Tom Service repeats the story that the Hungarian composer Béla Bartók, exiled in New York, parodied in his Concerto for Orchestra the “Nazi” theme in Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony (Sounds of the siege, Review, 2 January). Yet why would a fervent anti-fascist make throw-away fun of an anti-fascist statement? An alternative opinion is that Bartòk was sending up the popular tune “I’m going to Maxim’s” from the operetta The Merry Widow, by the Hungarian-born Franz Lehár. Of course Bartók could be doing both, as they sound alike, and either could cause the social “interruption” in this “interrupted intermezzo”.
Richard Witts
Edge Hill University
• I read with great interest the article by Tom Service. It struck me that he could have mentioned Sarah Quigley’s wonderful book The Conductor, published by Head of Zeus in 2012, which deals with the symphony’s genesis, and the conditions under which the first performance took place. Perhaps there was an acknowledgement in the programme itself. If not, there should have been.
Eva Skelley
London
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