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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 April 2013
In 1926, cultural relations with the Soviet Union were restored. Monteux's visit had been a great success; Szigeti had visited twice, and returned full of enthusiasm. His wife asked me if I would be interested in going there, and I accepted with delight. There were so many contradictory accounts of the Soviet Union that I was fascinated by the prospect of forming my own opinion, and of being the first French composer to restore musical links between the two countries. Wanda then got in touch with the brother of the diplomat Krasin, who took care of the arrangements for my tour, acting as an impresario. He made bookings for me to conduct three concerts in Moscow, and another three in Leningrad. Jean Wiener was to come with me as a [piano] soloist.
Thus wrote Darius Milhaud, one of the first Western composers, and certainly the first modernist, to cross the Soviet frontier, where he was greeted by the banner: ‘Workers of the world, welcome’. Milhaud and his wife spent several weeks in Leningrad and Moscow, visiting museums, attending performances at the opera and the Meyerhold Theatre, and concerts given by the conductorless Persimfans orchestra. They were clearly struck not only by the profusion of high culture, but also by the crowds of people in dark overalls filling the auditoriums of Imperial splendour.
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