Sergey Prokofiev diaries: 8 December 1912

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The Rayevksys dined with us, and at eight o'clock Max called for me and we set off for the student concert. First on the bill was the gorgeous Ariadna, who having been eliminated from the Jubilee Concert was now playing her concerto at the student concert. At nine o'clock, as we had agreed, the delightful 'English Rose' [Lidia Umnova] arrived, and we passed the whole evening together delightfully sitting in the balcony. No. 14A (Litvak) was also in the programme, and her playing finally put paid to the shaky fascination she had once exerted over me. We next heard a throwback to my past, Elfrieda Hansen, who was excellent. Nikolskaya's playing was fine: Max said that during the interval everyone was commenting on her magnificent eyes and powerful fingers. He was disappointed that I had not been around in the interval to witness Nikolskaya continuing to bestow her attention upon him despite being the centre of attraction. But I was up in the balcony happily flirting with 17A until half past eleven when I took her home, only to come back again to the concert to see whether Alpers might be playing. All of her saintly family was there, baffled by the lack of notice Max and I took of them. Alpers played well, a performance that augurs well for her future. When Hansen passed by I put my fingers together as though to applaud her for her performance, and was quite unprepared for the effect this produced: Hansen stopped, came up to me quickly, extending her hand, and said, 'How can this be? Are you actually applauding me, after two years of nothing but criticism? This is praise indeed - the greatest pleasure I could possibly have from this evening.' I replied, 'I am merely returning to you some of the pleasure you gave me with your playing.'

excerpt from 'Sergey Prokofiev diaries: 8 December 1912' pp. 255 (311 words)

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