Tomáš Kelar swaps tough UK music bizz climb with Mountaineers for mega (and tiny) crowds with Midi Lidi

Nice big article in Prague Post today

Tom Kelar on the left.

The hair of the dog

Like all good gestations, it's only taken nine months from the seed being planted in my mind – get out of that Tabor flat away from those neighbours and have more room to swing a cat. Or dog. A few days ago, after months of negotiations on many levels, I am now the proud owner of my first apartment in CR. Yes, I know it only took me 20+ years. My ipod has just taken a tour of the new place and taken a few photos. Rather selectively, I would say. Nothing to do with me.

Photos here. Not all the colours are those of the apartment, rather of the camera ???

Huge thanks to Nikki, Anne and p. Obalilova for their brilliant help in the last few days. We have all swept a lot of dog hair under the carpet since then.

Two gigs in one week!

Now, this isn't bad either. Members of Brno Filharmaronie in Vankova, the very fine shopping centre that keeps shoppers in town rather than the centrifugal forces that mostly hurl them to the outskirts of towns. Back on topic, the essential players for the essential bits of Vltava, or as we call it in English (a.k.a. New German), Die Moldau.

All this culture - last night at the Husite church on Botanicka - superb choral performances by OctOpus +

I like this building

Last week I signed a contract for a flat in this building and hope to be resident within the month. Ain't that a gas!

The first home improvement will be a pianoforte - so much am I looking forward to it that my fingers have been tingling for a week already. I did get to thrash and bash some of my faves from the olden days at Bernadette's last week – my arms remembered the choreography for each piece, flailing the length of the keyboard, but alas, my fingers didn't. There were more wrong notes than right, me fears. A little practice may be in order.

And since I've withdrawn from all my summer work, I'm going to have my first Brno summer this millennium and in my new flat which means I'll be blocks and blocks from current neighbours, so maybe it'll even be legal to laugh after 10 pm. Such freedom is the main reason for going to this huge expense in time and money.

Not a size queen, but ...

So what's two metres between friends, huh? Cesky rozhlas has informed us that Brno now has the tallest building in CR, 2 metres taller than ... well, the article doesn't say. Anyway, it's quite attractive really, a touch of the Hundertwassers about it, for what it's worth.

Rusalka bombed

Remind you of the Met?

Well not exactly. But this evening, the performance of Rusalka at the Janacek Opera House (pictured) in Brno had to be cancelled because of a bomb threat made shortly before 5 pm (from Brno.iDnes news website). 

A bomb threat in Brno! To an opera house! To the Janacek Opera House! The greatest work in the Czech operatic repertoire! Has the world gone completely mad? I hope it was not that teenager from Breclav who fell off his balcony, and who didn't get beaten up by gypsies, as he claimed so his mum wouldn't be cross.

I was in that very theatre last night watching a spectacular performance of an unspectacular work, Mahler's Seventh, about which I wax lyrical here.

See Boris Klepal's article with lots of pretty pictures of Brno's Rusalka, which alas we might have to wait to some time to see again.

Excellent ado about a huge nothing. Brno wins!

Last night: brilliant performance by Brno Philharmonic of Mahler's least spectacular symphony, his 7th. It had its premiere in Prague in 1908, conducted by the composer. And shortly after in Munich and Holland. It confused the public and critics alike then. And me now. I had been wondering why I hadn't heard it before, as 1 2 3 4 5 and 6 are amongst my favourites of the entire repertoire. Everyone else in the world loves 8 except me. But 7 is much ado about nothing - almost down there with Bruckner.

The orchestra was outstanding. What a noise they made. And quite beautifully phrased and everything. But for what? One of the violinists told me afterwards that it took a whole week of rehearsals and this second performance before she felt it made any sense to her at all.

The audience on Thursday night roared and stamped and cheered. The audience last night stood and applauded at great length. Aleksander Markovich, our resident conductor, appeared deeply moved by the reception.  And well he might.

Does it not declare the sophistication of a city? That two full houses pay quite a lot for tickets to a concert with one long work only, and are moved to express such appreciation. This speaks very loudly for mature society.

Selepka on the move

... makes it so easy to replicate what you see when you emerge after ten too many. Spin away.

Selepka Restaurant in Brno, Iphone Fotosynth, Velikonoce in Brno

Brno serves the unexpected, yet again

Guess which Brno boy just beat Rafael Nadal?
A 26 year old Brňák, ranked 100th, OMG.
Where did this ignominious defeat take place?
None other than Wimbledon.
And with Rafa out, the way is paved for Andy and Andy. Gracious, we are in for a time!
Tell me more.
No! Can't you use the internet? Have a look at sporting life, you lazy toad. This is MY Friday night and I'll fritter it away at my pleasure. Oh, the impertinence of it all!

Waiting for his gal

What a lucky gal she is. This was taken about 9.30 am on my way to the gym.

A few pics of Brno's newest

Big black fella