MUSIC • TENERIFE • GRAFENEGG • holland • vienna • cornwall • dresden dresden • FRANCE • HISTORY north Norfolk north • • VERONA TURKEY • • suffolk suffolk • BUDAPEST BUDAPEST • ENGLAND • Spain • new york new york • BONN BONN • SALAMANCA Russia • • CZECH REPUBLIC CZECH REPUBLIC • BADEN–BaDEN PORTUGAL PORTUGAL ARCHAEOLOGY • malta baroque malta THREE CHOIRS, gloucester gloucester THREE CHOIRS, • • • cUBa music cruises cruises music • • 2016 POland POland LEIPZIG LEIPZIG IBELIUS • • S • BULGARIA BULGARIA MALLORCA • • GARDENS morocco • • ischia BELGIUM • Schubertiade LA SCALA, MILAN • • JAPAN JAPAN • ALBANIA

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ESCORTED Holidays TO LEADING MUSIC FESTIVALS & events: FESTIVALS MUSIC LEADING TO Holidays ESCORTED EXCLUSIVE KIRKER MUSIC FESTIVALS: MUSIC KIRKER EXCLUSIVE FOR DISCERNING TRAVELLERS DISCERNING FOR

& MUSIC HOLIDAYS MUSIC & CULTURAL TOURS CULTURAL ART

cultural tours & music holidays 2016 2016 DEPARTURES This list of holidays is updated regulary with additional tour departures added throughout the year. Please visit our website or telephone 020 7593 2284 to speak to an expert consultant for the most up to date information.

JANUARY 2016 14th Images of Cuba 48 15th Malta Baroque Musical Festival 16 25th Opera at La Fenice in Venice 18 28th La Scala, Milan 19 Florence 30th The Kirker Music Festival in Tenerife 10 FEBRUARY 2016 22nd The Italian Lakes – Gardens and Villas of Como & Maggiore 29 10th Opera at La Fenice in Venice 18 26th La Scala, Milan 19 27th The Ring Cycle in Leipzig 22 MARCH 2016 29th Opera at the Arena di Verona 17 8th The Metropolitan Opera & Galleries and Museums of New York 14 27th La Scala, Milan 19 8th Seville & Andalucia 38 JULY 2106 13th The Kirker Spring Music Festival at the Hotel Tresanton, St. Mawes 12 13th The Bay of Naples 33 6th Music in Baden-Baden 24 14th Ruskin’s Venice 31 8th The Battle of Waterloo 46 17th Opera at La Fenice in Venice 18 23rd The Three Choirs Festival in Gloucester 13 17th La Scala, Milan 19 27th The Three Choirs Festival in Gloucester 13 18th Music in Baden-Baden 24 AUGUST 2016 24th Opera in Budapest 25 10th Puccini Opera Festival 17 APRIL 2016 21st The North Norfolk Music Festival 13 1st Lucca & the Lucchese Hills 30 23rd Opera at the Arena di Verona 17 1st Pas-de-Calais: Lille, Lens & Arras 35 24th The Schubertiade Festival 20 1st Ancient & Mediaeval Provence 35 25th Opera at La Fenice in Venice 18 5th Florence – Cradle of the Renaissance 30 SEPTEMBER 2016 9th The Metropolitan Opera & Galleries and Museums of New York 14 1st The Palaces & Galleries of St. Petersburg 45 9th Genoa – City of the Doges 31 5th Umbria – The Essence of Italy 32 11th Opera at La Fenice in Venice 18 7th The Grafenegg Music Festival 15 11th The Classic Tour of Bulgaria – Icons, Monasteries & Mountains 44 7th The Sebelius Festival 16 13th Opera in Budapest 25 9th Kraków to Warsaw – Castles & Palaces of Poland 42 13th Ravenna, Urbino & Ferrara 27 10th Art of the Côte d’Azur 36 14th The Palaces & Galleries of St. Petersburg 45 12th Opera at La Fenice in Venice 18 16th Art of the Côte d’Azur 36 12th The Classic Tour of Bulgaria – Icons, Monasteries & Mountains 44 16th The Dordogne 37 15th Gardens of the Riviera 36 17th Art Galleries of The Netherlands 41 17th Carcassonne & Albi 37 17th The Peninsular War 46 18th La Scala, Milan 19 18th The Grandeur of Rome 26 19th The Beethoven Festival in Bonn 15 18th Parma, Cremona & Mantua 27 19th Villas & Gardens around Rome 28 21st Gardens of the Riviera 36 19th The Country Houses of Bohemia & Moravia 43 23rd The Galleries & Museums of Washington DC, 21st Ravenna, Urbino & Ferrara 27 Philadelphia & New York 47 24th The Dordogne 37 25th Umbria – The Essence of Italy 32 24th An Introduction to Albania 44 26th Art & Music in Vienna 21 26th The Kirker Chopin Festival in Mallorca 8 26th Sicily – An Enigmatic Island 34 26th Parma, Cremona & Mantua 27 MAY 2016 29th Pas-de-Calais: Lille, Lens & Arras 35 1st La Scala, Milan 19 30th The Battle of Waterloo 46 5th Opera at La Fenice in Venice 18 OCTOBER 2016 6th The Kirker Music Festival in Salamanca 9 2nd Sicily – An Enigmatic Island 34 9th Villas & Gardens around Rome 28 2nd Art Galleries of The Netherlands 41 12th Discovering Lisbon 40 6th Opera at La Fenice in Venice 18 12th The Palaces & Galleries of St. Petersburg 45 6th The Schubertiade Festival 20 13th Gardens, Temples and Cities of Japan 49 6th Discovering Lisbon 40 21st Opera in Budapest 25 6th The Palaces & Galleries of St. Petersburg 45 21st Carcassonne & Albi 37 8th Genoa – City of the Doges 31 21st Imperial Cities of Morocco – Fez, Meknès & Rabat 40 10th The 11th Kirker Ischia Music Festival 7 23rd The Country Houses of Bohemia & Moravia 43 10th The Grandeur of Rome 26 25th The Italian Lakes – Gardens and Villas of Como & Maggiore 29 10th Imperial Cities of Morocco – Fez, Meknès & Rabat 40 25th Bilbao, Cantabria & Old Castille 39 17th Ancient & Mediaeval Provence 35 27th Art & Music in Vienna 21 17th Bilbao, Cantabria & Old Castille 39 27th Kraków to Warsaw – Castles & Palaces of Poland 42 22nd The Galleries & Museums of Washington DC, 28th Istanbul & Gallipoli 46 Philadelphia & New York 47 30th The Kirker Music Festival in Suffolk 11 31st A Cruise to Spain, Morocco and Portugal 50 JUNE 2106 NOVEMBER 2016 2nd Opera at La Fenice in Venice 18 4th Lucca & the Lucchese Hills 30 2nd Leipzig & Dresden: Music in Saxony 23 4th The Bay of Naples 33 11th An Introduction to Albania 44 6th Gardens, Temples and Cities of Japan 49 12th Norway’s Midnight Sun – 8th Florence – Cradle of the Renaissance 30 A Midsummer Cruise Across the Arctic Circle 50 8th Seville & Andalucia 38 18th Genoa – City of the Doges 31 8th Images of Cuba 48 19th The Schubertiade Festival 20 11th Art Cities of Flanders, The Netherlands and Germany 50 19th Art & Music in Vienna 21 13th La Scala, Milan 19 19th Art Galleries of The Netherlands 41 15th Ruskin’s Venice 31

