Not many Polish pianists visit Mexico City, and when Artur Rubinstein played there in 1954, it was almost too much for one Pole in the audience. He rushed backstage, burst into Rubinstein's dressing room, and began hugging and kissing the startled pianist, exclaiming in Polish: "That was the greatest thing I ever heard!" When the kissing stopped, he introduced himself as Henryk Szeryng, a 32-year-old music teacher at the National University of Mexico. Intrigued at finding a countryman so far from home, Rubinstein inquired: "Do you play at all?" Yes, his compatriot...
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