Stradivarius Stolen From Violinist Visiting London Cafe
Why do expensive violins always go missing? Steve Inskeep has news of the latest: a Stradivarius stolen in a London sandwich shop when its owner stopped for a bite to eat.
STEVE INSKEEP, Host:
Now we have a story about an art medium that's really old. This week, we learned a musician put down her Stradivarius violin to grab a bite at a cafe in London. The $2 million instrument disappeared, presumably stolen.
A: The Stradivarius left on the train seat, the Stradivarius left in the cab, or what happened to Jim Wallenberg, who plays violin for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. A few years ago, he left his priceless instrument at a streetcar stop.
M: I don't know why I didn't think to turn and get that instrument. So distraction or just absent mindedness, anything deeper than that I can't go into.
INSKEEP: Could it be something about violin players? Because the fact is, Mr. Wallenberg had lost violins before.
M: I did leave it once on the subway. And then prior to that, I actually put a violin on the top of my car going home. So as long as I don't misplace my two-and-half-year-old twins, I'll be happy.
INSKEEP: It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.
Copyright © 2010 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.