The narrator is on vacation in Paris. He asks the conductor about the orchestra's upcoming auditions. The conductor tells him that the orchestra is holding the auditions because a third of its members have quit recently. The only requirements for the auditions are that the candidates play two parts, one of which must be chosen by the audience. The first part of the audition is held behind a curtain, while the second part is held in front of a live audience. Because the first part is a historical orchestra, the conductor is afraid that the second-chair candidate will be a better performer than the first-chair. The narrator asks Tanya to accompany him to the auditions. He tells her that he needs to practice for tomorrow's audition.