He tried not to let his mind wander nor to let his impression of the music be marred by looking at the white-tied conductor's arm-waving, which always so unpleasantly distracts one's attention from the music; nor by the ladies with their bonnets, the ribbons of which were so carefully tied over their ears for the concert, nor by all those other persons who were either not interested in anything or were interested in all sorts of things other than music.
Он старался не развлекаться и не портить себе впечатления, глядя на махание руками белогалстучного капельмейстера, всегда так неприятно развлекающее музыкальное внимание, на дам в шляпах, старательно для концерта завязавших себе уши лентами, и на все эти лица, или ничем не занятые, или занятые самыми разнообразными интересами, но только не музыкой.