. Thinking already about this dual arrangement, I have bought the following instruments since our last exhibition in Duino:
Three keyboard instruments: one large double manual harpsichord, one small harpsichord and a large positive organ
A second baryton - we will need two for the displays about Haydn
A second Renaissance bass viola da gamba from around 1580 (this was a sensational purchase!)
A tenor viola da gamba by Giovanni Paolo Maggini, Brescia, ca. 1580 (this is one of the most sensational purchases ever!)
Four treble violas da gamba from the 17th and 18th centuries
Assorted other instruments
If we are lucky, I should be able to purchase at auction yet another very important English bass viola da gamba from 1680 on the 6th of July (The 4th of July is my birthday…) (Should I talk to the sponsor before this date?)
I have also entrusted the Violin-Making School of Hallstatt, Austria, the task of constructing an installation on how to make a violin and a viola da gamba. This will include a reconstruction of a violin-maker’s workshop, with various authentic historical tools, real models of the step-by-step procedure of building an instrument, an 8-minute video of the process, to be done in various languages. They will build two complete identical installations: one for Duino, one for Avignon. These should be finished by september.
II. Purpose
What is the finality of having the collection in Duino?
What is the main purpose of the presence there? What benefits are likely to arise if the collection is on permanent display in Duino? What are secondary or terciary fringe benefits for the future?
Short term, long term
III. Target Group
What is the target group of the project? Can there be more than one target group? How will we approach them? How can we draw them to the museum?
a. tourist (species: touristus vulgaris)
b. exclusive "cultural" tourists, requiring a special program
c. universities, conservatories, school classes of all ages
d. specialized guest from all over the world: musical instrument builders, collectors, professional musicians and students
IV. Cultural program with the collection
What is desireable?what is possible, in what period of time?
Which of these activities would interest our sponsor?
a. Concerts on the instruments of the collection
- regularly ocurring festivals (once, twice, three times a year?
- regular concert series (once every month, every week)
- encounters with the artist: gala events
b. School programs:
-presentations for school classes
- group of musicians travel to the schools to present the instruments
c. Workshops and seminars on instruments, interpretation, instrument building, music appreciation for non-professionals
d. Publication of catalogs, DVD, CD, etc. both for our patrons and for general world distribution
V. Activities of the Collection beyond Duino
- Exhibitions all over Europe, Japan, China…
- Concerts
- Workshops
Certainly you, too, will have many questions you wish to pose about the permanent museum and its activities. It’s possible to do it on skype, it is also possible for me to come down in the next few days to see you personally. Or indeed both! I am trying to interest the office of André Heller in the project…we will see, if they help us or not!
Today, 1st of July, I will try to reach you on the phone or via skype. What time might be best?
Many greetings to you and to the whole family and staff!
José