Programme for accompanying persons

Prague!

Whoever has seen her once
her name sings forever in one's heart.
This city is a song woven into time
and we love it.
Let it ring !

Jaroslav Seifert, Czech poet,
Nobel Prize winner 1984


It is a great pleasure for us to offer some programs for accompanying
persons which we hope will attract your attention. Let us present
three half day sightseeing walks through the most beautiful areas of
our city. Each program will be organized by a Japanese speaking
"amateur" guide. A guide, though graduated in statistics, is more and
more oscilating between her two affections, namely, love to her native
country and Japanese culture. We believe that having visited Prague,
the city of magic, her name will sing forever also in your hearts as
well as Czech music that can be heard everywhere.


PRAGUE CASTLE

The residence of Czech kings and dominating point of the town since
the 10th century. More than one thousand years of history are written
into the architecture of this vast complex of buildings. We can admire
there not only a white romanesque basilica, a majestic cathedral
erected in French gothic style but also an Italian renaissance summer
palace. Picturesque little colored houses of the Golden Lane,
mentioned in many legends, contrast with monumental baroque palaces of
Habsburg emperors. The buildings and courtyards are adorned with
original decorative elements from the 20th century. The Castle has its
charm for everyone in every season. It is possible to see the
beautiful interiors of churches and palaces, to visit the interesting
expositions of several art galleries or only to spend a lovely
afternoon in the splendid gardens offering unforgettable views of
hundred-towered Prague in sunny summer days.

You are invited to a guided tour through this area full of beauty and
history which will be completed with a refreshment in a ca. Having
seen the nicest Castle rooms we dedicate some time to walking and rest
in the gardens.


OLD TOWN

Czechs, Germans, Jews and other nations, catholics and protestants had
been living in this area and mixing their cultures for hundreds of
years. Here the oldest university in central Europe was founded and
has its seat until now, here we can find gothic and baroque churches
beside old synagogues and a mysterious Jewish cemetery. Here the music
of Don Giovanni sounds in the theatre which was scene of the first
performance of this opera under the direction of great Mozart. Here,
in narrow medieval lanes, we can look for traces of Franz Kafka born
in one of the houses in this place. Here the ancient astronomical
clock measures the time in the Old Town Square counted among the most
beautiful squares in the world.

Our walk through the charming parts of both Christian and Jewish
quarter can be completed with a visit of  the Museum of Applied Arts
or one of the  galleries in romanesque, gothic and baroque interiors
of patrician houses and palaces. We take a rest in an elegant ca
offering a view of the famous astronomical clock with the procession
of apostles and finally  a lift will bring us to the top of the tower
of the Old Town Hall to enable us observing the splendid panorama of
Prague from 70m of height.


LESSER TOWN

The periods of renaissance and baroque determined the shape of this
quarter of noble palaces surrounded by terraced gardens below the
Prague Castle.We find there also the gem of Prague baroque
architecture, St. Nicholas Church with an interesting fresco and
sculpture decoration. In the Church of Our Lady Victorious the famous
little statue of the marvelous Infant Jesus of Prague is expecting the
pilgrims. The quiet corners of the Kampa island represent the opposite
to busy streets. The island was living place or the favourite place of
visiting of many artists. Even Ludwig van Beethowen was accommodated
here during his stay in Prague. The ,ertovka stream separating Kampa
from the bank of the Vltava river characterizes the area called Prague
Venice. We can see there a renaissance mill the wheel of which keeps
on moving until now, the memorial wall of  John Lennon, little bridges
and charming small squares.

The walk through this romantic part of Prague starts at the Charles
Bridge which is a unique open air gallery of baroque sculpture watched
by majestic gothic towers. After refreshment in a nice ca in Kampa
we visit a church and spend the rest of the afternoon in a baroque
garden.


PRAGA  MUSICOPOLIS EUROPAE

Prague's musical life can be studied from the 11th century when the
first notated manuscripts appeared, recording Christian liturgical
music. The most valuable record of that time is the Czech religious
folk song Lord, pour out Your love on us. Emperor Charles IV marked
the first great period in the musical life of Prague. At the turn of
the 16th and 17th centuries the court orchestra of Emperor Rudolpoh II
attained European fame.

The premiere of  W.A. Mozart's  Don Giovanni took place at the newly
built Nostic theatre.  Shortly afterwards, a pianist, who was given
extraordinary acclaim for the performance of his own works and the
compositions of others-Ludwig van Beethoven- appeared at the Prague
concert hall in Konviktska Street.

A contest launched by Count Jan Harrach for an original Czech opera
singled out for praise Bedrich Smetana's  Brandenburgs in Bohemia.
Shortly afterward, this was followed up by other operas of the same
author-the Bartered Bride and Dalibor.

The National Theatre was opened on June 11, 1881, with a production of
B.Smetana's opera Libuse. Three months later the building was
destroyed by fire, but by dint of tremendous effort by the whole
nation it was rebuilt within two years. The building of House of
Creative and musical Art, called the Rudolfinum, gave Prague concert
life a dignified home. The Czech Society for Chamber Music and the
Czech Philharmonic orchestra were also established about this time.
Czech philharmonic orchestra played the works of B.Smetana, A.Dvorak
and other leading Czech composers. During the First World War Leos
Janacek's opera Jenufa had its Prague premiere (May 26, 1916)

The Mozart Society was formed, acquired the Bertramka villa, the place
where W.A.Mozart stayed while in Prague, an opened to the public.

The summer palace of Michna of Vacin, called "Amerika", was opened in
1932 as the Antonin Dvorak Museum, and four years later the Bedrich
Smetana Society made public its collection in the Smetana Museum,
adapted from the building of the Old Town waterworks.

The international music festival Prague Spring held since 1946 in May,
began to assume the function of an outstnading place for artists from
all over the world.

It became traditional to mark the contributions of B. Smetana and A.
Dvorak to Czech music on the anniversary of their death, at Vysehrad
Cemetery, the resting place of many artists who worked for our
national musical culture.