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Barth said he felt like Scheherazade in “The Thousand and One Nights,” desperately trying to survive by creating literature.

As his foremost inspiration, Mr. Barth cited Scheherazade, the tale-spinning enchantress who nightly wove stories to keep her master from executing her at dawn.

On Thursday, she will lead the Philharmonic in performances of Martinu’s First Cello Concerto, featuring the soloist Sol Gabetta; the world premiere of Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate’s “Pisachi”; and Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade,” a piece that helped Chan clinch her victory in the final round of the Flick competition.

Since Angel has romantic troubles of her own, Eugene’s long and complicated stories make him an unlikely male Scheherazade, trying to distract someone he cares about from her distress.

The Scheherazade Foundation, which facilitated the return of the lock of hair, said it had originally been in the possession of Captain Speedy.