On the 21st there was what amounted to a play-through of my Fourteenth Symphony in the Small Hall of the Conservatoire. The performance was absolutely first class. Barshai and his orchestra are phenomenal, and the singers Miroshnikova and Vladimirov not at all bad. Since Vishnevskaya has not yet learned her part and I could not find another bass in time, they were, in a way, guinea-pigs. I believe that Miroshnikova, in addition to a good voice, possesses talent and understanding. (….) PS The symphony made a very strong impression on those present, myself included.