GREAT MUSICAL CITIES PRAGUE, VIENNA & BUDAPEST APRIL 16-30, 2018 TOUR LEADER: LINDY MONTGOMERY GREAT MUSICAL CITIES Overview PRAGUE, VIENNA & BUDAPEST Enjoy orchestral music and opera of the highest quality in Central Tour dates: April 16-30, 2018 Europe’s most celebrated music venues. Learn about the rich musical traditions of Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic with in-depth background lectures on the music you will hear in live performance. Tour leader: Lindy Montgomery This 15-day tour visits three of the great music capitals of Central Europe: Tour Price: $9,440 per person, twin share Vienna, Prague and Budapest. As well as attending a series of fine performances, this musical pilgrimage takes you to the places where Single Supplement: $1,950 for sole use of some of the great composers lived and worked. In Budapest, there are double room museums dedicated to Liszt and Bartók, and in Vienna an astonishing number of sites associated with Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. We Booking deposit: $500 per person will also visit two beautifully preserved baroque theatres, one in Český Krumlov and the other the celebrated Estates Theatre in Prague. Recommended airline: Emirates Centrally located four and five star hotels, many meals, tipping and best- Maximum places: 20 available tickets to performances are all included. Walking tours and museum visits with an emphasis on music round out the program. Pre- Itinerary: Prague (4 nights), České Budějovice performance talks enhance your understanding and enjoyment. (1 night), Vienna (5 nights), Budapest (4 nights) Music educator Lindy Montgomery will provide expert commentary on various composers and musical life and the 18th, 19th and early 20th Date published: August 18, 2017 century Austro-Hungarian world. Local guides will provide additional information on specific sites. Your tour leader Lindy Montgomery is a graduate of both the University of Sydney and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where she taught in the Musicology Department for thirteen years. Lindy possesses a fine soprano voice and has featured as a soloist with ensembles such as the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Pinchgut Opera and Sydney Chamber Choir. She has travelled widely in Europe and North America and has led an Academy Travel music tour to Germany Enquiries and “Lindy is a superb tour leader and very knowledgeable.” bookings Feedback from tour participants on Lindy Montgomery’s most recent tour For further information and to with Academy Travel – Montreal to New York Music, April 2017 secure a place on this tour please contact Frederick Steyn at Academy Travel on 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email [email protected] .au Performance program Nine performances of opera, orchestral music, chamber music and ballet are included, in some of Central Europe’s most celebrated music venues. In Prague A concert by the Prague Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jac van Steen, featuring pianist Lukas Vondracek, performing works by Prokofjev and Rachmaninov Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro at the historic Estates Theatre Sir Frederick Ashton’s highly acclaimed ballet The Wayward Daughter In Vienna Above: Andris Nelsons conducts the Gewandhausorchestra The spectacular Vienna State Opera productions of Beethoven’s Fidelio and Verdi’s masterpiece Aida A concert by the acclaimed Gewandhausorchester Leipzig with pianist Yefim Bronfman, under the musical leadership of Andris Nelsons A piano recital by Piotr Anderszweski performing works by Mozart and Chopin In Budapest Verdi’s, opulent opera Un Ballo in Maschera at the Erkel Theatre Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 performed by the Budapest Festival Orchestra conducted by Jukka-Pekka Sarastre Above: the main entrance of the Vienna State Opera Above: Estates Theatre, Prague Above: Fidelio at the Vienna State Opera Detailed itinerary Included meals are shown with the letters B, L and D. Monday April 16 Arrive Prague Upon arrival in Prague, make your way to the hotel in the city centre and check-in. If you have booked your air travel through Academy Travel we will organise a transfer from the airport to our hotel. Please note that hotel rooms may not be available until early afternoon. Meet your tour leader Lindy Montgomery for early evening drinks and canapés in the hotel. Overnight Prague (D) Above: Charles Bridge, Prague Tuesday April 17 – Le Nozze di Figaro Below: the extraordinary Astronomical Clock, Prague; the breathtaking vaulted ceiling of Vladislav Hall OLD town Prague The bohemian city of Prague, with its skyline of gothic spires and narrow cobbled streets, is one of Europe’s best-preserved cities. After a talk on this evening’s performance, we take a guided tour to explore the labyrinth of medieval cobbled stone streets of the Old Town including the Municipal House, the finest example of Art Nouveau architecture in Prague, with its fine concert hall named in honour of Smetana. We have a welcome lunch at a local restaurant, then the afternoon is at leisure. This evening we see Mozart’s opera buffa (comic