Friday, August 31, 2007
This evening Eva and I went to an all-Beethoven concert at the Rudolfinum, featuring violin soloist Leila Josefowicz and the Czech Philharmonic orchestra. The Coriolanus overture and Symphony No. 1 were familiar to me (although I can't remember hearing a better performance), but I don't recall hearing Beethoven's Concerto in D major. The soloist, a young (not yet 30 years old) American violinist, was absolutely superb, with masterful cadenzas she composed herself, a "adventurous and almost artistically risky" endeavor, in "today's age of respect for the written score." (When Beethoven wrote the violin concerto, performing one's own cadenzas was the expected norm. )
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
It’s been two years since I’ve been in Prague, so obviously I was delighted at the invitation to come to give a seminar at VSE, because that was a good excuse to visit and see old friends. Coming at this time of year means that I will miss some of my friends, who are on holiday, since it’s Labor Day weekend in the US and a good time for them to visit families. But with a short visit—juggling my own schedule in between family and work obligations—it’s a mixed blessing because it means that my schedule is not so hectic, trying to fit in everyone I want to see in just ten days.
Coming off the airplane into the new airport terminal was quite a surprise—I hardly felt like I was in Prague. The new terminal, in construction when I left, is quite modern and, for me, totally unrecognizable until I got past the customs area. Then, with Eva to greet me, I felt quite at home and excited to be here.
My first evening was spent in and around Old Town, and at the International Folk Festival at Ovocny Trh. Walking around town reminded me of Prague’s charms, and also its transition into a world shopping and entertainment district. Wenceslaus Square is quite commercial, with casinos and big-name retailers where small shops used to be. Much is the same as two years ago, but much has changed since 1996.
