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Prague Advent Choral Meeting - The weekend
that was!
Feedback written by June Byrne
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Elmbridge Choir - A
Short break in Prague
December 4th – December 7th 2009
Back in May at our usual Tuesday night choir rehearsal night Cliff, our
Musical Director, said he had an announcement to make. He
then proceeded to tell the Choir that we had been invited to sing in
the Prague Advent Choral Festival in December and would we be
interested – wow!!!!! A buzz went up around the
room, was he serious? What did it entail? When? Would it clash with any
holidays already booked?? Cliff, after the chatter
had subsided, which I have to say took a few minutes, went on to
explain that the festival is open to choral groups of any size and of
all kinds from all over the world and for us to go away and think about
it. I don’t think many of us
needed to think too hard – what an opportunity, to sing in the Old Town
Square in Prague alongside local and international choirs, as well
performing to visitors of all nationalities, visiting the beautiful
Christmas Markets and to see this fabulous city all dressed up for
Christmas. Well, there wasn’t any doubt
at all that we were all enthusiastic, keen to take part and go
Next there was the organisation - flights to arrange, accommodation, a
‘payment schedule’ and ‘what should we wear’!
Cliff, together with his band of helpers, did a fantastic job –
itineraries were drawn up and lists of those choir members who wanted
to attend together with friends and family.
Deposits duly paid and then it began to become a reality – we were
really going. The buzz at the choir meetings – how
cold would it be? We were going to be singing in the Town Square,
possibly snowing! but certainly chilly. Should we take thermal
underwear? How should we wear our lovely new red scarves with Elmbridge
Choir emblazoned on them (inside or outside coats, tied or casually
thrown over our shoulders?!) oh so many questions, poor Cliff must have
gone home after choir rehearsals with a headache.
Then, the rehearsals - what songs should we be singing to spectators
from all over the world? As well as other choirs from
Austria, Poland, Hungary, Germany, Portugal, Norway, Romania and
Finland there was the Cambridge University Choir from England.
The final payment was made and the itinerary issued with our flight
details, which hotel we were in, timetable for our public performances
and then we were off. In total there were 132 of us
travelling to Prague. Split between three flights,
Wednesday evening, Thursday early morning and Thursday
evening. I was on the Thursday morning flight
departure at 8am so it was up at 4.30am and away by
5.00am. Some members were picking up the coach from
Cobham but we had opted to make our own way to
Heathrow. It was a bitterly cold morning, with rain
and wind so it was a relief to walk into Terminal 5 in the warmth and
see a wave of red scarves – so we knew we were in the right
place! The flight was uneventful except for the
buzz from everyone involved, had we remembered everything especially
our music (I had put mine in my hand luggage) so no fear of it getting
lost or going astray.
Finally, Prague airport - sunshine and surprisingly not too cold at
all, and no snow!!! We had all been warned it was very cold in Prague
so most members had opted to take thermal underwear, fur hats etc but
no snow!! We were met by our Tour Guide who showed us to our
coaches and we were on our way through a not very inspiring Prague
countryside to Prague City Centre and Wenceslas Square. Cliff
was waiting for us at our hotel, to make sure we had all arrived safely
and to check us in. After a quick sandwich, wash
and brush up were off on a 3 hour guided walking tour of
Prague. I was very excited and couldn’t wait to get
out and about and to soak up the atmosphere of this gorgeous city.
From the Ramada Hotel we started off with an overview of Wenceslas
Square, which is one of two main squares in the city centre (the Old
Town Square is the other a 5 minute walk away), Wenceslas Square is a
very popular place to stay as it also offers easy walking
access to all Prague's sights & attractions. From here you can
reach anywhere in the city centre and at some point over the next few
days I am sure most of us did!
The long and wide boulevard that makes up Wenceslas Square was laid out
over 600 years ago during the reign of Charles IV. It was originally
used as the main Prague horse market but over the years the square has
been a regular parade ground for all kinds of organisations and
political parties. From anti-communist uprisings to celebrations of
national sporting achievements, this is where Czech's come to let off
steam. At the top of Wenceslas Square, the statue of St. Wenceslas on
his horse cuts a striking figure. This is where good King Wenceslas was
murdered over a thousand years ago by his brother, and who is now a
Czech national hero, as well as being Good King Wenceslas in the
popular Christmas carol, about a king who goes out to give alms to a
poor peasant on the Feast of Stephen (the second day of Christmas,
December 26). Wonderful wide streets and pavements
which was just as well considering there were about 60 of us on the
tour. I just couldn’t believe we are actually
here.
Strolling the cobblestone streets of the old town with great views of
the architecture of the historic buildings and churches, walking under
the old Powder Tower, (used in the past for storing gunpowder) which is
now a museum, this is one of the original entrances to the Old Town, I
was beginning to feel I was in a magical wonderland.
