Balcony & Private Boxes
Prague...Prague...Prague....A city of contradictions: an ex-Soviet Block capital, and also an ex-Hapsburg Empire capital. The city houses some of the ugliest architecture I've ever seen (Soviet style apartments and municipal buildings that are essentially pallid yellow and green boxes with tiny out-of-proportion windows) and some of the most ostentatious (Hapsburg Palace, Opera House, Cathedral, etc all designed at the height of the Baroque era). Prague is also a 'Bohemian' city both in origin and atmosphere. It was the historical capital of Bohemia proper during the Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance eras, and then became a haven for some of Europe's greatest musicians and artists during (and after) the Hapsburg-Baroque era. It was Mozart's second home, and the original home of the Czech-Republic's greatest musician Antonin Dvorak. Alfons Mucha, Franz Kafka, and Albert Einstein also chose to spend much of their life in the city.
Exterior Entry to Opera House
To me the State Opera House (Opera Statini in Czech), encapsulates what Prague is today-an old European capital infused with a new beginning against the backdrop of a Stalinist canvas. That said, the State Opera House as a context versus a building, also demonstrates the less savoury side of Prague-on any given weekend, one can find a mix of Russian and Ukrainian gangsters with their wives and girlfriends dripping in fur and diamonds (despite it being August, the attitude seems to be "I have a 12 minks, so why not wear one every month of the year") blended with a collection of corrupt politicians, and those who scraped a month's earnings together to afford a single performance.
From a North American perspective, it isn't really that expensive-a dress circle seat will cost about $40. But for an average Czech worker, this is still very costly and something only purchased on very special occasions. To further emphasize the disparity between the 'new' and 'old' Prague, one merely needs to look at the old lady standing on the Opera House steps selling wilted roses in news paper begging for a few Crowns (local currency 1 Crown = .055 CAD) for a single rose.
Opera House Salon
I was last in Prague in 2007 and still remember the city, and Opera House vividly. I was alone, and to quell boredom in the evenings, I would attend a ballet or opera. The opera house, like many others in Europe is replete with red velvet seating and curtains, and gilded ceilings; however what sets the State Opera House in Prague apart is it's many salons which are used for intermission cocktails and aperitifs. The salons are just as sumptuous as the theatre, and provide an ideal place for people watching. If I had the chance again, I would not visit Prague without a visit to the State Opera House-it's like stepping into a James Bond movie: gangsters, beautiful women dripping in diamonds, Lamborghini's in the valet lot, all against the backdrop of Puccini's Tosca-now there's an ironic Opera to play in a theatre like this!
From a North American perspective, it isn't really that expensive-a dress circle seat will cost about $40. But for an average Czech worker, this is still very costly and something only purchased on very special occasions. To further emphasize the disparity between the 'new' and 'old' Prague, one merely needs to look at the old lady standing on the Opera House steps selling wilted roses in news paper begging for a few Crowns (local currency 1 Crown = .055 CAD) for a single rose.
Opera House Salon
I was last in Prague in 2007 and still remember the city, and Opera House vividly. I was alone, and to quell boredom in the evenings, I would attend a ballet or opera. The opera house, like many others in Europe is replete with red velvet seating and curtains, and gilded ceilings; however what sets the State Opera House in Prague apart is it's many salons which are used for intermission cocktails and aperitifs. The salons are just as sumptuous as the theatre, and provide an ideal place for people watching. If I had the chance again, I would not visit Prague without a visit to the State Opera House-it's like stepping into a James Bond movie: gangsters, beautiful women dripping in diamonds, Lamborghini's in the valet lot, all against the backdrop of Puccini's Tosca-now there's an ironic Opera to play in a theatre like this!
No comments:
Post a Comment