Since the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1990, Prague has become one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations. The tourist crowds and brand name shops have blighted the old world flavor slightly, as this is not a town built for mass-tourism, but the city’s charm is unalterable.
The Youth Orchestra members tour the city upon arrival, getting a first hand view of the 10 centuries old Prague castle, walk across the Charles Bridge (spanning the Vltava River – or Moldau as its commonly known in German) and stroll through ancient streets to scenic old town hall square.
Prague is also one of the cultural centers of Europe with hundreds of concert halls, galleries and performance spaces. One of the world’s great music festivals, the Prague Spring Festival, is held here each May, hosting the world’s great orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony in recent years. The city’s cultural history is rich, home to composers Dvorak and Smetana; Mozart lived here briefly and conducted the world premiere of Don Giovanni in the city.
The Youth Orchestra’s performs its final concert of the tour in beautiful Smetana Hall. Named for the popular Czech composer Bedrich Smetana (1824-84), Smetana Hall sits in one of the world’s most distinctive Art Nouveau buildings, the Municipal House in the heart of the old town. The building opened in 1912 and was the scene of the proclamation of the independent state of Czechoslovakia. The landmark building was painstakingly restored in 1997 and its interior concert hall with a capacity of 1100 serves as a stunning venue for the YO’s final tour concert.
Once again the acoustics differ greatly from previous tour venues. After stepping out into the hall to hear the acoustics from the audience’s perspective, SFSYO Music Director Benjamin Shwartz turns to the brass and asks, “I’m trying to decide how much pain we should put these people in. This is a small hall, and the brass gets really loud.” But painful it was not; the Orchestra adjusted its dynamics and sounded fantastic.
The Orchestra’s concert in Prague was presented in part by the US Embassy as a social outing for the local diplomatic corps, and many were in attendance, including the Ambassadors of Brazil, Norway and Argentina and the embassy staffs of Mexico and Israel. The U.S. Ambassador was unfortunately detained with Condoleezza Rice in town, but sent his Cultural Attaché. The biggest bouquet of flowers though came from an appreciative host, the Czech Minister of Culture.
As a recent YO tour review stated:
"...Old Europe could learn a thing or two from this talented young group."
But this talented group of young musicians learned a lot from Old Europe as well. The incredibly attentive and enthusiastic audiences throughout the continent’s cultural capitals taught this group of 104 extraordinary youngsters about the joys of music making at the highest levels in some incredible and diverse venues. The camaraderie developed, the historical insights, the acoustic challenges, all make the Orchestra a better and stronger group. For over two weeks, they impressed the critics and won countless new fans.
Bravo YO. See you in Davies Symphony Hall next year.