2 FOR DISCERNING TRAVELLERS

4 WATERLOO COURT • 10 THEED STREET • LONDON SE1 8ST Tel: 020 7593 2284 • Fax: 020 4593 1461 • [email protected] • www.kirkerholidays.com

Welcome to the Kirker Cultural Tours & Music Holidays brochure for 2016. We look forward to welcoming both new and regular travellers on our range of carefully-designed escorted holidays. Every holiday is meticulously planned and researched and our clients appreciate the attention to detail we invest in each itinerary. Not only do we make sure that excursions include both familiar and lesser-known destinations, but we also pride ourselves on our excellent contacts, which enable us to offer the very best music and opera performances, exclusive access to places not open to the public, and private visits to museums and galleries outside of normal opening hours. Each year we work hard to get the balance right between perennial favourites such as St. Petersburg, Sicily and New York, and tours to tempting new destinations. For 2016, we have added the Dordogne, Provence and the Pas-de-Calais in France; Moravia in the Czech Republic, Poland and Budapest; and itineraries focussing on the art galleries of New York and Washington DC, plus the temples & gardens of Japan. This year we have designed several four and five night holidays which run consecutively. These may also be booked together to create a single longer tour with the same tour leader throughout – for example the Art & Gardens of the Côte d’Azur (see page 36) or the Art Cities of Northern Italy (see page 27). Last year we introduced a highly successful music festival in Suffolk and for 2016 we have created a new Kirker Music Festival in Spain, which will take place on a wine estate close to historic Salamanca. These join established favourites such as Ischia in the Bay of Naples, where we continue to enjoy our autumn concerts at La Mortella, and the Kirker Chopin Festival in Mallorca. We shall also be back on board Black Watch with three Kirker Music Festivals at Sea – to Norway in June, the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco in October, and Bruges, Hamburg and Amsterdam in November. Our carefully selected tour leaders play a vital role in the success of our tours and we are delighted to have such a diverse range of individual experts who return to lead Kirker holidays every year. Many clients choose to travel with Kirker not only because of our tour leaders’ expert knowledge, but because of the ease with which they convey their learning. If you were thinking of arranging a private tour, perhaps for a group of friends or a local society, please contact us to discuss your requirements and we will plan a tailor-made itinerary especially for you. We enjoy sharing our experience and destination knowledge so please telephone 020 7593 2286 to speak to one of our experts. We do hope that you will choose to travel with us in 2016 and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

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3 KEY FEATURES OF CULTURAL TOURS & MUSIC HOLIDAYS

Our 2016 Cultural Tours & Music Holidays brochure includes a range of holidays that will appeal to a wide variety of tastes and interests. Whether you wish to learn more about the history and art of a particular region, experience one of our exclusive Kirker Music Festivals or enjoy a classical concert or opera performance at one of Europe’s leading festivals or opera houses, we are confident you will find something within this brochure that will whet your appetite for travel. All our escorted holidays are led by a carefully selected lecturer who will help you experience the best of what your chosen destination has to offer, but we will also allow plenty of time to enjoy your surroundings at a leisurely pace with the company of your fellow travellers. We have divided the contents into three sections and the key features of each are listed below.

