Notes to pp. 38–46 499passage. Sekles himself was and remained a representative of late romantic
expressive art’ (Cahn, Das Hoch’sche Konservatorium, p. 297).
50 Rudolf M. Heilbrunn, ‘Erinnerungen an das Frankfurt Max Beckmanns’,
p. 17.
51 Adorno, ‘Expressionism and Artistic Truthfulness’, Notes to Literature,
vol. 2, p. 258.
52 Adorno, ‘Platz’, Notes to Literature, vol. 2, p. 264f.
53 Ibid., p. 265f.
54 During the ‘new era’ of Mayor Landmann (1924–33) culture was constantly
supported despite the city’s financial problems. In particular, under the
direction of Arthur Hellmer, the New Theatre witnessed the performance
of the modern, socially critical plays of Walter Hasenclever, Georg Kaiser
and Bertolt Brecht in productions by Max Ophüls. Richard Weichert had
overall responsibility for the municipal theatres. As both producer and
artistic director, he was likewise committed to modern drama with an
emphasis on contemporary expressionist plays. In the Frankfurt Opera
House, in addition to a Wagner cycle, there were premieres of works by
Béla Bartók, Paul Hindemith and Alban Berg. With the appointment of
the talented young Clemens Krauss as director of the Opera House in
1924, there were productions of modern works by Sekles, Busoni, Krenek
and Weill on the programme, alongside classical operas such as Mozart’s
Don Giovanni. Adorno missed hardly any of them.
55 Adorno, ‘Kammermusikwoche in Frankfurt am Main’, GS, vol. 20.2, p. 771.
56 The Rentenmark which was introduced in November 1923 by the govern-
ment of Gustav Stresemann put an end to the spiralling inflation that
had destroyed the old currency. That inflation had been triggered by the
German refusal to pay reparations and the consequent French occupation
of the Rhineland. Now, the old currency was withdrawn and exchanged
for the new Rentenmark at the rate of one billion to one. Together with
the resumption of negotiations on reparations leading to the Dawes Plan of
1924, the Rentenmark inaugurated a five-year period of stability, lasting
until the Wall Street crash of 1929 [trans.].
57 Rudolf M. Heilbrunn, ‘Erinnerungen an das Frankfurt Max Beckmanns’,
p. 17.
58 Peter von Haselberg, ‘Wiesengrund-Adorno’, p. 17. Dapsul von Zabelthau
features in Hoffmann’s story ‘The King’s Bride’ [trans.].
59 Adorno, ‘The Curious Realist’, Notes to Literature, vol. 2, p. 58.
60 Siegfried Kracauer, ‘Gedanken über Freundschaft’, Schriften, vol. 5.1, p. 143.
61 Ibid.
62 Adorno, ‘The Curious Realist’, Notes to Literature, vol. 2, p. 58f.
63 Ibid., p. 59.
64 Siegfried Kracauer, ‘Das zeugende Gespräch’, Schriften, vol. 5.1, p. 225f.
65 See Leo Löwenthal, An Unmastered Past, p. 203.
66 Ibid.
67 Ibid., p. 21.
68 Siegfried Kracauer, Soziologie als Wissenschaft. Schriften, vol. 1, p. 79.
69 Ibid., p. 82.
70 Adorno, Musikalische Schriften VI, GS, vol. 19, p. 24.
71 Ibid., p. 20.
72 Ibid., p. 14.