A Musical Prague-ression

Last night, the students had the opportunity to see a concert in Prague's beautiful Municipal House! The show consisted of two parts; the first featured showrunner José Cura both singing opera and conducting the orchestra! Cura's personality is as big as his voice, and he is a man of many talents, including directing, scenography, photography and conducting. He is from Argentina and sang in Spanish, and although he insisted on multiple occasions that his audience read along to his words in the program (which, since programs were in Czech and Spanish, we could not do), the emotion in the music was its own language, one that we all understood. 

The second half of the show involved no singing, just symphony. We were lucky just to witness it; the musicians are incredibly talented, the music was lovely, and the venue itself was enthralling. Municipal House is one of Prague's central cultural and social sites, built in 1911. It is in the Art Nouveau style, with some neo-Renaissance and neo-Baroque aspects. The intricate mosaics, looming statues and high ceilings are stunning. 

Despite the late night, students left the concert chatting about the performance and taking in views of the city at dusk. While a few loved the opera section of the concert, some preferred the symphony alone. The event spurred conversation about high culture, art history and various art mediums.