Second rehearsal. The orchestra plays well, although not all the passages are completely clean. The leader is Burgin,* from the St Petersburg Conservatoire. He it was, fifteen years ago or so, wh seduced Katyusha Borshch, my inamorata at the time, whom I was attempting rather unsuccessfully to court. They were together for ten years, I think they married, and eventually ended ip in America, where the Persian Consul fell in love with her and carried her off to Persia. Burgin came to the Boston Orchestra, and last year, at Koussevitzky's suggestion, learnt and performed my Violin Concerto.