The weather was perfect for our walking tour of the city. We had clear blue skies and a dusting of snow! When we walked into the cathedral at the castle the light through the stained glass windows cast rainbows on the walls and it was absolutely gorgeous. I have seen that cathedral before but it was even more awe inspiring with the incredible light.
Our first performance in Prague was Rusalka, an opera by Dvorak. I enjoyed hearing an opera in Czech sung by Czech vocalists! The theater itself stole the show- I wasn't sure what to make of the projection screen that was set up behind the set where they projected dancing nymphs as part of the show.
The next day Megan, Ingrid, Claire, Lyndi, Collin and I decided to go on a river tour of the city, and that was definitely a good decision! The tour gave us an interesting narration about the history of the Charles Bridge and various buildings we could see from the water. It was a sunny day again and we had a great view!
We also saw the Czech Philharmonic in Prague and they were phenomenal. They played the Bruch violin concerto, which I had seen the Seattle Symphony perform in November. I tried to compare my impressions of the soloists after hearing both, but they were so different it was hard to compare them. Janine Jansen was an incredibly dynamic performer, and she was very good about communicating with the conductor, who seemed to draw the gentlest sounds out of the orchestra. The soloist with the Seattle Symphony seemed to communicate more directly with the orchestra, as opposed to going through the conductor. I think the Czech Philharmonic was able to play the lightest and sweetest in a way that drew in the listener out of the orchestras we've so far- there were moments where I felt that I was involuntarily breathing with them as they played together. We've already seen so many incredible orchestras on this trip, I can't wait to hear the rest of them!
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