the director of the thessaloniki orchestra and his wife , the first violinist , tried to steer the conversation toward musical matters as we sat down to eat , but the rector of the university and his large and aggressive spouse would have none of it ; they had obviously decided that it was their duty to explain to each american present that the shooting did not reflect the will of the majority of greeks and that a nation should not be judged by the isolated actions of its lunatic fringe .