Some of the highlights for me on the walking tour were the Art Nouveau
Municipal House, with its flamboyant exterior. To
go upstairs you have to join a guided tour and with our time
constraints there was just not enough time.
However, we were able to go into the main entrance Hall and popped our
heads into the restaurant, not sure quite what the diners thought,
where we were able to see the most amazing art nouveau
chandeliers. The Old Town Square and where we would be
singing tomorrow – we were all anxious to have a
look. There was no way we were all going to be able
to get on the stage so Cliff was already thinking and arranging where
we would be standing. The air was ripe with the
smell of mulled wine and hot food. We came across a
stall selling trdlo, soft yeast dough which is wrapped around a hot
metal pin and baked into a cylinder shape, then rolled in ground local
almonds and sugar. Lovely.
Then the Old Town Hall which is a row of private buildings with a tower
at the end – the medieval town council bought one house at a time from
previous owners when funds were available. The
Astronomical Clock is a mechanical marvel made in 1490. Four
figures beside the clock represent Vanity, Greed, Death (a skeleton)
and Pagan invasion (represented by a Turk). On the
hour the skeleton of death tolls the bell to a defiant statue of the
Turk and a parade of apostles passes two windows, nodding to the
crowds. At the end a cock crows and the hour is
rung. On the upper face, the disk in the middle depicts the
world known time – with Prague at the centre. The
gold sun traces a circle through the blue zone, the brown zone of dusk
in the west, the black disk of night and dawn in the east. To
appreciate this intricate construction to its fullest, we joined the
crowd in front of the tower to observe the procession of the Twelve
Apostles: below the Astronomical Clock are 12 medallions with the signs
of the zodiac, added by Josef Manes in 1865. It
seemed to me you could read almost anything except the time!
The Charles Bridge, Prague’s most familiar monument, over the River
Vltava must be one of the most beautiful places in
Prague. Built for Charles IV in 1357 it is now the
main pedestrian route connecting the Old Town and Prague Castle and is
lined with statues and lamps. This scenery together
with Gothic Bridge Towers on both ends makes the Charles Bridge a
breathtaking historical monument. From Charles
Bridge we could enjoy the fairytale views of the Prague skyline. The
wide expanse of the river flows beneath it, flanked on both sides by
elegant buildings. Prague Castle towers above in its eminent
position. Charles Bridge was thronging with people. Street
artists were sketching and displaying their wares and sailor boys were
trying to sell tickets for a river boat cruise.
Walking across the bridge and looking at the statues we reached perhaps
the oldest, most interesting and famous of
all. The Statue of St John of Nepomuk, a
Czech martyr saint who was tortured to death, during the reign of
Wenceslas IV and then thrown into the Vltava River from the bridge.
Myths, legends and real facts have combined and it is said that in the
same night when John was murdered, seven stars were seen over the very
spot where he thrown in. The plaques on
the statue have been polished to a shine by countless people touching
them over the centuries. It is said that touching the statue of St.
John of Nepomuk will make one wish come true, but you have to be able
to reach out with both hands to touch the left hand side with one and
the right hand side with the other.
All too soon our walking tour was over and now anticipation of our
first concert in the square tomorrow. But first a
rehearsal in the Dining Room of the Ramada Hotel – unfortunately the
flight the third group were arriving on was late so the number of us
was diminished somewhat! However, everybody joined
in with gusto and we are looking forward to our first concert tomorrow
in the Old Town Square.
Friday – after a good night’s sleep and a wonderful breakfast we took
an early morning walk to the Old Town Square to see where we would be
performing and get a feel of the magic. The Prague Christmas
markets light up the city centre at this time of year, bringing
tourists and locals together to enjoy the holiday spirit, in a true
'winter wonderland' setting. The markets consist of
brightly decorated wooden huts, selling Czech handicrafts, hot food
(corn on the cob, sausages and local specialties) and warm drinks.
Outdoor Christmas shopping is so much easier with a cup of hot wine in
your hand!
A good selection of Christmas stocking fillers can be found in the
markets. Products include Czech glass, wooden toys, scented candles,
hand-made jewellery, ceramic mugs, hats and scarves, puppets and
Christmas tree ornaments. You can also see traditional foods made fresh
right in front of you. Christmas markets are not just about shopping.
In the Old Town Square children can stroke sheep, goats and even a
lama. There is also a Bethlehem manger scene - a large wooden stable
replete with straw floor depicts Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and the Three
Kings.