EXCLUSIVE KIRKER MUSIC FESTIVALS These music holidays are different from the others included in our brochure in that we have prepared a special programme of music exclusively for Kirker clients and have engaged international musicians of the highest calibre. Artists, concert programmes and venues have all been carefully arranged and we like to think the atmosphere on these holidays will be more akin to a country house party where audiences and musicians alike will share in the uniqueness of the festival. Because the festivals are exclusively for our clients there will be a larger number of participants than on our other escorted holidays. We have nine festivals planned for 2016 – two in England, three Carcassonne in Spain, one in Italy and three at sea on board Fred.Olsen’s Black Watch. We will be back at La Mortella on the island of Ischia for cultural Tours the eleventh consecutive year (see page 7). La Mortella was the beautiful home and garden of Sir William and Lady Walton. This year, performances will be given by a host of distinguished EXCLUSIVE GROUPS musicians including German baritone Benjamin Appl and The We operate our tours with a smaller number of participants to Doric String Quartet who featured in our first festival in 2006 and ensure a more personal experience. Typically, there will be between are now established as one of the finest quartets in the world. 10 and 22 passengers. All our cultural tours are in the company of a We will also return in the spring to one of our favourite hotels, guest lecturer and, where necessary, there will also be a local guide the Tresanton which overlooks the sea at St. Mawes (page 12). The available to help with the smooth running of your holiday. four night holiday will feature three concerts by the young and HOTELS & AIRLINES hugely talented Piatti Quartet. We always take great care when selecting the hotels and they After a very successful premier in 2015, we return to Seckford vary from small, family-run 3 star hotels to luxurious 5 star Hall in Suffolk for our May festival (see page 11) where The Van properties. To us, location and atmosphere are just as important as Kuijk Quartet from Paris will perform four concerts at the star rating. Several of the hotels we have selected this year are magnificent Seckford Hall Hotel in Woodbridge where we stay. included in our Short Breaks brochure and have long been popular The holiday will include a visit to the Red House in Aldeburgh favourites with Kirker clients. Whilst the tour price is invariably and a tour of the Maltings at Snape. based on flights departing from London, we would be delighted to In its fourth year, our popular Chopin Festival in Mallorca quote for a flight from your local airport. If you wish to make your (see page 8) will feature The Busch Ensemble and pianist Alexander own flight arrangements, please call us for a quote for ground Ullman. Our base is the peaceful and picturesque village of arrangements only. Banyalbufar, a short drive from Valldemossa. TOUR PLANNING We have two exciting new festivals in 2016; in January we will The secret of these tours, which often include private openings be escaping the British winter for our new festival in Puerto de la and visits that would not be possible for the independent traveller, Cruz, Tenerife, staying at the excellent Botanico Hotel. We will be is the detailed planning that goes into every holiday to ensure that joined by a host of distinguished musicians including violinist you have an unrivalled experience. They are designed to make the Marcia Crayford and cellist Moray Welsh for a series of six concerts most of the time spent in each location but, once the tour has in the Anglican Church and at the Casa Abaco. Our other new started, you are perfectly at liberty to opt out of a particular day’s festival (see page 9) will be held at the wonderful Hacienda Zorita activity if you prefer to relax or explore independently. We have in the heart of the Ribera del Duero wine-producing region and built-in relaxation time in each of the tours – and have, in many will include, like all our exclusive festivals, a series of guided instances, included dinners in good local restaurants which will give excursions – Salamanca, Avila and El Escorial, Philips II’s sprawling you more of an opportunity to experience the local flavour. palace will all be explored. This year will be our tenth season of music cruises on board the OUR LECTURERS Black Watch and, as usual, will feature a host of exceptional Our lecturers are a dedicated and loyal team of distinguished musicians. The Carducci String Quartet and pianist Melvyn Tan academics who have known Barry Cheeseman and other members will journey to Norway with us in June; The Gould Piano Trio will of the Kirker team, personally for a number of years. perform on board as we cruise to Spain, Morocco and Portugal in

