Latest news with #LorenzoCarcassi
The Guardian
7 hours ago
- The Guardian
Metropolitan police appeal for help to recover 280-year-old violin worth £150,000
Police are appealing for help to recover a missing 285-year-old violin after it was allegedly stolen from a London pub. Detectives have been trying to find the instrument since 18 February, when the violin, valued at more than £150,000, went missing from the Marquess Tavern on Canonbury Street. The victim reported the theft to the Metropolitan police that evening. It has previously been reported that David López Ibáñez, of the Philharmonia Orchestra, had been dining with a friend when the violin disappeared from his side. It had been loaned to him by a German businessman who wanted to help his career. Ibáñez told the BBC that his 'life was torn apart' after realising it was gone. He added: 'Your heart feels like it's going to explode.' PC Michael Collins, from the Met's local policing team in Camden, said on Monday: 'We … are releasing this CCTV in an effort to help identify them as soon as possible. The victim, who is a member of London's Philharmonia Orchestra, has told us the piece is worth more than £150,000 and was made in Florence in 1740. 'It is incredibly precious, and for the victim, it's priceless. Please help us find the person responsible and have the violin returned it to its rightful owner.' The violin, made by Lorenzo Carcassi, was 'generously' loaned to Ibáñez to help him perform at major concerts with the Philharmonia. Also stolen were three bows, one with a mother of pearl tip. The alleged theft of the musical instrument has echoes of the disappearance of a 1696 Stradivarius worth £1.2m and two bows with a combined value of £67,000 from Euston station in 2010. The theft prompted a public appeal for help and the release of CCTV on BBC's Crimewatch. A man was jailed for four and a half years at Blackfriars crown court for the theft in 2011. There was a false lead suggesting the violin might be in Bulgaria – but that instrument turned out to be a replica training instrument. The real violin was eventually found at a property in the Midlands – intact with some 'very minor' damage.
Telegraph
8 hours ago
- Telegraph
Pictured: Suspect in £150k violin theft
Police have released images of the suspected thief of a £150,000 violin stolen from a pub. David Lopez Ibanez, a member of London's Philharmonia Orchestra and the instrument's owner, said his life had been 'torn apart' since the theft of the 285-year-old instrument. The Spanish classical musician, 30, was out for a meal with a friend in Canonbury, north London, following rehearsals when it was stolen. The Metropolitan Police are now hoping new CCTV they have released will help track down the violin, which was made by Lorenzo Carcassi, a Florentine artisan. It had been passed down to musicians for two centuries before a businessman in Germany bought it and loaned it to Mr Ibanez after seeing him play online. 'It lived 300 years prior to my hands touching it. It's got its own history,' Mr Ibanez said. 'Each hour, each performance, each challenge you get to know each other more and you express yourself through it.' The 'priceless' instrument, recognisable by a distinctive heart shape cut out into the scroll at the top of the instrument, was taken from the bench he was sitting on. 'You get taught from a very early age to take such good care of it. Nothing prepares you for having it snatched away,' he added. 'My life was torn apart. Your heart feels like it's going to explode.' PC Michael Collins, from the Met's local policing team in Camden, said: 'We've been working hard to try and locate the suspect and are releasing this CCTV in an effort to help identify them as soon as possible. 'It is incredibly precious, and for the victim, it's priceless. 'Please help us find the person responsible and have the violin returned it to its rightful owner.' Anyone with any information was urged to come forward. Previously, Richard White, from JP Guivier, a london-based luthier, said the violin would be worth nothing to the thief because he would know not to sell it. 'As long as we know about the instrument, which we do,' he told the BBC. 'If that violin comes into us for sale, it will not leave the shop.'