Most impressive of all is the Christmas tree, shipped from the Krkonose
Mountains in the South of the Czech Republic. Erected in the Old Town
Square, the tree is draped in a blaze of lights, which are turned on
every night round 5pm. Set against a dark gothic skyline, this is a
spectacular sight. But what would Christmas be without
carols? Local and International Choirs, along with musical ensembles,
take to the stage in the Old Town Square, entertaining visitors as they
browse the market stalls. Including US!!! Returned to the
hotel to get ready for our performance, dark coats, red scarves and
hats and then back to the square. The open air
platform is situated in the middle of the Christmas market on the Old
Town Square – some of us went around the back and up on to the stage
whilst others were standing in the front of the
stage. Cliff was right in front ready to conduct
us. We were introduced to the ‘audience’ the music
started and we were off!! “I saw Three Ships”, “In the Bleak
Midwinter”, “Chapua Kali Desemba” (A South African song with plenty of
feet stamping and hand clapping) and my favourite “Do you Hear the
Christmas Bells”. We made the most beautiful music and were
giving it our all! Wow – what a feeling,
what an atmosphere and what a fantastic crowd, maybe it was the scent
of the mulled wine or the smell of the food cooking but I was ready to
burst with enthusiasm, wanting to perform well for Cliff, our Musical
Director, without whom we would not a) be here in Prague and b) not
having the time of our lives. Certainly for me I
truly feel joining the Elmbridge Choir, being one of the original
members, and seeing how we have gone from strength to strength has
certainly been an experience I would not have missed. Plenty
of foot stamping and clapping both from us and our
audience. All too soon it was
over. We stayed behind to watch the Austrian Choir
– who were very good.
The afternoon was free at our own leisure so off to have some lunch and
then more sightseeing. Decided to go up the 60m
tower of the Old Town Hall, which has a lift all the way to the top,
where you could see the people watching the clock.
Amazing views of Prague’s Old Town Square with its lovely Christmas
Tree, market stalls and the stage etc. Next on our
list of ‘things to do’ was the Jewish Quarter and Cemetery.
We were unable to visit the Synagogue as it was the eve of their
Sabbath – however, we did manage to go into the Jewish
Cemetery. It is Europe’s oldest surviving Jewish cemetery and
was closed in 1787. It is estimated some 12,000
toppling faded, gravestones lean up against one another but beneath
them are perhaps 100,000 graves, 12 layers deep.
The most prominent graves are marked by pairs of marble tablets with a
roof between them. This ancient cemetery is very eerie,
especially as it was becoming dusk, and I have to say I felt quite
uncomfortable. Although the cemetery was closed
long before the Nazi invasion arrived in Prague it is not hard to feel
the weight of the hundreds of Jewish deaths during the
war.
Finally back to the hotel to dress up ready for our Christmas Party
with dinner and drinks on the boat Sumava (named after the beautiful
Sumava Mountains) departing from Cechuv Bridge. Everybody was
dressed up in their party attire and off we set for the walk to the
Cechuv Bridge where the river cruises seem to set off
from. No easy feat guiding so many people along the
streets and across the roads but we made it all in one
piece. The boat was decorated and tables laid out –
an ideal opportunity to get to know people from other sections
(sopranos, basses, tenors and altos) as well as their husbands, wives,
partners etc which was very nice. The boat took us
from Cechuv through the Old Town of Prague (under the Charles Bridge)
further through the centre of Prague you could see Prague Castle lit up
on top of the hill. All the magnificent sights are
illuminated and from the boat the city seemed to be even more
romantic. The dinner during the cruise was served
in the form of a buffet, with a choice of food.
Cliff had arranged wine and soft drinks. During the
evening we were entertained by live music so once we had all finished
eating the dancing began! Somehow Cliff
managed to get round to have a chat with every single person, making
sure we were all happy and enjoying ourselves – and what a
mover! We were also able to go on the upper deck of
the boat, for some fresh air and see the sights as we sailed the
river. A truly beautiful
evening. All too soon – the Sumava docked and we
were down the gangplank and on our way back to the hotel.
Saturday – After breakfast we took a brisk walk around the old town
before getting ready for our next concert in the Old Town
Square. Being a Saturday the Square was packed with
shoppers and visitors. Cliff had us doing a warm up
session around the back of the stage and then it was us – up onto the
stage, excited, sad it was going to be our last concert in the Square,
but determined to really give it our all. Looking
out over the Square all dressed up for Christmas, the beautiful lights
on the Christmas Tree and singing ‘Winterlight’ was truly
magical After the time we have spent together over the past
couple of days we have all bonded together and I would say this
definitely showed in our singing. This time we were also
better prepared and had microphones placed at strategic points on the
stage. We watched Cliff like hawks for our cue when to come
in, when to sing quieter and when to sing from the rooftops and boy did
we go for it. After each song the applause from the
crowd was fantastic but all too soon it was our last song and we left
the stage. Some of us stayed and watched other
choirs – we had people approach us, a family group who were on a short
break from the UK and couldn’t believe there was an English Choir
singing, another was a local Czech lady who had seen us on Friday and
enjoyed our singing so much that she had found out when we performing
again and had come back for another session.
