[Leica] IMG: More Prague

[Peter Klein]

Bassoonist Phillip Hill with colleagues from the Prague Summer Nights 
festival.
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563@N04/36417403991/in/dateposted-public/>

A band concert in the lower gardens of the Prague Castle, given by the 
Castle Guard band.  They were *good*.  They are an important ceremonial 
unit, and play at many official events. I talked to several of them 
afterwards. All I had to do was point to myself and say the Czech word 
for "bassoon," and I was family.
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563@N04/36555682505/in/dateposted-public/>

The Municipal House is an architectural paean to Czech nationalism. 
Virtually every decoration and detail is made of native Czech materials, 
and often has symbolic meanings rooted in tradition or folklore. This 
mural and a companion depict several important Czech writers. The 
composers Smetena and Dvorak are at right.
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563@N04/36555682735/in/dateposted-public/>

This mural appeals to Slavic solidarity:
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563@N04/36158802640/in/dateposted-public/>

A door handle in the form of a stylized brass eagle.
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563@N04/35746406453/in/dateposted-public/>

A lace curtain:
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563@N04/36417404381/in/dateposted-public/>

A view of the Rudolfinum (symphony hall) from the adjacent bridge. You 
can see many statues of composers on the parapets.
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563@N04/35721058974/in/dateposted-public/>

There is a great story about these statues. Unfortunately, it isn't 
true, but it should be, so I'll tell it anyway. It comes from a novel, 
"Mendelssohn Is on the Roof," by Jiří Weil. After the Nazis took over 
Czechoslovakia, Richard Heydrich ordered the statue of Felix Mendelssohn 
to be removed (Mendelssohn had been a practicing Lutheran, but his 
grandparents were Jewish).  Two Czech workers, supervised by an SS 
officer, were given the task. The statues were not labeled, so they 
decided to knock down the one with the biggest nose. Just before they do 
so, they discover that they are about to destroy the statue of Hitler's 
idol, Richard Wagner.  (In reality, the Rudolfinum never had a statue of 
Wagner, and Mendelssohn is still there).


Enjoy!
--Peter