“Is it possible that I really conduct so well? Or...

Is it possible that I really conduct so well? Or do the Americans exaggerate?!!!

Tchaikovsky’s diary, May 8, 1891, during his first visit to NYC and the United States to conduct at Carnegie Hall’s very first opening night concert (via Carnegie Hall)

I’ve been reading Tchaikovsky’s diary to put together fun quotes for social media at work, and am pretty excited about what we’ve come up with. It’s nice to see him as a normal person with normal thoughts—like feeling upset that the American press wrote so much about his appearance, or just wanting to go home and sleep after a long evening of being treated like royalty at Andrew Carnegie’s mansion. Turns out he was a pretty sweet guy who used exclamation points like a teenage girl!!!