Both Hungary and the Czech Republic are known for opera and incredibly stellar classical musicians. While Vienna is clearly on the top list in Europe in this category, I had no interest in returning there despite my only experience of the place was for a few days twenty years ago.
Less structured than its far eastern counterpart, you can “fall upon” music on the street or in front of a cathedral in Budapest without a lot of planning or reserving expensive tickets for the best of the best.
One of the things I absolutely cherished about both Budapest and Prague is its commitment to classical arts and music, including opera and while other prices soared in and around it, they kept musical performances somewhat reasonable. (about $67 U.S. for third row center for a well known opera, which is about a quarter of what it would be for the same quality in the states). And so, I saw four of them and various street and cathedral performances in the same week).
Carmen was playing which included the talent of the Prague Royal Orchestra, conducted by Marin Peschik. It was in French with English and Czech subtitles and had a cast of incredible soloists from the State Opera and National Theatre in Prague.
Carmen was played by Michaela Kapustova, Don Jose by Josef Moravec, Micaela by Libuse Moravcova Myratska (soprano) and Escamillo (Milos Horak – basso). It was shown at the well known Hybernia Theatre in Prague.
For those not familiar with Carmen, the story, here’s a summary to bring you into the drama. Carmen was known as a passionate, beautiful and frivolous seductress, whose fickle life is at the hands of her jilted lover. The piece was written by Prosper Mérimée some thirty years before the premier of George Bizet’s work. The thirty-seven-year-old composer intro-duced more characters into the plot and positioned the carefree Carmen in juxtaposition to the pure and responsible Micaela. Other significant characters include José and his arch enemy Don Escamillo.
Below are two very short video clips that recap a little of the experience. If in Prague, see one or all of them – it’s well worth the spend.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
