Rebecca Schneidereit is taking part in ±«Óătv’s Advanced Seminar in Baroque Culture, held annually in Cesky Krumlov (a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Czech Republic). Her diary follows the daily activities of the seminar class, which is crosslisted between the Theatre, History, and Music departments.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Met the rest of the class and Professor Simon Kow at the Linz airport. After the twistiest, turniest 1.5 hour bus ride imaginable (made only more memorable by the incessant Elvis on the radio), we were deposited wobbly-legged upon the cobblestone roads of Cesky Krumlov. We’re staying at the Penzion Gardena, a beautiful little inn 10 minutes from the castle, where classes will be held starting tomorrow. Had dinner with my roommate on a terrace overlooking a ravine – plenty of tourists flitting around in Ye Olde-type costumes they rented (I’m told our turn will come). A walk through the town afterwards yielded up everything from fashion boutiques to museums to souvenir shops and even a “rock and roll bar” (how baroque). Roommate and I agreed we’d be hitting up the “torture museum” during the lunch break between classes tomorrow — no better way to set the tone for the semester, right?
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Class started at 10 a.m. in the castle, which is surrounded by a moat of bears. That was not a typo. There are live bears. In the moat. Word is they’re vegetarian. I’m unconvinced. Our first lecture was an “Introduction to Baroque Art” — we started with Bernini’s Ecstasy of Saint Teresa and moved through Gentileschi, Caravaggio, Reubens, Rembrandt and Vermeer (not all strictly Baroque, but it helped to provide context). After class, my roommate and I hit up Cesky Krumlov’s Museum Tortury, full of dioramas and exhibits of instruments of torture. We recovered our stomachs just in time for the “welcome dinner” at Krcma Marketa – chicken (roasted before your eyes on a fire in the main dining area), vegetables with cheese, and beer for less than $15? Yes please…
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Our lecture this morning was on “Jan Huss and Hussitism.” Hussitism was apparently sort of a Bohemian proto-Protestantism, to shamelessly oversimplify. The subject matter enabled us to sneak an episode of Blackadder in the afternoon, to help situate the very dense text historically. Visited a wax museum with my roommate, which I’d never done before — super creepy. Wax Charlie Chaplin may give me nightmares (in a good way).
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Class today on “The Habsburgs and the Counter-Reformation”. The Habsburgs were a bunch of Austrian nobles whose motto was “AEIOU”, which they managed to make stand for something along the lines of “Austria’s going to conquer everything”. The assigned reading was Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises, a sacred how-to for self-improvement of the sanctified variety. We learned during the lecture that defenestration—throwing your enemies out of windows— is not infrequent in Czech history (once in Cesky Krumlov’s own castle). That’s miles more stylish than burning at the stake. In the afternoon, we screened the first half of Amadeus in preparation for viewing Mozart’s Nozze di Figaro during our class trip to Prague. The World of Baroque Theatre conference starts tomorrow and runs all weekend – I know I’ve been spoiled by our class starting at 10 a.m. when I’m shocked that we have to register at nine!
Friday, June 3, 2011
As I write, I’m still stuffed with the (free) sausages and (free) white wine served at the garden reception which followed tonight’s opera in the Cesky Krumlov theatre (a working baroque theatre, one of only a few in the world). The opera was Handel’s “Terpsicore” — somewhat light on plot, but heavy on arias, ballet, and gorgeous period costumes. That’s just what I did this evening, of course. During the day, our class sat in the Hall of Mirrors, listening to various lectures pertaining to the World of Baroque Theatre (a category that encompasses a broad mix of topics). On the lunch break, my roommates and I hit up Cesky Krumlov’s puppet museum, basically a big storehouse for theatrical marionettes. They were showing a video recording of a performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni done entirely through puppetry. If you’ve never seen marionettes sword fight, description cannot possibly do it justice: I advise you to get on Youtube, stat.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
The lectures at the World of Baroque Theatre Conference finished up today — tons of interesting stuff, some of it concerned with Cesky Krumlov itself as well as its nobility. (It definitely adds a new dimension to history to be sitting in the castle where it happened). Over the lunch break, I found a cute boutique and grabbed a skirt and sundress, both red with white polka dots (possibly my Kryptonite). Once the lectures wrapped up, conference attendees went to a Czech restaurant for dinner, where I ordered the “pork knee” on a friend’s advice. Said knee was a unique experience, but not one I would repeat – it involved more work than actual food.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Slept in for the first time since getting here, did some laundry in the sink, then sauntered down to Cesky Krumlov’s summer palace with the rest of the class and Professors Kow and Peter Perina. The summer palace was a warm-weather hangout for Cesky Krumlov’s nobles, a place they went for privacy, and they took that privacy seriously – the table was even elevated in and out of the dining room so servants wouldn’t constantly be crashing their dinner parties. After the summer palace, the class watched the ducklings in the garden pond, then split up – about half went rafting on the river, half stayed in Cesky Krumlov, getting work done or seeing the sights. Tomorrow we tour the castle – I’m hoping for some lurid dungeons.
Cesky Krumlov diary
Dal students go to class in a castle surrounded by a bear-filled moat
Rebecca Schneidereit - June 6, 2011
One of the Cesky Krumlov castle's bears frolics in the moat.