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Ysaÿe recounts his WW1 exile - From the archive: February 1916

2026-02-13T10:12:00

Eugène_Ysaÿe

Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, living in exile in London during World War I, tells writer B. Henderson how he escaped from his homeland in 1914

THE disasters which have overwhelmed Europe have left few untouched either by some personal loss or by the ever-present anxiety for one’s nearest and dearest, and the shadow of trouble hangs heavily over thousands of exiles, whose lot is made harder by uncertainty as to whether they will ever again find even the remains of the homes they have been forced to leave. Forcably indeed was this fact borne home to me during the short interview accorded to me by the great Belgian violinist in his temporary London home…

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