“At this period in his life it was a kind of mania to declare himself quite incapable in certain branches of his art. For instance, he often declared he was absolutely unable to conduct. The art of conducting goes frequently with that of accompanying, and he was an excellent accompanist. This fact alone should have sufficed to prove the groundlessness of his assertions. At the Conservatoire the advanced students in the composition class were expected to conduct the school orchestra in turn. Tchaikovsky stood first on the list. I cannot remember whether he distinguished himself on this occasion, but I know that nothing particularly dreadful happened, and that he made no evident fiasco. Nevertheless he made this first experience the confirmation of his opinion. He declared that having to stand at the raised desk in front of the orchestra produced such nervous sensations that all the time he felt his head must fall off his shoulders; in order to prevent this catastrophe, he kept his left hand under his chin and only conducted with his right. This fixed idea lasted for years. “In 1868 Tchaikovsky was invited to conduct the dances from his opera _The Voyevode_ at a charity concert given in Moscow. I still see him before me, the bâton in his right hand, while his left firmly supported his fair beard! “Tchaikovsky’s ardent admiration for Glinka, especially for the opera _A Life for the Tsar_, included also this composer’s incidental music to the tragedy _Prince Kholmsky_. As regards _Russlan and Lioudmilla_, his views varied at first. Early in the sixties he knew only a few numbers from Glinka’s second opera, which pleased him unreservedly. He was equally delighted with the music and libretto of Serov’s opera _Judith_, which he heard in 1863. It is remarkable that while a few masterpieces, such as _Don Juan_, _A Life for the Tsar_, and Schubert’s _Symphony in C_, took their places once and for ever in his appreciation, his judgment of other musical works was subject to considerable fluctuation. One year he was carried away by Beethoven’s _Eighth Symphony_, the next he pronounced it ‘very nice, but nothing more.’ For years he declared the music to _Faust_ by Pugni (a well-known composer of ballets) was infinitely superior to Gounod’s opera, and afterwards he described the French composer’s work as ‘a masterpiece.’ Therefore it is all the more remarkable that he remained faithful to Serov’s opera _Judith_ to the end of his days.