French audience in Salle Pleyel - the 1940's

from Unfinished Journey, page 272:

Shortly after the war, Louis Kentner and I gave a recital in the Salle Pleyel in Paris. The hall was full, right down to the strapontins which fold down in the aisles, and to this mass audience we proposed to present Bartók, then scarcely known in France. The Sonata Number 1 was heard in considerate, or possibly considering, silence, and as it finished a fair volume of applause broke out. From the gallery, however, came shouts of “Ridicule!” “Absurde!” – the only spontaneous negative reaction I believe I have ever encountered. No tomatoes were thrown; in fact, the gallery’s …   more >>
cite as

Yehudi Menuhin, Unfinished Journey (London, April, 1977), p. 272. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1409950452732 accessed: 29 March, 2024

location of experience: Salle Pleyel

Listeners

Listening to

hide composers
French audience’s reaction to Menuhin and Louis Kentner performing Bartók
written by Béla Bartók
performed by Louis Kentner, Yehudi Menuhin

Experience Information

Date/Time the 1940's
Medium live
Listening Environment in the company of others, indoors, in public

Originally submitted by tlisboa on Fri, 05 Sep 2014 21:54:12 +0100
Approved on Wed, 24 Feb 2016 14:23:58 +0000