Spent a pleasant two hours discovering Renato de Barbieri (died 1992). A formidable violinist (particularly in his 1973-75 recordings of Handel, Tartini, Paganini, Ysaye, et al). I confess I had never heard of him before. Just shows just how much the "fame" of well-known names such as Stern, Zukerman, Bell, etc is due to PR managers and publicity machines. Renato de Barbieri was a major violinist, particularly in the bravura repertoire.

Mention must also be made of the highly superior Crémant de Loire and Pinot Noir d'Alsace that I brought back from Paris on this trip. Excellent accompaniments to de Barbieri !