woah, this thread is awesome. Big respect for visiting graves.
I did this once in Paris, but I was a bit sick and don’t remember who I saw (it was at the Montmartre Cemetery).
My favourite experience of this was in Venice, taking the ferry over to island San Michele and seeing the Mr & Mrs Stravinsky, Diaghilev, Ezra Pound and Joseph Brodsky. I went twice on different trips, but didn’t know that Luigi Nono is also there.
Montmartre is probably the best for our interests; it has Berlioz, Nijinsky, Adolphe Adam, Degas, Alkan, Marie Duplessis, Alexandre Dumas fils (who immortalised her), Truffaut, Stendhal etc. One of these days I will go visit Tarkovsky’s grave, but it’s far away. I’ve been wanting to visit Rameau for the longest but the church he’s buried in has been under repairs for ages. The ones I got the most emotional at weren’t even pianists; Alfred Dreyfus and Marie d’Agoult. Marie Duplessis too, since I’m sure I would’ve been in love with her if I had known her. Maybe I’ll upload the first act of the Traviata video from the Mariinsky with Netrebko tonight, because the ressemblance between the two is uncanny. Too bad Anna lost her shape after she had her kid (she also loves to dye her hair blond, which doesn’t suit her at all).
I’ve been there and have seen it. It’s not the most impressive thing ever–we were looking for it and kind of stumbled upon it and were like, Oh…–but it’s worth seeing and so is Poland.
I’ve had Franck on my mind a lot recently, so yesterday I went to visit his grave in the Cimetière du Montparnasse in the south of Paris. I hadn’t been to this cemetery in more than 2 years, because it’s quite a long metro ride from my place. Last time I came I didn’t even visit Franck, because he is in another part of the cemetery than everyone else (you have to find an exit then cross the road to enter the other part). The interesting thing about his grave is that his medallion (I don’t know how you call this in English) was made by Rodin. The likeness is quite accurate, and includes a quote from Les Béatitudes.
Quote from Les Béatitudes
Rodin’s signature
This memorial tablet or plaque or whatever it’s called is very beautiful, thanks for sharing.
