The formidable Italian semiotician, philosopher and novelist who died on Friday night, aged 84, had a passion for playing the baroque flute, recorder and kindred instruments.

He appeared on the cover of the first issue of Suonare, in November 1995, telling the editor of his great love for playing Bach, Telemann, Loeillet and Sammartini:

‘Suono solo il dolce. Ho iniziato con quello in Do, poi sono passato al Fa, che dà più gusto e ha una letteratura più vasta. Ho vari flauti: alcuni in plastica, altri in ebano, di buona qualità. Ne ho uno di fattura artigianale, e talora penso che per un’esecutore come me sia sprecato.’

The author of The Name of the Rose was the ultimate European cultural connoisseur.

Italy’s prime minister Matteo Renzi said today: Umberto Eco was ‘an extraordinary example of a European intellectual, combining unique intelligence of the past with a limitless capacity to anticipate the future. ‘It’s an enormous loss for culture, which will miss his writing and voice, his sharp and lively thought, and his humanity.’

May he rest in peace.

h/t: Cecilia Michelangeli Rivers

The incoming New York Philharmonic music director pulled out of a Dallas concert more than two weeks ago due to ‘a family medical emergency’.  He remains unavailable.

Santa Cecilia in Rome have replaced him for Monday’s concert. ‘For important family obligations, Maestro Jaap van Zweden will be unable to conduct the scheduled concerts. Maestro Robert Trevino will be taking the podium for Orchestra di Santa Cecilia.’

A must-watch home video of the great pianist at lunch with Slava Rostropovich and Galina Vishnevskaya, burbling away over dessert in French, Russian and English before Rubi gets going with his Chaliapin imitations.

And all with such joie-de-vivre.