Olga Rudge & Ezra Pound: "What Thou Lovest Well..."

113 Rare and Unforgettable Concerts
because she had chosen to wear a gown in the same shade of red found in
the heraldic arms of the Chigi family. Pound immortalized the evening in
Canto 74:
she did her hair in small ringlets, à la 1880 it might have been
red, and the dress she wore Drecol or Lanvin
a great goddess.
The Count invited Olga to remain in Siena, to use her fluent French and
Italian, her knowledge of music and musicians, and her talent for organizing,
as administrative secretary of the Accademia of which he was Fondatore
and Presidente.
When Olga arrived in 1933, the Accademia was just gaining momentum,
with two pupils for organ, six or seven for violin, and sixteen or
twenty for master classes with Maestro Alfredo Casella. ‘‘Siena seems very
pleasant, with wonderful air,’’ Olga wrote Ezra, after installing herself in a
small apartment overlooking the market. ‘‘I don’t know how long I am to
prova [on trial], but take it is till September. . . . if He would come, she
would like to talk things over with Him—He got her here!’’
Ezra replied, ‘‘If she stuck in Siena, he will as planned come down when
she thinks it tactful and not detrimental to her interests.’’ He suggested
a press notice to publicize the then little known Accademia: ‘‘What is
needed is some fetchy views of Siena, mentioning the romance of Sienese
history, then exposition of how the Acad/Chigi is flowering in them
enchantin’ surroundin’s.’’
Olga enjoyed exploring the narrow, curbless streets of the city, with its
medieval walls and stone and pink brick façades, overlooking the vineyards
of Tuscany. ‘‘[One of ] the best walks in Siena,’’ she wrote Ezra, ‘‘is
just back of the Palace, a country road with magnificent view of town and
country. . . . [At] a little church on a hill . . . the parrocco . . . took me into
the presbitero and treated me to wine and cakes . . . the only really
hospitable Tuscan I’ve found,’’ not to mention her distinguished host. As
for the Count, his discourse at dinner was sprinkled with quotations from