
The Violin Thief (2016) - one-possibility
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/style/2016/03/17/the-violin-thief/
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powersnail
Must have been devastating for Maestro Totenberg.

Phil Johnson's crime was so pointless. He couldn't sell it or use it in a big
enough gig. It probably was counter-productive for his career, since he had to
cut ties with people in order to conceal the past, while connection is a huge
part in world of classical music.

In the end, he died a mediocre player, known not for his playing but his
crime.

A more concise version of the story:
[https://www.violinist.com/blog/laurie/20158/16968/](https://www.violinist.com/blog/laurie/20158/16968/)

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ternaryoperator
I knew Philip in the 80s as he and I traveled in overlapping circles. I heard
him play several times. He was far, far more than a mediocre player. He
absolutely could have been a professional orchestra player had he wanted to--
and if he had been able to control the abrasive bits of his personality. But
nobody who heard him in those days would ever have called him 'mediocre.'

In a certain way, that adds to the tragedy of the whole sordid affair.

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bergstromm466
For those not wanting to subsidize Bezos:
[http://archive.is/TDOkH](http://archive.is/TDOkH)

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asimilator
It's frustrating how the authors of this article drop bits and pieces of the
story only to interrupt themselves. I get they're trying to provide "the
bigger picture" or broader context or asking those "big questions" but it
would work a lot better if they just told the damn story first.

