Prague - City of Music

The Obescní Dům 

Prague has many nicknames and one of them is "The City of Music". That it is! There is music on every corner. Well.. almost every corner. From string quartets to jazz bands to.. well you name it. There is "something for everyone" as the saying goes. For a music lover, this is definitely a destination city. And particularly if you like classical music. There are literally many classical concerts to choose from every night! 

 

I treated myself on the Wednesday evening to a wonderful concert in the stunning Smetana Hall at the Obescní Dům (Municipal House). It is a sumptuous building.. I felt like I should be wearing an evening gown and jewels... or at the very least a little black dress. (I did wear black so at least I got one thing right!)
I later learned Smetana Hall is the largest concert hall in the city, so I made a good choice.

Looking up at the box seats

There are so many concerts to choose from, but I decided if in Prague, I should be hearing some Mozart, and since Pachelbel's Canon  and Vivaldi's Four Seasons are two of my favourites, this concert was the perfect choice for me! Pragues' Royal Symphony.. Smetana Hall... Pachelbel, Mozart AND Vivaldi... how could I go wrong? It was heavenly! The acoustics of course, were exceptional. I hardly moved a muscle for the hour plus performance.



This is what was directly overhead....

Such beautiful music in such a beautiful setting...

I don't think there were many more than a hundred in the audience (sadly). So if you ever go to Prague, be sure and check into attending a concert, chances are it will not be sold out. The tickets were very reasonably priced... Go for the least expensive seats - they were just fine. I had front row...



But there is lots of free music to be enjoyed too. As I said there are often musicians of various ages and genres performing for free (or for donations) on the streets... we saw them everywhere- in Wenceslas Square, in Old Town Square, on the Charles Bridge, on Kampa Island...

Some young.. some older.. but all very good musicians...

 Other than the Royal Symphony, I think the group I enjoyed the most was the "Bridge Band", a group of five who played great Jazz on bass, trumpet, clarinet, banjo and washboard (on the Charles Bridge, of course!) I listened to them for a good 45 minutes on the bridge one hot afternoon, and brought home their CD so I could continue to enjoy their music. They were all excellent musicians, but I so loved watching the guy on the washboard - he was really "into" the music....
Yes, City of Music indeed!

Peace,
Linda

"Travel doesn't become adventure until you leave yourself behind." ~ Marty Rubin