Rex Resolution 9: Bring mir den Kopf von Beethoven

Classical music raises its head again (groan!) as a stone mason violates Beethoven's grave in the Zentralfriedhof. The goal? To remove the dead composer's skull and flog it on eBay.

Oops, no, forgetting this was the mid 90s and eBay probably didn't exist. Some very shady Viennese antique dealers did though (another common Rex theme), as the stone mason discovers to his cost.

Moser has the idea of planting an article in the paper that Beethoven's skull is little more than dust, so that the purchaser will think he's in possession of a fake, panic and so flush out the villians. Moser, as always, is so right.

Interesting dating tip in this episode as the picture becomes more complicated as an Italian Beethoven afficianado and his girl, freshly picked up from a graveside, become involved. Forget internet dating, try loitering around gravestones? I think not.

Other players in this episode include Gesa Gross as Angelika Laudan (and who hasn't appeared to act since according to IMDB), Alberto Gimignani as Bruni and Ernst Stankovski as Kronhauer.

Back to form with another Recycled Rexer, Dirk Martens, here as Strasser, later in Besessen (2001), the episode with the manic music, as Xaver Stoll. Dirk also appears in Stockinger, but we'll get to that much, much later.