Greetings from Czech Republic

[Michael]

Hello, I accidentally found this forum and because I really like classical music I couldn't resist and I had to register here. So, few things about me I am 18 years old student of grammar school here in Pilsen, Czech Republic. I have started to listen to classical music 3 years ago(well, I am not completely sure, but nevermind )
I listen to almost everything from J.S.Bach to Boulez/Ligeti/Glass etc. I am quite an exot here in our country - it's very odd for someone of my age to listen to classical music. But c. music is great part of my life
I listen to it, I buy scores(I ordered Liszt's pno concertos and Ligeti's Hamburg concerto today ), I read about music(I have some books about composers, etc.), I try to compose myself and actually I need to know everything about music---how does conducting works, I even play a piano little, read books on orchestration and harmony and counterpoit, etc., etc. )
On other side I like mathematics(it's driving my teacher crazy because I have some very tricky questions and generally I a study mathematics(just from books) which is teached on university because(even when I attend class specialized to math) our lesson of math are boring for me , physics(mainly quantum mechanics), poetry( and I write it too ), some interesting literature(it's driving my teacher of literature crazy because almost no one else read those books I read(e.g. Virginia Woolf's books), some good films, Star Trek. And girls of course, but for many of them I am something like crazyman (I'm sure you know why )
I am really happy to find this forum.
Have a nice day
P.S. English is very different from my mother's tongue so if there is something funny about my English be sure to let me know.

[bhodges]

Hello Michael, and welcome.  Nice that you listen to everything from Bach to Ligeti--and interesting that you decided to buy the score to the Hamburg Concerto, a great piece. 

Enjoy yourself here, and your English is fine.  (Much better than my Czech, for sure.  )

--Bruce

[Mark G. Simon]

Welcome, Michael. You sound like an intelligent and enthusiastic young person. You'll find a lot of like-minded people here. Not a lot of 18-year olds admit to liking classical music. It's their loss.

Don't worry about your English. We can understand you loud and clear.

We'll let you keep posting if you send us a good supply of your local brew.

[Michael]

Hello Michael, and welcome.  Nice that you listen to everything from Bach to Ligeti--and interesting that you decided to buy the score to the Hamburg Concerto, a great piece. 

Enjoy yourself here, and your English is fine.  (Much better than my Czech, for sure.  )

--Bruce

You are right it's quite a great price, but I just couldn't resist
And if it comes to Czech I think it's really very difficult language to learn if you don' speak similar language(e.g. Polish, Slovak, Russian, etc.)(these languages are actually from the same group of languages(Slavonic languages)) Even for us it's sometimes difficult especially if it comes to spelling.
My marks from Czech in school are actually worse than my marks from English

[uffeviking]

A joyous Welcome to an 18 year old Renaissance man! Looking forward to hear more from you, for instance something about a branch of classical music you have not mentioned: OPERA!

- I knew a plea for a case of Pilsener would show up here sooner or later! - 

[Michael]

We'll let you keep posting if you send us a good supply of your local brew.

By the brew you mean beer? Well, it's actually our "national treasure"(an we all like it, me including). So I understand you completely. But it could be difficult to send you a supply

[karlhenning]

Vítej!, Michael!

[Michael]

A joyous Welcome to an 18 year old Renaissance man! Looking forward to hear more from you, for instance something about a branch of classical music you have not mentioned: OPERA!

- I knew a plea for a case of Pilsener would show up here sooner or later! - 

Well, when it comes to opera I like especially some of Mozart's, then Fidelio of course, Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky, Pelleas and Melisande by Debussy,then some of Glass's, but I have big gaps of knowledge of opera   Well, I of course know about Puccini and Verdi(Traviata is great), but I haven't time yet to listen to others, but working on that and  I like opera generally.

[Michael]

Vítej!, Michael!

