About the program:

From July 1 to July 27, Hilde Binford and colleagues will present “Johann Sebastian Bach: Currents and Cross-Currents in the Baroque Era and in Our Time,” a National Endowment for the Humanities project whose purpose is to provide an understanding of the intellectual and musical worlds of J. S. Bach. School teachers from a wide variety of disciplines will travel with Dr. Binford, Louise Forsyth, and other experts to Eisenach, Leipzig, and Potsdam, Germany, for an intensive experience of lectures, performances, discussions and field trips. Follow along as the group explores the life and works one of the great geniuses of Western music.

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Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed on this website do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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Taking The Saxon Pass

Friday, July 16, 2010

Over the past weekend, many of the participants had the opportunity to venture out from our home to the many destinations available through the Saxon pass. The pass is meant for groups traveling in the Saxony area and Dr. Binford, Dr. Allen, and Louise all suggested their use on the various trips organized. Trips were planned to Wittenberg (by an adamant History teacher!), Weimar, Dresden (a number of day-trips to Dresden), Köthen, Naumburg, and Merseburg. As the writer of the blog, I will explain my experiences through our many travels.

(This was helpful graffiti!)

(We were told to "Turn right at the 'Thug.'")

On Friday, I was lucky enough to sign on to the Wittenberg trip, the place where Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Schloßkirche in town. The “old” part of town is a single street, but it is loaded with history - the Stadtkirche, the Luther Museum, and the Schloßkirche. The Luther Museum, where we arguably spent the most time, is three stories high and includes interpretations of Luther’s importance throughout history.

(The candles in the Stadtkirche.)

(Flowers just outside the Stadtkirche.)

After the museum many of us found ourselves searching for food, and our group settled at a local ice cream shop where we ordered sandwiches, ice cream, and huge glasses of cola, which Brad collected for a picture!

(Obviously very thirsty!)

Both churches were ornate and overwhelming on the inside, and we found ourselves avoiding the sweltering heat by staying inside the cool ambiance of old churches. At the Schoßkirche especially, we were able to sit inside. The church has a huge plaque of the 95 Theses, and for two Euros, we were able to climb the church’s tower for a lovely view of the quaint little town.

(The group in front of the 95 Theses site.)

(Candles in the Schloßkirche.)

On Saturday, a large group of the participants ventured to Dresden, some to see a performance of a traveling performance of Evita, and others to check out the museums and see a concert at the Frauenkirche. The program at the Frauenkirche included Olivier Messiaen, Francis Poulenc, and Igor Stravinsky, and two pieces, one of them a 15 minute organ improvisation, by a British composer.

(The group in front of a red cow in Dresden.)

(The Catholic church, standing on the edge of the Elbe.)

(Bob, Louise, and Al in the Palace)

Our group of concert-goers divided even further as we arranged to meet right before the concert and all found ourselves going off in different directions across town. For me personally, I climbed to the Frauenkirche summit and met a nice couple from Atlanta, Georgia who helped me get a picture with me actually in it!

(Soaking our tired feet in the fountain!)

(The Frauenkirche, where we saw the classical music concert.)

(Dresden skyline, dusk.)

On Sunday, I followed Dr. Binford’s group to Naumburg, a small town in the Saxony area where we had tickets to see the Hilliard ensemble. Once there, Louise and I got lost and met up with the rest of the group at one of the only three restaurants in town (they kept a lookout for us!) On our way, we saw signs for Nietzsche’s family house, but we arrived five minutes after it closed.

(The church where we witnessed the Hilliard ensemble.)

(Friedrich Nietzsche's entourage!)

At the Hilliard ensemble concert, held in the largest church in town, I found myself with a group that had “obscured view” seats. This subtracted nothing from the concert, as the Hilliard ensemble’s interpretation of works spanning twelfth century polyphony to a commissioned work from 2009 was both exquisite and engaging.

(I leaped in front of about six people for this photo.)

In all cases I fell asleep on the trains back to Leipzig, worn out from the extensive travel across the Saxony area. Hopefully the pictures have been helpful, and with any luck, I will have another post soon about our time with Peter Wollny and our second week in Leipzig.

(And me, because I'm always behind the lens and never in front of it.)

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