"What is the happiest remembrance of my career as a _virtuoso_? Some of
the great moments in my life as an artist? It is hard to say. Of course
some of my court appearances before the crowned heads of Europe are dear
to me, not so much because they were _court_ appearances, but because of
the graciousness and appreciation of the highly placed personages for
whom I played.
"Then, what I count a signal honor, I have played no less than _three_
times as a solo artist with the Royal Philharmonic Society of London,
the oldest symphonic society in Europe, for whom Beethoven composed his
immortal IXth symphony (once under Sir Arthur Sullivan's baton; once
under that of Sir A.C. Mackenzie, and once with Sir Frederick Cowen as
conductor--on this last occasion I was asked to introduce my new Second
concerto in B minor, Op. 36, at the time still in ms.) Then there is
quite a number of great conductors with whom I have appeared, a few
among them being Liszt, Rubinstein, Brahms, Pasdeloup, Sir August Manns,
Sir Charles Hallé, L. Mancinelli, Weingartner and Hans Richter, etc.
Perhaps, as a violinist, what I like best to recall is that as a boy I
was invited by Richter to go with him to Bayreuth and play at the
foundation of the Bayreuth festival theater, which however my parents
would _not_ permit owing to my tender age. I also remember with pleasure
an episode at the famous Pasdeloup Concerts in the _Cirque d'hiver_ in
Paris, on an occasion when I performed the F sharp minor concerto of
Ernst. After I had finished, two ladies came to the green room: they
were in deep mourning, and one of them greatly moved, asked me to 'allow
her to thank me' for the manner in which I had played this
concerto--she said: _'I am the widow of Ernst!'_ She also told me that
since his death she had never heard the concerto played as I had played
it! In presenting to me her companion, the Marquise de Gallifet (wife of
the General de Gallifet who led the brigade of the _Chasseurs d'Afrique_
in the heroic charge of General Margueritte's cavalry division at Sedan,
which excited the admiration of the old king of Prussia), I had the
honor of meeting the once world famous violinist Mlle. Millanollo, as
she was before her marriage. Mme. Ernst often came to hear me play her
late husband's music, and as a parting gift presented me with his
beautiful 'Tourte' bow, and an autographed copy of the first edition of
Ernst's transcription for solo violin of Schubert's 'Erlking.' It is so
incredibly difficult to play with proper balance of melody and
accompaniment--I never heard any one but Kubelik play it--that it is
almost impossible. It is so difficult, in fact, that it should not be
played!