Listening to the Benda Quartet the other day was so exciting!
I really liked how the performers communicated so well with each other. I did
not see a lot of eye contact among the members, but they were still so well
coordinated with each other! I especially liked their ability to make dissonant,
more-difficult-to-understand music sound expressive. I wish we had gotten to
listen to the Haydn piece today, but I’m still glad we made it in time to hear
the rest of the program.
So far, I’ve really enjoyed being in Prague. On the day I
arrived, I had the chance to enjoy a performance of the Czech Philharmonic. The
violin soloist was so virtuosic, that it seemed like he was playing all of
those fast passages effortlessly. I especially liked his encore piece for solo
violin. I thought that the violin did not play that loudly, but his sound
completely permeated the hall. Everything he played was so clear! The second
piece on the program was my personal favorite. It really sounded to me more
like music from the wind ensemble repertoire than orchestral music because of
the heavy emphasis on the winds, brass, and percussion. I noticed that the
flute players and piccolo player blended their sounds so well, especially
during the portions where the melody would trade off between the flutes and
piccolo. They all matched their tone colors and intonation so well, and with
such control, but also showed a lot of musical expression. Even when they were
not all playing together, there was still a sense of expressive and technical unity
among them.
During the day, we took a walking tour of Prague, and I got
to see so many historical buildings, and learned the history of the city from
various perspectives. I especially enjoyed going to the Lichtenstein Palace. I
can’t believe I got to stand in front of the manuscript for Beethoven’s Eroica
and Handel’s Creation Symphony! The church in that area was breathtaking. The
elaborate detail in the architecture was so incredible! It is really amazing
knowing that the churches and other buildings around the city are so old, some
built in the 14th century. I think that it is especially
mind-blowing because America doesn’t have any buildings as old as many of the
ones in Europe. I have really enjoyed being in Prague and learning about its
history as well as its music.
Martinu Hall, where the Benda Quartet performed
Lichtenstein Palace at night
The Astronomical Clock under construction
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