Well, I didn't expected Czech greeting Děkuji (very much )

[karlhenning]

- I knew a plea for a case of Pilsener would show up here sooner or later! - 

And only in Reply #2 . . . no surprise  

Well, I didn't expected Czech greeting Děkuji (very much )

It's different to Russian! (My wife and mom-in-law are from St Petersburg.)  A good friend of ours is Czech, a lay brother in a monastery.

[Mark G. Simon]

By the brew you mean beer? Well, it's actually our "national treasure"(an we all like it, me including). So I understand you completely. But it could be difficult to send you a supply

Darn! I suppose I'll just have to go there to get some.

[bhodges]

Here we go...enough for everyone. 

--Bruce

[Christo]

Teplý vítat, Michael! Great to learn about your love for so many forms of culture, music included. Hope you're encouraged by this forum to continue, you'll probably find many others here with similar odd interests.  (And as for your English: many of us, and certainly an ageing Dutchman like me, are struggling with it ... why bother?)

[Dundonnell]

Welcome indeed, Michael! Great to have another younger member on the site to join the rest of us

I have visted your country several times bringing groups of school pupils. Stayed in Prague each time but we did venture out into the Bohemian countryside to visit Karlstein(Karlstejn) Castle, Brno, Litomerice, Terezin and some great caves south(?) of Prague-can't remember what they are called?

Did manage to pick up some CDs of Czech music in a good CD shop on the Old Town Square in Prague(opposite the statue of Jan Hus).
Are you interested in Czech music? There are a lot of us on this site who are and there is a recent thread on Lesser Known Czech-Slovak composers started by vandermolen.

[DFO]

Gretings Michael.
Hope we can discuss Jan Kubelik,Vasa Prihoda or
Ivan Kawaciuk?

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

You're very welcome, Michael. Greetings from the Netherlands!

[Hollywood]

Greetings from a quarter Czech SoCal gal living here in neighboring Austria, Michael. Welcome to the forum. 

It's great to see more and more young people listening to classical music and discovering that they really love it.

I wish my german was half as good as your english, but at my age learning a new language is like beating a dead horse. 

I hope to visit the Czech Republic someday ever since I learned that I have a cousin who lives there and teaches photography at the university in Prague. I also have cousins living still in Kosice, Slovkia (where my maternal grandfather's family came from) and a cousin living in Bratislava.

Enjoy your stay here in GMG-Land. 

[Marcel]

Greetings Michael, I am from neighbourhood country - Slovakia (Kosice).

I also have cousins living still in Kosice, Slovakia (where my maternal grandfather's family came from) and a cousin living in Bratislava.

Really? Are you in touch? I am from Kosice, too.

[Hollywood]

Greetings Michael, I am from neighbourhood country - Slovakia (Kosice).

Really? Are you in touch? I am from Kosice, too.

Wow! What are the odds that there was someone else posting here from Kosice? 

Well Marcel, I have never been to Kosice but I do have a cousin who still lives there. My cousin back in Calif. went and visited all of these newly discovered cousins last year. She then sent me all of their addresses but I haven't been able to travel to these places to meet any of them. I would love to do so some day.

I do have a lovely old book about Kosice that my grandfather brought back to the USA way back in the 1960s. The photos are all in black and white and I am sure that Kosice has changed quite a bit since then. Who knows, one day I may see it live and in color. 

[Marcel]

Wow! What are the odds that there was someone else posting here from Kosice? 

Well Marcel, I have never been to Kosice but I do have a cousin who still lives there. My cousin back in Calif. went and visited all of these newly discovered cousins last year. She then sent me all of their addresses but I haven't been able to travel to these places to meet any of them. I would love to do so some day.

I do have a lovely old book about Kosice that my grandfather brought back to the USA way back in the 1960s. The photos are all in black and white and I am sure that Kosice has changed quite a bit since then. Who knows, one day I may see it live and in color. 

Nice to see people are aware of our town.  It is a small one. But I like it, especially the historical centre of the town. Wish you to see it on your own eyes, one day !

So your ancestors are from Slovakia?