I've had the absolute pleasure of being sick the past couple of days, so I was unable to go out into the city beyond a short (and lovely!) visit to the Lobkowicz Palace. After getting a chance to look at the original manuscripts of Beethoven's 4th and 5th symphonies, I headed back to our hostel and took a fantastic nap. By the time evening had fallen, I was ready to march across the bridge to the Dvorak Concert Hall, and hear the Czech Philharmonic play!
And boy, did they play. While I've never been the biggest fan of Tchaikovsky, their interpretations of his Romeo and Juliet overture and third symphony were incredibly lush and fun to listen to, convincing me that I should listen to Tchaikovsky more often. The balance between each orchestral section was definitely different in comparison to the groups we heard in Germany, although my friend Lyndi and I could not quite pinpoint what the exact difference was; I thought the Czech Philharmonic was more string-oriented, while she thought the opposite. Whatever it was, we thoroughly enjoyed the contrasting character of the Czech Philharmonic, and grew to love it over the course of the two and a half hour program.
Besides lots of Tchaikovsky, a Bruch violin concerto was also included in the program, and I cannot stress how incredible the soloist was this evening! Janine Jansen was not only the most skilled violinist I've ever heard, but she was overwhelmingly fun to watch; she swayed to and fro, leaned in and guided the conductor, and played to the other instrumentalists around her in order to create a greater sense of unity. She even nodded her head to the music when she was resting. In the end, I think what I enjoyed the most about this concert was her musicality, and how it so quickly brought a smile to my face. I plan to listen to some of her recordings when I get back to the states!
Tomorrow, we visit a historical instrument museum, and take on the city of Prague once again. I will post again soon, my friends. Stay tuned!
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