"I anticipated the closing of Wolf Musique by ordering all the scores for the next lyric season," says Florian Bécard. The musical librarian of the Opéra national du Rhin was a regular at the rue de la Mésange store in Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin). "Wolf Musique, it was the assurance of being advised when buying an instrument but also of being able to order very rare scores," says Florian Bécard.
An expertise that the oldest music store in the province has forged in 195 years of existence. “The sheet music market had enabled Wolf Musique to acquire international notoriety. All the greatest conductors of the 19th and 20th centuries have been our customers, ”says Harry Lapp.
Richard Strauss had met Gustav Mahler there
The manager, not stingy with anecdotes about this institution, evokes this "day of 1905 when the German composer Richard Strauss found the Austrian pianist Gustav Mahler to rehearse his opera Salome in front of dumbfounded clients".
Harry Lapp bought the store from the Wolf family in 1980. “The descendants of the founder Seligmann Wolf remained tenants in this 700 m2 space. Over the decades, the weight of rents has weighed and turnover has gradually collapsed, laments Harry Lapp. Competition from major networks like Arpèges and online commerce has weakened us considerably over the past ten years. "
The fatal blow was struck by the closure during the confinement: "Wolf Music bows out today (Editor's note: this Saturday) but will orphan all lovers of classical music," concludes Harry Lapp.
