It was an amazing experience to go back to Bach's grave and his church. Some of us got flowers to lay on his grave and I must say, that was a very moving experience. I also lit a candle in Bach's church for grams. That was another fantastic experience.
The Bach museum was very interesting as well. We got to see some of his original manuscripts. Apparently, the manuscripts are so light sensitive that they rotate out which ones are being shown in the museum every few months. We also got to see his organ and some period instruments. The double bass was the actual bass that was used in Bach's orchestra.
That night we went to the Three Penny Opera. That was an interesting opera. The set and character of the opera where not what we were expecting. It was very cool though. The music was great and the singers were very good. They had the pit orchestra actually on stage with the singers which I thought was very cool. It was so nice at the end when everyone was taking their bows, you could tell the audience really appreciated the pit orchestra by how much they clapped and cheered when the conductor came out. That was very refreshing to see.
The next day, we went to the Mendelssohn house and the Schumann house. At the Mendelssohn house, Jennifer got to play piano in the room Mendelssohn would have played in to entertain guests. So cool! They also had this room where you could "conduct" Mendelssohn pieces. We all tried that because it was so fun! We also later got a picture of all of us standing by our instruments and Powell conducting us. On our way to the Schumann house, we could either go around or through what looked like a park in google maps. It turned out to be a cemetery. We found a marker for Wagner's sister and mother. It was such a pleasant and humbling walk through this cemetery. When we made it to the Schumann house, it had been turned into a school for young musicians! That was so cool! Imagine saying you went to school at the Schumann's house when you were little. I've decided I'm moving here and putting my kids through this school!
That evening we went to the Gewandhaus orchestra. Oh my gosh, I have no words to describe how amazing it was! It was by far the best orchestra concert I have ever attended. We had fantastic seats right behind the orchestra so we could see the conductor. I think we had the best seats in the house, thanks Powell! All the strings were so together and meshed so well. And the brass was mind blowing. I never knew two trumpets could produce that much sound! And the clarinets.... There was one point when two were switching off the musical line and I could only tell which one was playing because I was looking at them. If I closed my eyes I wouldn't have known it was two players. They were flawless!
This morning we headed to Berlin! The train ride was really nice to see the country side. Now we're in Berlin and tonight we get to see the Berlin Philharmonic! I can't wait to hear one of the greatest orchestras in the world!
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