Posted by Anne & Kirk Woodyard – Music and Markets Tours

Prague’s  elegant Rudolfinum is one of the most beautiful concert venues of Europe…and the May 25th evening performance was like no other we have heard there or elsewhere.
We all were spellbound as Giora Fieldman entered the concert hall from a side door, whispering a haunting tune on his clarinet. He approached the stage, and invited us all to sing/hum a single note. With the foundation of our voices, he began the extraordinary concerto (Concerto for Giora) composed for him by  conductor Peter Breiner, accompanied by the Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra.
We didn’t know the clarinet could be played sooo softly.

Giora Fieldman wept and moaned into his clear plexiglass clarinet; then whispered, growled, squawked and screamed into it and the audience melted.
The melody of this amazing piece stays with us for the following days, and the memory of the joyous conductor/composer, who practically danced his way through the piece. Giora, who has played for decades, is so comfortable with his instrument that he can interact

enthusiastically with the audience, orchestra, and conductor…his love for music and people nearly GLOWS.
An unforgettable evening….

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The best way to describe us (Kirk and Anne Woodyard) is that we’re interested in the stories that make the places we visit come alive.
We’ve visited Europe more times than we can count, learned some entertaining stories there, and met some warm and helpful people who also enjoy the wonders of music and life in Europe.

Between our music-related travels, we split our time between our homes near Washington DC and the Languedoc in the south of France. We look forward to sharing these stories and friends and experiences with our Music and Markets guests.

While both of us have experience in organizing travel and music groups Kirk’s background is in project management and competitive writing, and Anne is an accomplished pianist with over thirty years of teaching experience, and a travel and food writer specializing in France and Italy.