Gavrilov and Filipov demand several conditions from the Châtelet, that they are forced to accept, since the concert with the Bolshoi is significantly less expensive. One condition is that the solo violinist will be Anne-Marie Jacquet, who famously has never played Tchaikovsky's concerto because she is afraid of it. She has long dreamed of playing it with the Bolshoi and particularly with Filipov, whose fame outside of Russia has not diminished. Her agent, Guylène de La Rivière, who is also Anne-Marie's adoptive mother, is reluctant to allow that because she is acquainted with Filipov and his past, but Anne-Marie insists, and de la Riviere has no option but to accept. The orchestra is also forced to accept the sponsorship of an open Russian mafia boss who likes to play the cello, despite the fact that he does so terribly and who wants to be part of the orchestra.