opera) Le nozze di Figaro at the Estates Theatre. Overnight Prague (B, L) Performance details Venue: Estates Theatre Program: Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro Performers: To be announced Wednesday April 18 – Prague Symphony Orchestra Castle District This morning we drive to the medieval Castle District, or Hradcany, where we commence our walking tour at the Strahov Monastery with its two famous libraries. We visit St Vitus’ Cathedral, a masterpiece of gothic architecture which was only completed in 1929. Vladislav Hall, with its breathtaking vaulted ceiling, was used for banquets, receptions and even jousting tournaments. After a break for lunch we stroll Nerudova Street, certainly one of Prague´s most picturesque streets filled with interesting house signs to Little Town/Mala Strana. There we find St. Nicholas Church, where Mozart´s Requiem was performed shortly after his death and Beethoven Palace where he lived during his first stay in Prague. We return to Prague with time to refresh before for this evening’s concert by the Prague Symphony Orchestra. Overnight Prague (B) Performance details Venue: Smetana Hall Program: works by Prokofjev and Rachmaninov Performers: Prague Symphony Orchestra, Jac van Steen (conductor), Lukas Vondracek (piano) Thursday April 19 – The Wayward Daughter Prague’s rococo and art nouveau The Municipal House, completed in 1911, is perhaps the finest example of Art Nouveau architecture in Prague. Our guided tour takes us through the meeting rooms and exhibition halls culminating in the fine concert hall named in honour of Smetana. The beautiful rococo Estates Theatre was where the premieres of Mozart’s Don Giovanni and La clemenza di Tito took place in 1787 and 1791 respectively. It is one of the oldest European theatres operating continuously since 1783. Tonight we see Sir Frederick Ashton’s highly acclaimed ballet. Overnight Prague (B) Performance details Venue: National Theatre Program: The Wayward Daughter, ballet Performers: To be announced Friday April 20 eský Krumlov This morning we depart Prague and visit Český Krumlov en- Č route to České Budějovice in Southern Bohemia. Český Krumlov is a picturesque old town and a UNESCO World Heritage site with over three hundred protected medieval buildings arranged in a lovely setting of rolling hills and winding river. We take a guided walking tour of the old town and the impressive castle complex. The highlight of our visit is the superbly preserved baroque theatre. After a break for lunch, we continue on to České Budějovice to check-in to the hotel and take a stroll through the town before dinner. Overnight České Budějovice (B, D) Saturday April 21 To Vienna Mid-morning, we travel by coach to Vienna, arriving early afternoon. After checking in to the hotel we take a short orientation walk and have dinner together at a local restaurant. Overnight Vienna (B, D) Sunday April 22 - Gewandhausorchestra Leipzig Vienna’s musical heritage Vienna is a city with an impressive musical legacy. Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Mahler are among the celebrated composers who lived and worked here. Today, our guided tour starts at Pasqualati House, where Beethoven lived on different occasions over a period of about eight years. Several of his most important works were composed here, including the Seventh Symphony. We continue on to the outskirts of the city where Franz Schubert was born. The modest apartment presents an impressive account of his musical development, his circle of friends and the stages of his short life. From here we drive to the village of Heiligenstadt Images right: the Municipal House in Prague; view of Cesky Krumlov; conductor Jac van Steen leads the Prague Symphony Orchestra where the young Beethoven wrote the so-called ‘Heiligenstadt Testament’ in which he admits his despair at his growing deafness. Finally, we visit Grinzing cemetery where Gustav Mahler is buried next to his favourite daughter Maria, who died when she was just four years old. We return to Vienna with time to rest before our concert by the Gewandhausorchestra Leipzig with American-Israeli pianist Yefim Bronfman, under the musical leadership of Andris Nelsons. Overnight Vienna (B) Performance details Venue: Musikverein Program: works by Beethoven and Brahms Performers: Gewandhausorchestra Leipzig, Andris Nelsons (conductor), Yefim Bronfman (piano) Monday April 23 – Piano recital Vienna’s musical heritage This morning we continue our exploration of Vienna’s musical heritage, starting with St Stephen’s Cathedral where Mozart’s funeral was held. We stroll through the old city to ‘Figarohaus’, where Mozart composed Le nozze di Figaro at the height of his success in the mid-1780s. The afternoon is at leisure for independent exploration of the city prior to this evening’s piano recital by Piotr Anderszewski. Overnight Vienna (B) Performance details Venue: Konzerthaus Program: works by Mozart and Chopin Performers: Piotr Anderszweski (piano) Tuesday April 24 - Fidelio Vienna woods Today we drive to the Vienna Woods, first visiting the monastery at Heiligenkreuz, the oldest continuously occupied Cistercian monastery in the world.