Benedetti Michelangeli and the Honey Pot

I was very struck by this detail of ABM's high-handed manner.

Cord Garben, a conductor and pianist who doubled as Michelangeli’s record producer for Deutsche Grammophon, was part of Michelangeli’s inner circle. "Musically he was rather easy to handle, but all the things besides were more than complicated," says Garben in lightly accented English. "When the honey he needed for his tea was not the right one, he made a small scandal, catapulting it over the table and complaining that his tea was spoiled…" (this during a meeting with top DG officials)

(John Bell Young)

"Another day an innocent jar of honey became the vehicle of his disagreement with the others. We were gathered around a richly laid table for breakfast at Steinway's house, ABM, his manager Marie-Jose Gros-Dubois, Ulrich Adam, the Director of the Artists and Concerts Department and the undersigned. As usual ABM did justice to the pleasures offered only

with moderation. Suddenly, completely unexpectedly for those present, he took the small

jar of honey brought from the hotel and threw it on the long conference table. That the honey smelled terrible was his only comment." [Cord Garben]

Googel AI interprets this as: "This anecdote highlights the pianist's extreme meticulousness, which extended beyond his music to all aspects of his life, contributing to his reputation as an enigmatic and austere figure."

Rather, it indicates - to me at least - a spoiled child.