In the afternoon I went to listen to the piano competition at the Conservatoire, for which this year not one but two pianos were to be awarded as prizes. As usual the crowds were out in force and there was an atmosphere of great excitement. Zelensky played extremely well and with great élan, but the most interesting performance was by Zakharov and Eleonora, who stoked up great fires of passion behind a mask of each refusing to acknowledge the existence of the other.