 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: dgclarinet
Date: 2007-02-08 15:24
My wife and I are planning a trip to Prague with possibly a short stop in Vienna this spring. I was wondering if anyone had any clarinet related ideas on things to see. We're going to be there during the Prague Festival and there are lots of great concerts (including what looks like a fantastic tribute concert for Josef Horak..can't wait for that), but I'd like any recommendations for music stores, cd shops, etc that might not be found in the tour guides, but would excite a clarinet player.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2007-02-08 15:58
You could make a day trip to Kraslice and visit the Amati factory and bring home a horn for me for having this good idea. ![[toast]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smiley15.gif)
--
Ben
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2007-02-08 16:03
Don't miss the Museum of Music. Lots of old and experimental clarinets on display (among other instruments)... fascinating stuff. In Mala Strana, near the intersecton of Ujezd and Hellichova IIRC. The ONLY thing I didn't absolutely love about the place was that, well, it's a museum, so you can't try the instruments.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: martind
Date: 2007-02-08 17:04
DG,
Check out the musicians who perform on the Charles Bridge. I heard
a good dixie band there when visiting. Oh, there is a nice music store
just off of the Charles Bridge. Smetana and Dvorak museums are located
here of course.
Martin
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Author: BassetHorn
Date: 2007-02-08 17:21
Lucky you!
I second Ben's idea of visiting Amati. And grab some Horak CDs if you can; they are hard to find.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2007-02-08 17:27
I was there for only a few hours (a short stop back from Vilnius). Defintely go to the main bridge. When I was there one guy was playing Bach's Air on wine glasses and it was excellent! He probably played a lot of other stuff too but unfortunately we had to go.
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Author: dgclarinet
Date: 2007-02-08 18:30
Amati makes a German system clarinet in G. Hmm...I can only imagine the trouble I'd get into with my wife. Do they sell horns at the factory in Kraslice? I couldn't find a Czech distributor.
Ben, I wish I could do what you asked, but I'd be glad to raise a glass of good Czech beer in your honor while there.
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2007-02-08 19:21
Nothing musical, but be sure to order a sip or two of Becherovka. It's an herbal liqueur and tastes a little like cinnamon/clove/anise.
When I was there in '01 I did find a little music instrument shop hidden somewhere that had lots of Amatis there. My advice is just to wander and see what you find!
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Author: bob49t
Date: 2007-02-08 19:45
There's an Amati shop in central Prague, but when there 2 years ago, I found they knew more about eastern block brass instruments than woodwind. The instruments we tried had the rings loose and the joints didn't fit together. Suspect they'd been there for years. I did pick up a cracking little Amati Eb though, that they had shipped from Kraslice. Suggest you take the train to Kraslice and see if they'll give you a factory tour, with instr trial.
BobT
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Author: Mags1957
Date: 2007-02-08 21:57
When you're in Vienna, make sure you check out the main cemetery - you will see, Beethoven, Brahms, Strauss, Schoenberg, etc. - just around the corner is Muhlfeld! - They're all together in one area - it's very cool! Also, stop in at the Hotel Sacher and have a sacher torte - yummy!
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Author: BobD
Date: 2007-02-09 19:03
"you will see, Beethoven, Brahms, Strauss, Schoenberg, etc. - just around the corner is Muhlfeld! -"
Wow, I thought those guys were dead! Duh, oh, you mean their graves. Sorry.
Bob Draznik
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Author: saxlite
Date: 2007-02-10 00:22
Bring your mouthpiece, the dixie group on the Charles Bridge will let you sit in. The clarinetist loaned me an old mouthpiece and reed, and I was able to manage it for a few tunes. Make sure to leave a few $$ for the starving musicians! Also, beware of pickpockets which are rampant in Prague (and most East European cities...). Lots of concerts everywhere- you like Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, don't you?......but, overall, Prague is a delightful city-enjoy!
Jerry
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Author: Gardini
Date: 2007-02-15 18:50
We were in Prague last summer and had a fantastic visit. Watch out for the stag partiers and tourist crowds and you you will be fine.
We were able to able to see the Czech Clarinet Quartet http://www.clarinet.cz/basic/basic_e.htm
at the Prague Castle gardens. it was a wonderfull evening of music in a fantastically beautiful setting. They play a wide variety of music. I loved their version of D. Brubeck - Blue rondo a la Turk. The 2nd. bass clarinet plays in various jazz bands - you might be able to catch him at one of Prague's many music clubs. Google - clarinet prague, -- czech clarinet . I found tickets online. There are numerous concerts all over the city, you may luck out too and find some live clarinet music.
We were in Prague for five days and walked and rode the metro everywhere. The metro is cheap, safe and clean. Very few American tourists use it. Get one or two blocks away from the tourist centers and you have empty streets and wonderful and interesting sightseeing. The beer is fantastic and we found good food everywhere. I tried to find a sheet music store near Charles bridge - but the rough "english" directions, 100 degree heat and a tired five year old cut my search off early. We did find two wonderful old music stores by walking well off the beaten track. Did I mention how great the beer is? You can email me for more tips if you wish.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2007-02-16 15:35
While in the Czech Republic, try to sample some slivovice, a type of plum brandy. Traditionally, it's home brew, but I think it's available commercially in Czecho. My grandfather was Czech. He made his own, from his own plums, in a barrel in the cellar of his Oklahoma farm. My grandmother, a stern Baptist, pretended she didn't know what kind of "medicine" he brewed down there. Be careful, because slivovice can taste like a sweet cordial, but it's high proof and packs a wallop. Drink enough of that stuff and you'll play nothing but accidental altissimo for the rest of the night.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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