Among the wonderful artworks displayed at the Burrell Collection's Degas Exhibition is the second (V & A) version of his painting of the Nuns' Bacchanale scene in Meyerbeer's opera Robert le Diable in which the shades of the nuns rise from the grave and cast off their religious clothing to party..... As well as being amused at the chap more interested in ogling another member of the audience with his opera-glasses, I was intrigued to see that Degas includes no fewer than FOUR bassoons. This seemed unlikely and sure enough the score shows only two.....