4 KEY FEATURES OF CULTURAL TOURS & MUSIC HOLIDAYS

October, and The Navarra String Quartet will play exclusive TRAVELLERS WITH DISABILITIES concerts in November as we visit Flanders, The Netherlands and Although we are pleased to welcome clients with disabilities, Germany. A summary of the cruises are shown on page 50 but for their participation will depend on the nature of the disability and more detailed information, please call us on 020 7593 2286 to in some cases it will be necessary to be accompanied by an able- request a copy of our 2016 Music Cruise brochure. bodied companion. In order to ensure the comfort and enjoyment of all participants on any tour we must ask you to declare full details of your disability, especially if this affects your mobility, so ESCORTED HolidayS TO LEADING that we can consider your personal circumstances. MUSIC FESTIVALS & events CHANGES & CANCELLATIONS We will always do our best to avoid making changes to holidays DESTINATIONS described in the brochure but the tours are planned many months We have selected the very best festivals of classical music and in advance and occasionally our suppliers will make changes which opera in this section. Many are world famous, like The may affect one or more elements of the holiday. All such changes Schubertiade Festival in Austria, and others are less well known but notified less than eight weeks before departure give you the right equally as enthralling, such as the Sibelius Festival in Finland. to cancel your holiday and receive a full refund of all monies paid. A common theme is that they all take place in beautiful We do understand the disappointment caused by cancelling a tour, surroundings, none more so than the Grafenegg Festival in Lower however, we reserve the right to do so because they are dependent Austria and include excursions to local historical and architectural on a minimum number of participants. We will try to inform you sights. If you are a fan of Baroque music, we highly recommend not less than ten weeks before the departure date if your tour will Malta’s Music Festival taking place in January. Opera lovers are not be operating. spoilt for choice with holidays to New York which includes three stand-out performances at the Met; the Verona Opera Festival; La A RESPONSIBLE HOLIDAY COMPANY Scala, Milan, La Fenice, Venice and Wagner’s Ring Cycle in Leipzig. As a member of ABTA and AiTO, we conform fully to Closer to home, the increasingly popular North Norfolk Music government legislation regarding the protection of clients’ money. Festival is featured once again, as is a tour to the Three Choirs In addition, in the event that your holiday is affected by something Festival which takes place in Worcester in 2016. out of our control, we shall always endeavour to take the appropriate steps to minimise any disruption you may experience. TOUR LEADERS We take responsibility for every element of your holiday and, for Each holiday will be accompanied by one of our experienced those travelling independently, we provide you with a telephone Tour Leaders who will also be responsible for the day-to-day number to contact us 24 hours a day in the event of a problem. management of the holiday. OPERA & CONCERT TICKETS the aito quality charter We are very much aware that your enjoyment of musical performances could be marred if you were to be given poor seats. With this in mind, our tickets will always be of a high category. AITO is the Association for independent and specialist holiday companies. Our member companies, usually owner-managed, strive to create overseas holidays with high levels of professionalism and a shared concern for quality and personal service. The Association encourages the highest standards in all aspects of tour operating. practical information EXCLUSIVE MEMBERSHIP – AITO sets criteria regarding ownership, finance and quality which must be satisfied before new companies are admitted to membership. All SINGLE TRAVELLERS members are required to adhere to a Code of Business Practice which encourages high operational standards and conduct. Escorted holidays are popular with single travellers. We recognise FINANCIAL SECURITY – AITO members are required to protect money paid by that single room supplements are unpopular and, although we do customers to the member for any holiday sold under the AITO logo and to comply with try to dissuade the hotels from charging high single supplements, UK Government Regulations in this respect. Members submit details of their bonding we do not always succeed. In 2016 we are delighted to confirm and guarantee arrangements to the Association on a regular basis. that our tours to Albania and the North Norfolk Music Festival ACCURATE BROCHURES and WEB SITES – All members do their utmost to ensure that all their brochures and other publications, print or electronic, clearly and will have no single supplements. accurately describe the holidays and services offered. PROFESSIONAL SERVICE and CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENTS – All WALKING members are committed to high standards of service and believe in regular and thorough Our tours have been created to show you as much as possible of training of employees. Members continually seek to review and improve their holidays. your chosen destination, and often the best way to do this is on They listen to their customers and always welcome suggestions for improving standards. foot. In order to enjoy these holidays you need to be reasonably fit, MONITORING STANDARDS – AITO endeavours to monitor quality standards regularly. All customers should receive a post-holiday questionnaire the results of which able to stroll at a normal pace for at least 20 minutes, to go up and are scrutinised by the Association. down a staircase without assistance and to stand – perhaps in a RESPONSIBLE TOURISM – All members acknowledge the importance of AITO’s queue – for 10 or 15 minutes at a time. Should you have any Responsible Tourism guidelines, which recognise the social, economic and environmental concerns whatsoever, please speak to our reservations staff who will responsibilities of tour operating. Those demonstrating their achievements beyond the pure acceptance of this principle are recognised by the award of 2 or 3 star status. provide you with advice and perhaps recommend holidays that may CUSTOMER RELATIONS – All members endeavour to deal swiftly and fairly with involve easier walking. any issues their customers may raise. In the unlikely event that a dispute between an AGE LIMIT AITO member and a customer cannot be settled amicably, AITO’s low-cost Independent We do not have an age limit but we do ask that you advise us of Dispute Settlement Service may be called upon by either side to bring the matter to a your age at time of booking and expect all participants to be able speedy and acceptable conclusion. Kirker Holidays is a member of the Association of Independent Tour Operators. To to walk comfortably without assistance. Existing medical conditions contact the Association visit www.aito.co.uk or call 020 8744 9280. and walking difficulties must be declared at the time of booking.

5 DESTINATIONS

EXCLUSIVE KIRKER MUSIC FESTIVALS Gardens of the Riviera 36 England Carcassonne & Albi 37 The Kirker Music Festival in Suffolk 11 The Dordogne 37 The Kirker Spring Music Festival at the Hotel Tresanton, St. Mawes 12 Holland The North Norfolk Music Festival 13 Art Galleries of the Netherlands 41 The Three Choirs Festival at Gloucester Cathedral 13 Italy Italy The Grandeur of Rome 26 The 11th Ischia Music Festival 7 Ravenna, Urbino & Ferrara 27 Spain Parma, Cremona & Mantua 27 The Kirker Chopin Festival in Mallorca 8 Villas & Gardens around Rome 28 The Kirker Music Festival in Salamanca 9 The Italian Lakes – Gardens and Villas of Como & Maggiore 29 The Kirker Music Festival in Tenerife 10 Lucca & the Lucchese Hills 30

ESCORTED HOLIDAYS TO LEADING MUSIC FESTIVALS & EVENTS Florence – Cradle of the Renaissance 30 Ruskin’s Venice 31 Austria Genoa – City of the Doges 31 The Schubertiade Festival 20 Umbria – The Essence of Italy 32 Finland The Bay of Naples 33 The Sibelius Music Festival 16 Sicily – An Enigmatic Island 34 Germany Japan The Beethoven Festival in Bonn 15 Gardens, Temples and Cities of Japan 49 The Ring Cycle in Leipzig 22 Morocco Leipzig & Dresden: Music in Saxony 23 Imperial Cities of Morocco – Fez, Meknès & Rabat 40 Music in Baden-Baden 24 Poland Hungary Kraków to Warsaw – Castles & Palaces of Poland 42 Opera in Budapest 25 Portugal Italy Discovering Lisbon 40 Opera at the Arena di Verona 17 The Peninsular War 46 The Puccini Opera Festival 17 Russia Opera at La Fenice in Venice 18 The Palaces & Galleries of St. Petersburg 45 La Scala, Milan 19 Spain Malta Seville & Andalucia 38 Malta Baroque Musical Festival 16 Bilbao, Cantabria & Old Castille 39 USA The Peninsular War 46 The Metropolitan Opera & Galleries and Museums of New York 14 Turkey Vienna Istanbul & Gallipoli 46 The Grafenegg Music Festival 15 USA Art & Music in Vienna 21 The Galleries & Museums of Washington DC, Philadelphia & New York 47 CULTURAL TOURS THE KIRKER MUSIC FESTIVALS AT SEA Albania Norway’s Midnight Sun - A Midsummer Cruise Across the Arctic Circle 50 An Introduction to Albania 44 A cruise to Spain, Morocco and Portugal 50 Bulgaria Art Cities of Flanders, The Netherlands and Germany 50 The Classic Tour of Bulgaria – Icons, Monasteries & Mountains 44 Belgium The Battle of Waterloo 46 Cuba Images of Cuba 48 Czech Republic The Country Houses of Bohemia & Moravia 43 France Pas-de-Calais: Lille, Lens & Arras 35 Ancient & Mediaeval Provence 35 Art of the Côte d’Azur 36

