When the time came to start, I welcomed the musicians and said, “This morning let’s not really rehearse. Let’s just play to get to know one another.” And so we began with Mozart’s little A-major symphony. After that, I suggested that we play Schubert’s Fifth. I was extremely warm when we began the work – my shirt was wet with perspiration – and as we commenced the Andante movement, I felt an unusual weariness. But the beauty of the music took hold of me. At one point I told the musicians, “You must make an accent here, and it must come from the heart.” Then, a few moments later, in the middle of a phrase, a fierce pain gripped my chest and shoulders, and I felt faint. I knew I could not continue. I put down my baton and said, “Thank you, gentlemen….”/ I was taken to the dressing room. By then the pain had become intense. I was having a heart attack. << less