# Great Anecdote About Janos Starker



## Guest

I am a frequent reader of National Review, for which Jay Nordlinger writes. He had an excellent anecdote about Janos Starker, which he shared today:


> In the '90s, Starker went to South Carolina to play the Elgar Concerto with an orchestra. (I should note that Starker was a cellist, one of the greatest of all time.) Two friends of mine were in the orchestra (husband and wife). During rehearsals, Starker was told that he could not smoke in his dressing room. The whole building was "smoke-free." He came out and addressed the orchestra. He said something like, "I lived under the Nazis and I lived under the Communists. I am grateful to be here in America. But I can't abide the petty tyranny into which this country is falling. Ladies and gentlemen, I wish you a good concert. But I'm leaving." With that, he indeed left.
> 
> The orchestra sat for a while in stunned silence. Then a lone clarinetist started to play "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes."


Not that I am a fan of smoking, but I thought this was a great anecdote.


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