Dmitri Mitroupoulos had conducted Petrushka  and Histoire du Soldat, but as a missionary of Mahler and a specialist in the Alpine Symphony he could not have been very interested in my music. I was surprised, therefore, when he came to call on me in Hollywood one summer evening in 1945. He spoke French, mixed with Slavonic, and this together with his wobbly movements, quickly endeared him to me. We talked about the Orthodox Church and looked at my collection of icons. The next day I went to hear and watch him conduct and play Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto in Hollywood Bowl, and was amazed by the virtuosity of his performance.