Went into the Conservatoire which, to my surprise, was not completely deserted but peopled by one or two professors, attendants, clerks from the office. My dear friend Vera Dmitrievna was for some reason hanging about as well. Glazunov received me at once and listened to my D flat major Concerto. He approved of the form, the logic, the technique, found much temperament and admirable sonorities, but the music itself . . . strange . . . incomprehensible . . . of course, your ears are different from mine . . . but all the same . . . It turned out that Glazunov must have heard from somewhere or other of the existence of the Second Concerto. I played him the Intermezzo.

'Very interesting. Splendidly done. But the music . . . very strange . . . especially the middle section.'

I explained the logic of the middle section, and then played him the first movement. Glazunov liked the mood of the opening and generally considered the Concerto to be a significant development over the First. Very individual and interesting piano style, but the music! . . .