“Moments with Menuhin”

Story #3

Oct 31

Written By Floriane Hu

STORY #3

( 中文版 )

Part One

Although based on a series of true stories, some details have been enhanced for humorous effect and for entertainment purposes only. Please enjoy and take with a pinch of salt 🧂

Beijing, 12th October 1997 - Lord Yehudi Menuhin and Hu Kun arrive in China together, for their Far East première performance of Yehudi’s legendary Elgar Violin Concerto.

Yehudi Menuhin and Hu Kun arrive at Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 1, greeted by the general manager of the CNSO

The maestro and his protégé would be enjoying a sponsored stay at the Swissôtel, a sumptuous 5-star hotel with a striking curved glass front, situated in the Dongcheng diplomatic and business district. One of the top western hotels in Beijing back in those days.

Dropped off in front of the entrance, they were greeted by the manager of the China National Symphony Orchestra, the directors of the Central Conservatory of Music - who were old friends of Yehudi’s - and the hotel general manager, a tall, polite, Austrian gentleman dressed in a smart, black suit and tie:

“Welcome to Swissôtel, what an honour it is to have you as our distinguished guests! Please, allow me to show you the way…”

Their luggage was swiftly taken by the porter and they walked through the revolving doors, into the glamorous lobby. It was a large, modern space, with a minimalist marble interior. The courteous manager led them to the reception desk, where check-in was promptly initiated. As they stood waiting, he proceeded to show them around the ground floor. And so they had a little wander, whilst he gestured left and right towards the various nooks and lounges, casually impressing them with facts and figures…when the hotel was built…which year it opened in…how many presidential suites they have… The short, spontaneous tour was going magnificently, the manager was excelling at his job.

*General Manager (left), Lord Yehudi Menuhin (centre), Manager of the CNSO and Hu Kun (right)*

Then came the moment to get into the elevator so as to show the artists to their respective rooms - they would be staying in the presidential suites located on the two Swiss Executive Floors, which had panoramic views of the city - Lord Menuhin’s suite on the top floor and Hu Kun’s just below.

The maestro stepped into the elevator first, followed by Kun and the rest of the party, including a secretary and a few other members of the orchestra and the conservatory. The manager was the last to go in; he turned to face the doors before leaning forward to press the button and the elevator began to ascend all the way up to the 16th floor. Slowly spinning back around again to face his guests, he stood respectably, shoulders back, with a pleasant, reassuring smile on his face — five-star service.

Yehudi and Kun had travelled together for 12h, on a direct flight from London to Beijing, hosted by Air China with British Airways First Class. They had very little energy left to keep the conversation flowing but nonetheless, tried their best to fight the jet lag and keep up with the formalities.

Hu Kun recalls, “And then suddenly out of the blue, about half way up, the elevator just stopped…”

The party looked around at each other with slightly raised eyebrows but no immediate concern.

They waited a few moments.

“So, did you have a pleasant flight?…” the manager asked, the question seeming slightly forced. He improvised for a while longer, hoping that by the end of this unrehearsed dialogue, the unfortunate situation would be over soon and they would be on their way again.

But still, the elevator refused to start.

A couple more minutes went by and by this point, everyone had gradually gone quiet. Slowly but surely, the look on their faces had changed too; from a polite, gentle smile to the corners of their mouths drooping into more of a Are-we-stuck? kind of look. However, all of them being either experienced travellers or professional hoteliers, they remained cool and composed.

Enough time had now passed for the silence to become almost deafening and you could start to hear the seconds ticking by… Kun began to notice the manager’s face looking more and more severe, the colour deteriorating…

Lord Yehudi Menuhin had travelled the world and met people from all walks of life; he had become a master of communication. Fortunately, he always knew exactly what to say in any given scenario and chose his timing impeccably. This occasion was no exception:

He leaned in towards Kun with a blatant smile,

“…Isn’t this any hotel manager’s worst nightmare?…” he suddenly blurted out.

Like a child without a filter, this cheeky remark he so effortlessly delivered was a test to see whether he could get his peers to laugh. All the more, a brilliant attempt to lighten the atmosphere. Perhaps Yehudi was not quite the master of communication he used to be, Kun thought…but of course, he was not in any position to comment on his maestro’s bold behaviour!

A second wave of raised eyebrows instantly took over the lift, along with wide-eyed faces and held back chuckles. No one could quite believe what Yehudi had just uttered, and no one knew exactly how to react either, whether they should laugh and take it as a lighthearted joke or cry for the manager, who had turned green and sunk into the ground with embarrassment… Yet, being the professional world-class hotel manager that he was, he held his head high and stayed as composed as one could in this scenario.

In the end, with a bit of luck the temperamental elevator did eventually start up again, without the need to call for assistance and they made it to their Executive Suites safely and soundly! The hotel manager’s reputation remained intact, and upon arriving into their suites they all raised a glass and toasted to a great stay.

This is a memory that Kun will never forget, for it is then that he discovered Yehudi’s true personality: behind a grand maestro’s facade, hid a childlike character with a wonderful sense of humour.

Click the photo to watch Lord Yehudi Menuhin and Hu Kun’s Far East Premiere Performance of the Elgar Violin Concerto

Despite this funny anecdote, Kun and Yehudi were truly impressed by the way in which the manager handled this unforeseen situation, with elegance and professionalism - after all it’s not every day that you hop into a lift with Lord Yehudi Menuhin and Hu Kun and almost get stuck! The two of them had a wonderful rest of the tour and if any of them are reading, Kun would like to thank all the staff at Swissôtel for taking such good care of them during their entire stay.