Prague: A little night music
japra | Mar 13, 2008 | Comments 5
One of my favorite things that we did in Prague was attend an evening concert in Lichtenstein Palace, located just down the hill from the Prague Castle Quarter.
I know these shows are just for tourists, but, shoot, how often can you sit in a beautiful room like this and listen to a string ensemble play the “greatest hits” of the Baroque period?
Lichtenstein Palace was built in the 16th century and was the first large Baroque building in Prague. It’s been a palace, a post office, an exhibition space, and military headquarters. Now it’s home to the music faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts.
Despite its formal interior, you don’t have to wear black tie to enjoy a concert here. Just show up and buy your tickets, which are reasonably priced, by the way. The musicians are excellent, enthusiastic, and not stuffy. They actually look happy when they play. Roxi really enjoyed the concert and recognized many of the pieces.
.
So don’t forget to make time for something like this if you can. I’m telling you, listening to Mozart, Vivaldi, Dvořák, Schubert, Schumann and Strauss in Europe, in a palace no less, is something everyone should do at least once.
Filed Under: Blog • Czech Republic • Destinations
About the Author: JaPRA is an expat Texan living in England with her husband (Mr. DJ), their 17-year old daughter (Roxi), and their dog Trudy.
I enjoy doing touristy things as long as the whole town isn’t touristy. Most people think I’m crazy for not enjoying Destin (Florida), but it just couldn’t compare with the realness (is that a word?) of our beautiful and unique Crystal Beach.
Laurie–Touristy is ok as long as long as there aren’t a lot of toursts around… hahaha! But that is one of the reasons we like to travel off season.
What a lovely experience! I’d love to go to something like that.
There is some comfort in doing the touristy things. At least you don’t end up in some place with no idea of where to go or what to do. The next touristy thing we want to do is Italy!
Alyson–I am so glad we did it. It’s a lovely memory.
texasgal–We went to Rome for Spring Break a couple of years ago. It’s touristy, yes, but the ancient sites are well integrated into the “modern” city. I thought the Colosseum was the the most touristy thing, but we got over that quickly. The city is amazing! If you get to Rome and happen to have a free day, I highly recommend a day trip to Ostia, an ancient city that was preserved in mud (like Pompeii in ashes). Villa d’Este and its gravity-powered fountains is another great day trip.
We still want to see Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, Tuscany…