Schönbrunn Palace 6 exclusive kirker music festivals

THE 11TH KIRKER ISCHIA MUSIC FESTIVAL A SEVEN NIGHT HOLIDAY | 10 OCTOBER 2016

Over the past ten years we have presented a series of high-level concerts on the beautiful island of Ischia in the Bay of Naples with some of the world’s most distinguished chamber musicians, pianists and singers. All six concerts are private and arranged exclusively for our clients and they are held in the concert hall at La Mortella, next to the study where Sir William Walton composed. The hall is reached via the glorious garden at La Mortella which was created by Lady Walton over many years and is now universally recognised as one of the world’s great gardens. The autumn is a wonderful time to visit Ischia. The crowds have long since departed and the island reveals its considerable charm.

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the ITINERARy DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP We stay at the 4 star Albergo San Montano where the manager and 10 October £2,148 £175 his staff have been giving a warm welcome to Kirker clients every Prices based on two people sharing a double room. autumn for the past decade. The hotel enjoys a stunning hilltop location with panoramic views around the Bay of Naples. It is just a flight details few minutes’ drive from the pretty village of Laco Ameno; a mini- Flights with British Airways: bus shuttle operates on request throughout the day. Depart London Heathrow 10.50 arrive Rome 14.20 The hotel has several pools, one thermal, a spa, terraces, a bar and Depart Rome 15.20 arrive London Heathrow 17.00 restaurant. We include a guided tour of the garden at La Mortella what we include and a half-day sightseeing tour of Ischia. There are two optional Return flights to Rome tours; one to Herculaneum and the Villa Oplontis, and one to • Seven nights’ accommodation with breakfast Naples where we see two paintings by Caravaggio, visit the • Cathedral of San Gennaro and take a tour of the Teatro San Carlo. • Dinner at the hotel each evening • Entrance to six private concerts and one concert given as part of the Walton Trust’s series music programme • A half day tour of Ischia and a private guided tour of the gardens at La Mortella 11 October: Doric String Quartet – Walton: String • A full programme with notes for all the concerts Quartet in A minor; Beethoven: String Quartet in E minor Op.59 Services of the Kirker Tour Leaders including Barry Cheeseman No. 2 ‘Razumovsky’ • 12 October: Benjamin Appl, baritone; Gary Matthewman, piano; Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin Op.25 D795 Song Cycle based on poems by Wilhelm Müller the musicians 13 October: Doric String Quartet – Haydn: String Quartet When The Doric String Quartet first took part in the Op.64 No6; Rowland-Jones: String Quartet No. 5 ‘The Kirker Ischia Music Festival a decade ago, they were a Beheading of St. John the Baptist’ inspired by the painting by promising young quartet just at the start of their career. Caravaggio in the Oratory at St. John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta; Today, ten years on, they are firmly established as one of the Mendelssohn: String Quartet in E flat Op.12 leading quartets in the world with a busy career that takes 14 October: Benjamin Appl, baritone; Gary them around the globe each season. They made their debut at Matthewman, piano; ‘Distant Beloved’ - a programme of songs The Maltings, Snape at the 2015 Aldeburgh Music Festival and about love and separation; Beethoven: An die ferne Geliebte will appear at the Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg in 2016. Op.98; Schumann: Six Songs and Requiem Op.90 based on Benjamin Appl, baritone, was born in Regensburg and poems by Nikolaus Lenau and songs by Brahms and Wolf studied in Munich and then at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He was the last student to have studied with 15 October: Doric Strin Quartet – Haydn: String Quartet Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. He is currently a member of the in C Op.64 No. 1; Bartók: String Quartet No. 2; Beethoven: Duo BBC Young Generation Artists Scheme and enjoys a very busy for viola and cello ‘The Eyeglass’; Duos for two violins by schedule on the concert and recital platforms. Simon Wieniawski and Bartók Rowland-Jones, viola is a well-known chamber musician, 16 October: Doric String Quartet – Simon Rowland- professor at the Royal College of Music, composer, and Joint Jones, viola; Benjamin Appl, baritone; Gary Matthewman, Director of the North Norfolk Music Festival and Director of piano; Barber: ‘Dover Beach’ for baritone and string quartet; Music for Kirker. Gary Matthewman, piano, works with all Walton: Passacaglia for solo cello; Benjamin Appl will sing a the major singers of his generation and is a Junior Fellow at selection of his favourite arias; Brahms: String Quintet in G Op.11 The Royal College of Music.

