Before orchestra class, while I still had a clear head, I read through the Finnish Fantasia, and having fixed all the gradations of tempo in my brain went in to rehearsal. This time the tempi were praised without reservation. Tsybin's efforts in 'The Little Golden Cloud Passed the Night' were condemned as hopeless, and indeed he is generally not much of a conductor at all. Thanks to the breathing points I had marked in the score and the exhaustive pains I had taken to absorb all the rhythmic details of the vocal part, The Wedding was beyond reproach as far as accompanying the soloist was concerned, but Gabel was indignant at the difference between the tempi chosen and those he had wanted. Tcherepnin, who (because of yesterday) was mainly to blame for the muddle over the tempi, at once retired into the background, while I demonstrated my innocence in the matter. Bobrovich was suitably castigated, The Wedding has its original contours restored, and when we repeated it all went well. My confrontation with Tcherepnin thus ended in a victory for me. Under his lucid direction the choruses sounds truly excellent, the Laura arias as interpreted by Vasilieva less so. I had a flaming row with this same Vasilieva today, which ended in her demanding an apology from me.