Yehudi Menuhin in Brussels - 1926

from Unfinished Journey, page 66:

Ysaÿe’s house stood on a tree-lined boulevard in the Upper Town. […] After Imma removed my coat, I played at his request the first movement of the Symphonie Espagnole (this was the first piece Persinger had ever heard him play). He, in turn, pizzicatoed chord, and so deftly as to create the illusion of an orchestral accompaniment, pausing only to watch my hands more closely.
cite as

Yehudi Menuhin, Unfinished Journey (London, April, 1977), p. 66. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1409764711836 accessed: 28 March, 2024

location of experience: Brussels

Listeners

Yehudi Menuhin
Violinist, Conducting
1916-1999

Listening to

hide composers
Symphonie Espagnole
written by Édouard Lalo
performed by Eugene Ysaÿe, Yehudi Menuhin

Experience Information

Date/Time 1926
Medium live
Listening Environment in the company of others, in private, indoors

Notes

Nathan Milstein offers a very different description of a similar experience with Ysaÿe: "Ysaÿe was not interested in the least in my playing. Instead of hearing me out, he picked up his violin and began playing the concerto along with me, doing the orchestra part. He sawed away enthusiastically, trying to imitate the flute or clarinet, while I was developing a terrible headache!" ('From Russia to the West')


Originally submitted by tlisboa on Wed, 03 Sep 2014 18:18:31 +0100
Approved on Wed, 24 Feb 2016 14:35:40 +0000