www.kirkerholidays.com 7 exclusive kirker music festivals

THE KIRKER CHOPIN FESTIVAL IN MALLORCA a six night holiday | 26 SEPTEMBER 2016

We are returning to Mallorca for the fourth consecutive year in 2016, where we stay on the glorious unspoilt north coast in a traditional, family-owned hotel in the small village of Banyalbufar. This year, the dynamic Busch Ensemble will be playing two seldomly performed chamber pieces by Frédéric Chopin. The young British pianist Alexander Ullman will give two Chopin recitals in the monastery at Valldemossa where Chopin spent three months with his lover the aristocratic Baroness Dudevant, better known as the writer George Sand, and her children in 1838. The romantic legacy of their visit lives on in the village of Valldemossa to this day. the ITINERARY First-time visitors are instantly struck by the wild and unspoilt beauty of Mallorca’s protected north coast the moment they walk on to the terrace to enjoy a welcome drink. We will explore this Valldemossa coastline on our included excursions which will take us to the village of Deia where Robert Graves, whose house we visit, and music programme other artists and writers have lived. We will visit La Granja, a patrician hacienda, and also take the famous train which runs from 27 September: Alexander Ullman Palma to Soller through the heart of the island. A day will be spent Schumann: Fantasie in C Op.17; Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor in Palma visiting its beautiful old quarter, its narrow streets lined S.178 with the stately townhouses of the hidalgos who came to Mallorca in the 15th century. We’ll also see the villa of San Marroig, once the 28 September: The Busch Ensemble home of the Hapsburg Archduke Luis Salvador who loved the Chopin: Cello Sonata; Dvorˆák: Piano Trio No.2 in G minor island and lived here for many years. 30 September: The Busch Ensemble Chopin: Piano Trio in G minor Op.8; Debussy: Piano Trio in the hotel G major L3; Mozart: Piano Trio in C major K548 The Vives family has owned the 3 star Mar i Vent since 1928. It is a 1 October: Alexander Ullman simple hotel where the emphasis is on friendly service and it has 29 An all-Chopin programme: Waltz in F Op.34 No.3; Scherzo bedrooms, each with a balcony and a wonderful sea view. It is No.2 in B flat minor Op.31; Berceuse in Flat Op.57; Polonaise- located in the heart of the quiet village of Banyalbufar which has a Fantasie in A flat Op.61; Ballade No.4 in F minor Op.52; Nocturne few shops and cafés. The church, where some concerts will be held, in C sharp minor Op.27 No.1; Nocturne in F minor Op.55 No.1; is within easy walking distance. Valldemossa is an enchanting twenty Polanaise ‘Heroique’ in A flat Op.53 minute drive away.

The Musicians tour information

The Busch Ensemble has already established its reputation DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES in both Europe and the UK where they won First Prize in DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP the Royal Overseas League Competition in 2012. The 26 September £1,698 £146 average age of the players is a mere 23. In January 2015 Price based on two people sharing a double room. The Times wrote of the ‘effortless musicianship and unity of flight details thought and attack’ displayed in their Park Lane Group Flights with British Airways: concert on the South Bank. The Ensemble will play Depart London Heathrow 12.35 arrive Palma at 15.55 throughout the UK and Belgium next season and at the Depart Palma 17.35 arrive London Heathrow at 19.05 Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. NB: There are flights to Palma from London Gatwick, London City Alexander Ullman, piano, born in London in 1991 he and airports around the country – please tell us if you would like to studied at the Purcell School and then at the Curtis Institute fly from your local airport. of Music in Philadelphia. He is currently completing his what we include studies at the Royal College of Music with Dmitri Alexeev • Return flights to Palma and Ian Jones. He has played with the Philadelphia Orchestra, • Six nights’ accommodation with breakfast the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and the Fort Worth • Six dinners – five at the hotel and one in a local restaurant Symphony Orchestra. Alexander won through the • Two lunches in local restaurants preliminary rounds of the prestigious Chopin Competition • Concerts and excursions as described in the spring of 2015 and will return to Warsaw in the • All entry fees and gratuities autumn later this year to take part in the main competition. • The services of Barry Cheeseman, the Kirker Tour Leader

8 exclusive kirker music festivals

THE KIRKER MUSIC FESTIVAL IN SALAMANCA A SIX NIGHT HOLIDAY | 6 MAY 2016

Already a firm favourite with Kirker clients, we selected the Hacienda Zorita for the latest addition to our range of Kirker Music Festivals simply because it has everything we need for a successful festival – comfortable bedrooms, a wonderful location and a perfect space for our private concerts. Located on the River Tormes, the Hacienda is in the heart of the Ribera del Duero wine producing region, 20 minutes’ drive from the beautiful, golden city of Salamanca. We have engaged leading Spanish musicians for our exciting music programme including Flamenco guitarist José Luis Montón, soprano Amaia Azcona Cildóz, pianist Luis Bravo and La Ritirata, one of Europe’s foremost Baroque ensembles.

