Sorry about the last four weeks

So I realize that I haven't posted anything here for a long time.  I admit that the main reason is not that I don't have much to say, but rather that I have spent too little time in Dresden (as well as some level of procrastination).  This weekend is the first one I'm spending entirely in Dresden since April, and only my second since March.  So I suppose I might as well start with a summary of what I have done since my last post.

I had my second weeklong break from May 23-31 (I think it was celebrating the Pentecost holidays).  To start, I went back to Leipzig on the 23rd.  This was mostly motivated by my desire to go to a performance at the Thomaskirche by the boy's chorus Bach used to lead when he was cantor for 25 years (something I knew from a brief comment made by our tour guide when I went with the group).  Originally, I planned to go for the entire day, but as a result of a Skype conversation that lasted until 3 am, I didn't get there until shortly after noon.

After wandering around a bit trying to figure out what to do (and dealing with large crowds of people who looked like they had come for a Goth convention), I saw a sign for the Mendelssohn house, so I decided to check it out.  Apparently he spent the last few years of his life in Leipzig.  They had a decent collection, including stuff like portraits of his family, former pianos and other furniture, and plates representing his many travels.  One thing I found quite amazing is the collection of his watercolor paintings.  It appears that in addition to being one of the most famous composers, he was also a really good artist.

(Note: if that looks familiar, it is because it is the Rheinfalls near Schaffhausen, a place I have been to [see post about Switzerland].)  The visit ended with me going to their virtual conducting room and attempting to conduct the 4th movement of the Reformation Symphony.  It went quite poorly because the system only worked if you kept the baton really close to the display, which is not feasible for my style (see this for an example).

Afterwards, I went to see the Thomanerchor, the boy's chorus that has existed for hundreds of years at the Thomaskirche.  While I was unable to see the chorus, the music was really good, and it was also quite cheap.  Also, it was nice to have a look around the church.

After that, I wandered around trying to figure out what to do for the next few hours, until I saw a sign for the Schumann house and decided to check it out.  Again, they had two pianos, some former possessions, and a lot of copies of manuscripts.  I kind of had to rush through because I got there a half hour before it closed, but it was cool to see his former house.