Concerts in Prague

 While I was in Prague I saw 1 opera and 2 concerts, all of which I loved. My first night in Prague I saw the opera Rusalka in the National Theater, which is about a water nymph that wants to become a human to marry the man she loves. It was written by Dvorak, one of the most famous Czech composers. This hall was just as opulent as the other concert halls I had been to, with people showing me to my seat.  There were no standing tickets at this theater, although. There were many more young people in the audience, so many that I thought a school took a trip to see the opera. I also noticed that there were more women in the orchestra compared to what I had seen in Vienna. The audience was mostly white and Asian people, but the audience was much more rowdy. People talked more often during the opera and would sneak into open empty seats at the intermission.

I also saw a tribute to Leonard Bernstein, which was part of the Prague spring music festival that was going on at the time. This was my first standing ticket, mostly because the tickets were all more expensive at this concert. Even though it wasn't Czech music, I thoroughly enjoyed the performance. The atmosphere felt more relaxed, although that may be because I was in the standing section. It is fairly uncomfortable standing for two and a half hours straight, but it was worth it to hear all those Bernstein classics.

My last concert in Prague was a free open air concert in a beautiful park that might have once been a palace of sorts. Nowadays there is a hedge garden and a beautiful pond with koi drifting under the surface. Peacocks kept to the shade to keep cool in the summer heat and avoid the tourists. The concert was a tribute to the Czech republic, I think, because they played all marches with the musicians in uniform. The audience was mostly gray haired with parents and their kids coming and going.