music programme the ITINERARY Our sightseeing programme will include two visits to nearby The music of Spain holds many secret treasures for British Salamanca, one of the most beautiful cities in Spain – its Old City audiences especially in works written for voice and solo piano. is a UNESCO listed Heritage Site. The golden sandstone of The many great Spanish singers and pianists of the last fifty years Salamanca creates a beautiful, picture-book cityscape of roofs, have always championed the music from their homeland which church spires, convents, university buildings, colleges and elegant demands that the performers are in full command of the idiom squares. We will see its famous university, founded in the 13th needed to bring the often passionate music to its full bloom. century, the Patio de las Escuelas, and the city’s two cathedrals, the 7 May: Amaia Ascona Cildoz, soprano; Luis Bravo, piano: Old and New Cathedrals. The Plaza Mayor, the Town Hall and the Works by a number of great Spanish composers including Convent of San Esteban will all be included on our tour. One day Manuel de Falla, Turina, Rodrigo, Obradors, Granados and the will be spent in Avila, its city walls the best preserved and most poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca who set much of complete in the world. We will see the cathedral, the Monastery of his work to his own music the Incarnation and the Church and Convent of St. Teresa. One day 8 May: Luis Bravo’s programme including excerpts of works will be spent in the vineyards of the Ribera del Duero. Returning by Albeniz and Granados alongside pieces by the Catalan to Madrid airport we will stop at El Escorial, Philip II’s sprawling composer, Joaquim Malata and Martin Sanchez Allu who was palace with its important art collection. On those free days when born in Salamanca in 1823. there is no excursion we will provide a shuttle from the hotel to Albeniz: Suite Espanola; Suite Iberia; Cantos de Espana. the centre of Salamanca. Granados: Escenas romanticas: excerpts from his opera the hotel Goyescas; Danzas espanolas 9 May: Five members of La Ritirata playing harpsichord, Originally a 14th century Dominican monastery, today the violin, cello, theorbo and Baroque guitar will perform Hacienda Zorita is a stylish and comfortable hotel with 40 rooms. ‘Il spiritillo brando’, a programme which introduces the Some of the rooms are in the original building and some are larger, splendour of Spanish music from Renaissance and Baroque more modern rooms in the annexe, each with its own vine-clad Spain by composers who served in both the Spanish Court patio. Estates owned by the hotel produce many of the ingredients and foreign royal courts served in its fine dining room – cheeses, olive oil and hams are its specialities. The hotel has a small spa with a treatment room, and 10 May: ‘Chiaroscuro’ – three members of the ensemble extensive gardens. The main, wonderful old building has a number (recorder, cello harpsichord) present music of the late Baroque of cosy bars and lounges. period from Italy, Spain, France and Germany with works by Scarlatti, Telemann and others. tour information With so many bulls being reared in the open countryside around Salamanca, a performance of Alan Ridout's piece based DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES on the reluctant bull Ferdinand simply has to be included. Simon Rowland-Jones, viola, Barry Cheeseman, narrator. DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP Full musician biographies are available on our website 6 May £2,240 £398 www.kirkerholidays.com Price based on two people sharing a double room. flight details Flights with Iberia: Depart London Heathrow 10.40 arrive Madrid 14.10 Depart Madrid 15.55 arrive London Heathrow 17.20 what we include • Return flights to Madrid • Six nights’ accommodation with breakfast • Six dinners with wine at the Hacienda • Four lunches in local restaurants • Full sightseeing programme as described, all entrance fees and gratuities • Five concerts at the Hacienda with full music programmes • Wine tasting at the Hacienda • The services of the Kirker Tour Leader and tour escorts

Hacienda Zorita

9 exclusive kirker music festivals

THE KIRKER MUSIC FESTIVAL IN TENERIFE a seven night holiday | 30 january 2016

Escape from the rigours of the British winter on this fascinating music holiday. Tenerife is a volcanic island with an unspoilt and dramatic interior and a beautiful coastline. Perfectly preserved villages with colourful painted houses, pretty squares and churches, lush sub-tropical gardens and dramatic mountain drives, all add up to a relaxing and fulfilling week in a temperate climate. Although Tenerife has a reputation for mass tourism, this has been cleverly contained in areas not included on our itinerary. Four of Britain’s leading string players and the pianist Paul Janes will combine forces for an exhilarating and varied series of private concerts of piano trios and quartets, string duos and piano and cello sonatas. the ITINERARY music programme We fly to Tenerife and on arrival transfer to the 5 star Hotel Botanico in Puerto de la Cruz. Day two is devoted to a selection of Performances will be given in the Anglican Church, the hotel the luxuriant gardens on the island. We follow a guided tour of the and at the Casa Abaco, a grand 18th century typical Canarian hotel’s own splendid gardens with visits to the Botanical Garden of villa close to the hotel. We will have dinner at the Casa Abaco Tenerife, the Sitio Litre Orchid Garden where more than 300 on the days when the performance takes place there. varieties of orchid can be seen and the Parque Taoro Water Garden. Concert 1: Turina: Piano Quartet Op.67; Beethoven: String trio Day three is free for you to enjoy the hotel’s gardens and swimming in D Op.9 No.2; Schumann: Piano Quartet in E flat Op.47 pool. On day four we visit Santa Cruz, the capital of the island and a handsome city of tree-lined streets, parks and art galleries. We will Concert 2: Haydn: Sonata in C Hob XVI:50; Liszt: Petrarch have a guided tour of the stunning concert hall, the Auditorio de Sonnet 123 from Années de Pèlerinage Vol.2; Ravel: Alborada del Tenerife designed by Calatrava. There will be free time for gracioso; Debussy: Estampes; De Falla: Homenaje; Granados: shopping and an independent lunch before returning to the hotel. Andaluza and The Maiden and the Nightingale; Albéniz: Evocación Day five is free and on day six we will have a walking tour of the and El Puerto from Iberia Vo.1 historic university town of La Laguna, the original capital, founded Concert 3: An organ recital by Christopher Monckton in 1496. After an independent lunch, we continue to the wild Anaga Mountains where the ‘cloud forest’, like that of the Concert 4: Mendelssohn: Piano trio in D minor Op.49 neighbouring island of La Gomera, has survived undisturbed since Rowland-Jones: Wiegenlied Variations for viola and piano; the dinosaurs walked the earth. Fauré: Piano Quartet No.1 in C minor Op.15 Concert 5: Schubert: String Trio in B flat D581; Michael the hotel Berkeley: Iberian Notebook for solo cello; Mozart: Duo in B flat This long established and very popular property is set within six K424; Dohnányi: Serenade for string trio acres of impeccably maintained gardens. There are spacious lounges, Concert 6: De Falla: Siete Canciones Populares Espagnolas in an terraces, two swimming pools, (one indoor and one outdoor) and arrangement for violin and piano; Brahms: Piano Quartet in a spa. All bedrooms have balconies and wonderful views of Mount A Op.26 Teide or the sea. In addition to these concerts, Barry Cheeseman will give a series of interviews with the musicians about their careers. The Musicians

