A Crash Course in Prague
Mozart Just Rolled Over in His Grave
Unlike Friday night’s musical selection by the Czech Philharmonic, tonight’s organ concert was a joke at best. The picture at the top is where the Philharmonic plays.
This is the building to go to for quality music. Not the Church of Saint Nicholas in the Lesser Town Square.
The concert started at 6 this evening, and I had to run to make the tram.
So I guess that’s the bright side. I got exercise.
The church of Saint Nicholas is absolutely enormous. It’s a wonder how it was built. The interior is mainly marble, stone, and bronze. In the western choir loft there is an organ that puts 90% of all other organs to shame.
That’s not the organ they played.
The organ they were playing was small. Very small. Fit for a medium sized chapel. Not a 750-1000 seat church. It was almost funny how depressing it was that they were playing a Mickey Mouse organ, when less than 300 feet away was this enormous, historic, and absolutely stunning piece of musical equipment.
The real organ of the Church of Saint Nicholas was constructed in in the late 1600’s. It was the largest organ build by Tomas Schwarz, and was first played on October 10, 1746. It has 3 fingerboards and 44 registers.
A truly magnificent piece of equipment.
THAT WASN’T PLAYED.
While the violin and soprano were quite good, the organist was nowhere near the quality of the organist who played at church this morning. A sad statement considering this was supposed to be a CONCERT.
Such is life.
After the concert I caught a tram over the river, and then one back to a restaurant down the street from the dorm. Dinner was pizza again. The Czech’s really have this pizza thing down pat.
I posted another picture in today’s expedition of Mala Strana... It’s my “bad day at WBZ.” Most of you will understand.
On the happy side of things, I purchased Jessica and my tickets to Rome for the end of October. 4 Days in Rome. Pretty cool...
Now I need a place to stay.
Classes start tomorrow at 6pm. I have an essay to turn in by 10am for my chance to go to Moscow this semester. So I guess I’m getting up at a reasonable hour and having an expensive breakfast again.
After that I have to go find a real organ. One that makes your chest shake, and make the room vibrate to the point where you feel the walls are going to come down and a worm hole will tear into the next universe.
Well something like that...