MOSCOW: Russian officials seized Czech Philharmonic Orchestra concertmaster Josef Špaček’s violin as he was trying to leave the country on a flight to Prague last week. According to the New York Times, customs officers claimed he failed to fill out the proper documentation for his 1855 Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin upon entering the country to perform at the International Music Festival Eurasia in Yekaterinburg.
A spokesman for the customs service told Russia’s TASS news agency that while it was likely the instrument did belong to Špaček, proof was nevertheless required. The official explained that there have been a number of cases in which criminals have brought cheap instruments into Russia only to replace them with expensive items, which they have then exported without paying the proper duties.
Špaček refused to leave the country without his instrument, and according to Slipped Disc, was last night reunited with his violin after producing the required documents.
