Interlude I Dresden evening at Frauenkirche with Bach: Advent Concert.

My first  evening was spent at Frauenkirche.
It was rather difficul to find my way to the hotel from Mitte Hbf at  5.30pm in pitch- dark.
I eventually managed after inquiring at the tram queue in front of the station, and got nice help.
 In fact I need not take the tram: I was some two hundred meters away from B&B where I booked my two nights'stay.
Registration was fairly quick, enquiries for the journey to Frauenkirche went smoothly and I did not waste time to walk back to the tram station, got a 2.20€ ticket and hopped on the tram to Altmarkt.

I had a map and all the instructions. If the suburb around Mitte Hbf was quiet and dark, the Altmarkt was dazzling with all sorts of Christmas lightings!  It was packed with crowds of people and lots of families with children because of the Christmas markets all around.

 I was happy to be slugging along queues of people enjoying themselves and at the same time a bit worried to get to the church in sight but completely surrounded by swarming folks.

 I made my way along the excavations and works in front of Frauenkirche and could smell all sorts of nice roast food, ham, sausages, chestnuts, it was a feast...I thought I would taste some after the concert and walked through the crowd to the doors of the church. I then understood I had to find my entrance

on my ticket and walked round to find it. It was 7.15pm and I queued a little bit then I could enter.
There I felt terribly moved to be in front of the real things of beauty I had admired on  my tv screen nearly every Christmas for some years, when the Advent Concerts were broadcast.
I sat and gazed ... which is  one of my favourite occupation... so many cherubs to discover, plants,

vine running across pillars, angels, then the painted ceiling, endless discoveries and contemplation.
When the concert strated I was truly happy and relieved to be there after two flights, a very early departure and somehow an hasardous arrival: it always looks dead easy on internet then in reality it is very different. With the blazing trumpets and rejoicing chorus, with eyes lost in all the details of the baroque scenery around me, I suddenly thought it was like swimming in reviving waters, another amazing experience offered by music.

The first cantate is familiar to me, then it is less easy and gradually I got lost  a bit. " Mary," the alto, had a nice middle voice but no low range, the soprano was not projecting  for some reason. The Evangelist was fine and the bass was really good. As for the musicians and chorus, they were like I enjoy listening to, in  Bach Cantates. Then I made up my mind after two hours I could not possibly stay until the end... so at the interval, I left, knowing it was a kind of sacrilege, but I had to face the journey back on the tram, then another very busy day, the only complete one in Dresden out of this trip. As I was always told by my very kind -hearted stepfather who brought me up and cared for Mum and me, 'tomorrow is another day '....Back in the cold night, with less people around I could notice the display of Christmas traditionnal gifts, the minute carved stars, angels, Frauenkirche, looked really crafty, food display of sausages everywhere, as well as beer and hot spicy wine stands.
I fancied a kind of grilled slice of bread with cream, ham and chives on top.
I ate it while walking to the tram stop. It was gone past 10pm, time to call it a day.