Day Three: Bachaus, and the sights of Eisenach
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The w eather today was much cooler than the previous few days, and the number of us on the higher floors of the Schloßhotel were grateful for such a gorgeous morning. After a lively breakfast with the table of late-risers, we headed up to the conference room for two presentations on varied and interesting topics.
The discussion began on Bach and piety, which was met with thoughtful glances and engaging questions. After a short break, another presentation on the various tuning systems from Bach's time had the participants furiously drawing diagrams in their notebooks, as they learned about meantone, pythagorean, equal, and well-tempered systems of tuning.
We headed over to the Bachaus after lunch, observing the many facets of Bach's period through music, drawings, and writings. In fact, we were even able to witness a period instrument concert where one participant was able to power the organ while our guide played a Bach prelude on it! At the end of the tour, a number of us were interested in a machine that compared nine different interpretations of a single Bach piece, each a different orchestra and conductor.
After dinner, we continued our rather new tradition of night walks, discovering a lake, the SDC building (from 1969), and the Stasi headquarters building, which had been renovated and transformed into a current day Bach music center. We even happened upon a communist statue, surrounded by a retaining wall and furnished with a quote from Bertolt Brecht, comparing the individual to the communist party.
Once again, the history behind this quaint city continued to inspire and impress.
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