Munich Day 2
Jan proposed that we begin the day with a visit to the special exhibit entitled The Blue Rider: A New Language, at the Lenbach Haus, one of Munich’s modern art museums.
She was drawn by the painting of that name by the early 20th century artist Franz Marc she had encountered during her 1964-5 undergraduate residence at Stanford in Germany.
The exhibit highlighted the work of women artists, who have been previously overlooked. including wives and partners of the the famous innovators like Marc and Kandinsky, Here is one by Gabrielle Munter:
These included a powerful set of prints
The Blaue Reiter itself took prominence.
After lunch in the museum cafe, we walked past another neo-classical monument modelled on the Parthenon (like “Walhalla” and the US Supreme Court), part of the immense Koenigsplatz which includes three more domineering structures used for mass rallies during the Third Reich
and found our way to the more appealing tram stop leading back to the hotel.
In early evening searching for the location of the concert for which we’d reserved tickets, we walked through a plaza in front of the State Opera House, its classical columns decked out in pastel colors.
Around a corner we pushed through a crowd and heard sounds of an orchestra and chorus coming from another plaza, this one filled with thousands of chairs. Could we be late? Where was the audience?
It took a while to discover that this was rehearsal for the following night’s sold-out performance at the Odeonsplatz featuring a world famous conductor and soloist.
Following the directions of a policeman we went through an entryway to yet another plaza containing a restaurant where we got a quick dinner,
before passing through an arcade opening to the courtyard of our destination.
The performance was high spirited, including the Haydn Trumpet Concerto.
After the intermission, the ensemble performed the whole of Beethoven’s 40-minute Eroica Symphony transcribed for seven musicians. It was an unfortunate choice for such a small group.
By the time it concluded we felt relieved find our way back home through the now familiar streets.
