Classical Notes: December 15, 2006 Archive

Bizet R.I.P.-ed off!

Posted at 8:15 AM on December 15, 2006 by John Zech
Filed under: The blog

This week most opera fans have been preoccupied with the Roberto Alagna/La Scala scandale (see earlier blogs here), but some of the faithful are looking to Paris, for a desecration of a different sort: A bust of composer Georges Bizet, decorating his tomb in the Père-Lachaise Cemetary, has been stolen! It's one of a half dozen bronze busts made by well-known artists of the late 19th century stolen from tombs in Père-Lachaise, the final resting place of Oscar Wilde, Moliere, Proust, and Maria Callas. According to a story in today's UK Guardian, it sounds like the work of professionals.