I met the Hungarian-born Dutch pianist and composer (a pupil of Bartók and Kodály) in Amsterdam. For once, I did not have a tape recorder with me. I happen to remember, however, a story Frid told me that I want to preserve for posterity, in case it has not come down through other channels.

Frid related a night-long conversation with Ravel in Amsterdam's Vondelpark. Ravel was an insomniac, Frid explained, and the two of them walked all night, with Ravel describing the way he imagined the ideal performance of his Bolero. It would be conducted by a robot, which would increase in size with each repetition of the theme. By the end, the robot would have grown to giant proportions—only to collapse at the end.

I could not find a suitable spot for this anecdote in the memoirs, until I realized that if anything, this was a snippet, relating a brief encounter with an émigré Hungarian musician who appeared to be enjoying the chance to speak his native language.