Tales of an Orchestra Den Mother | Part 8, Separated from the Pack in Leipzig

Wednesday, April 21: Composer Trail

Our itinerary for Wednesday was focused on music history and included a “drive by” (on foot) of the house where Robert and Clara Schumann lived, a visit to the Mendelssohn Museum, and a detailed exploration of the Bach Museum and Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church) where Bach was organist and choirmaster.

All did not quite go to plan for me and The Bear.

The Schumann House was just around the corner from our hotel. Robert and Clara Schumann lived here during their first four years of marriage (1840-1844). Because we only walked past it, the only thing that stood out to me was the fact that Germans do a better job of spelling Schumann than people in Portage, MI. Go figure.

We only paused at the GRASSI, a museum complex that includes the GRASSI Museum of Applied Arts, the GRASSI Museum of Ethnology, and the Musical Instrument Museum. Part of the the University of Leipzig (founded in 1409, it is the second oldest university in Germany and one of the oldest in Europe), the GRASSI is considered a world-class museum. It looked like it would have been an interesting place to visit.

In many ways, this trip was reminiscent of going to a "Taste of [insert city name here]" festival where we sampled much, but delved deeply into little.

Before the gates to the GRASSI is a meadow that was once part of the cemetery associated with Johanniskirche (St. John's Church). Here, Bach was buried in an unmarked grave in 1750. When the church on the site was destroyed, Bach's presumed remains were transferred to Thomaskirche in 1949. Whether the bones buried at Thomaskirche truly are Bach's or not is still a matter of debate.

The Gewendhaus is the home to the Leipzig Gewendhaus Orchestra. 

The Mendebrunnen is the largest fountain in Leipzig. It has stood on this site since 1886.

Opposite the orchestra hall is the Oper Leipzig (Leipzig Opera). This building opened in 1960 after the previous opera house was destroyed in a World War II air raid. 

This striking building is a part of Leipzig University, built on the site of the former Paulinerkirche (St. Paul's Church) that was destroyed by the communist German Democratic Republic (GDR) government. The façade is intended to evoke the lines of the original church, yet the elements are intentionally misaligned to symbolize that structure's destruction.

The woman facing us was our tour guide. She reminded me of Parker Posey.

Unhappy Bear

The Bear walks past the entrance to Mendelssohn Haus.

By the time we reached the Mendelssohn Haus, a museum dedicated to composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), The Bear was not feeling well.

As our tour guide talked about the building we were about to enter, The Bear and I sat on a bench. When everyone else went inside, The Bear refused and wanted to return to the hotel. I notified Yana and walked The Bear back to our hotel.

The Bear crashed hard. I stayed in the room with her while she slept for a solid two hours. Afterward, she awoke feeling perfectly normal...and famished. Her absence from the tour group had been noticed  and a flurry of text messages served to reassure the HYSO director that he was not going to be without one of his two oboes that evening.

"OK, it's just you and me. What do you want for lunch? You name it, I'll find it," I offered.

"Indian," she said without hesitation. With a little web browsing, I located the well-reviewed "Masala" Indian restaurant within a few blocks of the hotel. So, for the first time on our trip, The Bear and I set off into a foreign city completely on our own. While I regret that she felt ill earlier, I confess to enjoying our side adventure separate from the rest of the group.

Side Excursion

As we neared our destination, it became obvious that the restaurant must be inside the Leipzig Hauptbahnhof (train station). We entered, though I was dubious about the quality of train station Indian  cuisine. 

The train station was beautiful inside. Originally opened in 1914, it is the largest train station in Europe as measured by floor area.

The concourse felt more like a high end shopping center than a train station.

Our meals at Masala were excellent, though The Bear was the only one of us to get a mango lassi. We struggled a bit with a proprietor who did not speak English, but we successfully ate and paid for our meals. 

Yana told me where the rest of the group was and so we set off through the city to find them.

We were taken by the colorful mural on the side of the Leipzig Marriott.

Looking back at the mammoth train station.

It just goes on forever.

A Bear with her lassi loose on the streets of Leipzig. It almost felt like we were playing hooky. To be sure, we missed out on some interesting tours, including the Thomaskirche where Bach served as music director from 1723 until 1750.

But we also got to rub elbows with near life-sized Playmobil composers!

This was an unexpected find. The Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas Church, built 1165) in Leipzig was the epicenter of the peaceful Monday demonstrations that are credited with ultimately leading to dismantling of the GDR (German Democratic Republic). And we stumbled across it by happenstance.

That lassi lasted a good, long time.

I'm sorry...is this an outtake from Alien?

The Bear and I arrived at the Markt with a tower of the Thomaskirche evident in the background. I was intrigued by the notion of currywurst and Curry Cult seemed a good place to sample it, but I never quite got the chance.

The Markt.

Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church).

Reunited with Bach at Thomaskirche.

Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church).

Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church).

Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church).

Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church).

Thomashaus (rectory).

Thomashaus and Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church).

Thomaswiese, a nice park adjacent to St. Thomas' Church.

Reunited

Proof that Izzy was eating! Also, Gabe and The Bear's hand.

By the time The Bear and I reached the Markt, the full tour group had split up in search of lunch. We found Izzy, Gabe, Yana, and Zhenya at the Brauhaus an der Thomaskirche. Luke was off cavorting with the other bassoons. (The Bear and I decided that this was best described as a pride of bassoons.) Afterward, the Hogwarts students went souvenir shopping and Yana, Zhenya, and I went in search of more refined afternoon snacks. The snacks were crucial - Wednesday was our long day and dinner was not planned until nearly 10:00 pm.

Our free time in Leipzig ended in the late afternoon. It was time to get the HYSO to St. Peter's Church for rehearsal and their second performance. The Bear's ailment seemed to have passed completely and she was ready to give her all that evening.