After some lunch we walked over the Charles Bridge to Malà Strana
(Little Quarter) which occupies the slopes beneath Prague Castle and
has changed little since the 1700s. Its maze of
streets have lavishly decorated palaces and
churches. Malà Strana once the realm of nobles is
now home to artists and musicians. Would have liked
to have spent more time here but back to the hotel to get changed for
the final festival meeting of all choirs at the Artemis
Hotel. We had arranged to meet up outside the hotel
as the Artemis is a little way out and we were catching the
metro.
Fortunately, we had been pre-warned and had all purchased our tickets
prior to this. Off we set in our crocodile line
down the steps to the Metro Station and then escalators down to the
correct platform. The train came in – fortunately we all
managed to squeeze on – and off we went. The Hotel
was about a ten minute walk from the Station and was all set up and
waiting for us. There were 11 choirs in total including
us. As we were first on after the interval we were
able to watch the other choirs and some of them were
fantastic. The Cambridge University Musical Society
had the most purest of singing voices – a capella (the dictionary
describes the type of singing as in the manner of singing in a chapel;
ie without instrumental
accompaniment). They
were superb. After the interval it was the turn of
the Elmbridge Choir – certainly the largest of the
choirs. We were all dressed up, the men in their
crisp white shirts and black bow ties, the ladies dressed in black and
everybody wearing their beautiful glittery scarves. Cliff
introduced us as a Community Choir, no audition required, to bring
enjoyment to singers of all ages and to entertain our
audiences. We brought the house down.
Once all choirs had sung there was common singing of all the choirs and
we moved around and sat or stood next to somebody from another country
which was so lovely as we all have the common denominator – a love of
singing. At the end of the concert every
Choir was presented with a framed
certificate. I was so proud to be part of
this fantastic group of people and my thanks go to Cliff, our Musical
Director, for his infinite patience (well most of the time!!), his
enthusiasm, his faith in us and for giving us all such a magical
journey. Back to Prague, a meal and then bed after
another fantastic day.
Sunday – up early and had breakfast. Lots of
laughter and banter in the dining room from members of the choir re the
concerts and the whole weekend. Said our goodbyes
to those who were catching the earlier flight and then back to our room
to get our packing all done and ready so we could have our last few
hours in Prague. We walked to Prague Castle, across
Charles Bridge through the streets of Malà Strana and uphill to the
Castle. On either side of the main gate are Battling Titans
(Greek Gods) whilst castle guards stand below them. In the
2nd courtyard is the ticket office and castle information centre where
we picked up a mid-range ticket enabling us entrance to the Cathedral,
Old Royal Palace and the Golden Lane. The Old Royal Palace is
one of the oldest parts of the castle and was home to the princes and
kings of Bohemia from the 11th Century to the 16th
Century. At its heart is the Vladislav
Hall and has sweeping vaulted ceilings which with its rough wooden
floors and vast, rustic spaces make it feel very medieval.
Visitors enter the hall through the west end. At the east end is the
entrance to the All Saints Chapel. You can look
into the Chapel from the Hall but it is only accessible during services
or when concerts are held. There is the most beautiful alter
and a series of paintings depicting St Procopius who lived in the 11th
century. To the left is a
staircase to other parts of the Old Castle. And the final exit from
Vladislav Hall is through the Riders Staircase, which was built so that
riders could enter the hall on horseback for jousting competitions
within the hall. Our last visit was to Golden Lane,
also known as Goldsmith’s Lane. Dating from the 15th century
this small street is lined with small picturesque houses that look
rather like dolls houses than people’s homes. It’s
tiny, colourful cottages were built in the 16th century for the
sharpshooters of the castle guard and later used by
goldsmiths. The lane was originally lined with 24
wooden houses but one side of the street was declared unfit for
habitation and demolished in the 19th century. The cottages
now exhibit medieval armoury and textiles, as well as selling tourist
souvenirs. Visitors can also shoot a crossbow on the upper
floor of one of the buildings.
We were hoping to visit the Cathedral but because there was such a huge
queue we ran out of time. With a tinge of regret
and sorrow it was time to head off down the hill and back to Wenceslas
Square to collect our luggage and pick up our coach to the airport and
our flight home. What a wonderful time we have all
had and a big, big thank you to Cliff, everybody involved in the
organisation of this trip and also thank you to everybody in the choir
for making this such a memorable occasion and one which I am sure will
stay in our memories for ever.
A truly magical experience and a fantastic start to Christmas. |
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