Marcia Crayford, violin, made her Royal Festival Hall debut as a soloist when still a student at the Yehudi Menuhin School. tour information She was the leader of The Nash Ensemble for 25 years and is DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES Guest Leader of the London Symphony Orchestra. Simon Rowland-Jones, viola, was for many years the violist DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP with the Chilingirian Quartet. Today he teaches at the Royal 30 January £2,395 £298 College of Music, composes and directs the North Norfolk Price based on two people sharing a double room. Music Festival, as well as maintaining a busy performing career. what we include Moray Welsh, Cellist, studied at the Moscow Conservatoire Flights with Easyjet: with Rostropovich. He has performed as a soloist and as Depart London Gatwick 13.50 arrive Tenerife South 18.10 principal cellist with leading orchestras, notably the London Depart Tenerife South 12.05 arrive London Gatwick 16.30 Symphony Orchestra. what we include Paul Janes, piano, has been the concerto soloist with every • Return flights to Tenerife major British orchestra and has worked with many famous • Seven nights’ accommodation with breakfast composers including Richard Hickox and Leonard Slatkin. • Seven dinners Christopher Monckton, tenor and organist, spent many years • Six private concerts in the south of France as a choir master at a boys’ school and • All sightseeing, entry fees and gratuities gave many performances throughout France. • The services of the Kirker Tour Leader

10 exclusive kirker music festivals

THE KIRKER MUSIC FESTIVAL IN SUFFOLK a four night holiday | 30 MAY 2016

Introduced for the first time in 2015, our Festival in Suffolk proved to be a resounding hit with our clients. Seckford Hall is located just outside the picturesque town of Woodbridge and is a Tudor building with many original architectural features. It is an ideal choice for a Kirker Music Festival as not only does it have a lovely room overlooking the gardens for the concerts, it is also the perfect base from which to explore this picturesque corner of Suffolk with its rivers and marshes. It is also close to many places associated with Benjamin Britten whose legacy can be enjoyed everywhere along this stretch of coast between Lowestoft, where he was born, and Aldeburgh. In 2016 we are pleased to introduce the dazzling Paris based Van Kuijk Quartet with an average age of just 28. They were First Prize Winners Snape at the Wigmore Hall International String Competition in 2015. the ITINERARY the hotel During the Suffolk Music Festival, there will be a visit to The Red We stay at the beautiful and historic Seckford Hall Hotel, close to House in Aldeburgh where Britten and Peter Pears lived from the centre of the pretty town of Woodbridge. Seckford Hall is a 1957. The interior of the house is presented exactly as it was when magnificent Tudor building set in 34 acres of grounds and gardens. they lived there. Recent additions were made in 2013, the year of The hotel has a spa and an indoor swimming pool. Bedrooms are Britten’s Centenary, and visitors can now see the studio where he traditionally and comfortably furnished and the hotel prides itself composed and the new library. We visit The Maltings at Snape on the level of personal service it offers to guests. Our concerts which is in a beautiful setting overlooking the marshes and will be held in the lovely Lakeside Room in the hotel. There is no Aldeburgh Church where Britten and Pears are buried. Another lift at Seckford Hall but hotel staff will be on hand to assist with visit will be to the magnificent garden created by Giles and Sonia baggage. In the courtyard opposite the main building, there are Coode-Adams over the past thirty years at their Elizabethan some rooms on the ground floor – please let us know if you manorhouse. Elegant gazebos sculptured by Ben Coode-Adams would like to reserve one of these at the time of booking. add a personal touch to the garden, which runs down to the River Blackwater. There will be lunch after the garden visit. We will also visit the pretty village of Orford with its castle built by Henry II in music programme 1165. There will be a concert in Orford’s 13th century church, St 30 May: Barry Cheeseman will introduce the musicians who Bartholomews. Britten’s church parables received their first will talk about the works they will be play during the festival. performances here. They will then perform a Mozart Divertimento in D K136. 31 May: Mozart: String Quartet in B flat K 458 ‘The Hunt’ The Musicians Ravel: String Quartet; Beethoven: String Quartet in F Op.135 The Van Kuijk Quartet takes its name from Nicholas van 1 June: Simon Rowland-Jones will give a musically illustrated Kuijk, their first violin who plays alongside his compatriots talk on Benjamin Britten's three string quartets and the work Sylvain Favre-Bulle, Grégoire Vecchioni and François Robin. to be played this evening. Britten: Three Divertimenti for String The quartet was formed in 2011 while all the members were Quartet; Haydn: String Quartet in B flat Op.76 No.4; Smetana: studying at the Paris Conservatoire. In addition to their London String Quartet No. 1 ‘From My Life’ prize, they won First Prize at the Trondheim Competition. They 2 June: Mozart: String Quartet in C K465; Schumann: String have studied with members of the Alban Berg Quartet and the Quartet in A minor Op.41 No.1; Mendelssohn: String Quintet in Hagen Quartet. Simon Rowland-Jones, the viola player and B flat Op.87 with Simon Rowland-Jones, viola Director of the Kirker music programmes, was on the jury at the Wigmore Hall and immediately engaged them for this Festival. tour information

DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP 30 May £1,287 £242 Prices based on two people sharing a double room. what we include • Four nights’ accommodation with breakfast • Four dinners and one lunch • Four concerts and talks as described • Excursions, entrance fees and gratuities • The services of the Kirker Tour Leader, Barry Cheeseman

Van Kuijk Quartet

11 exclusive kirker music festivals

THE KIRKER SPRING MUSIC FESTIVAL AT THE HOTEL TRESANTON, ST. MAWES a four night holiday | 13 March 2016

Our annual spring visit to Olga Polizzi’s fabled Hotel Tresanton, overlooking the sea in St. Mawes, is a highlight of the Kirker calendar. Guests enjoy the superb level of service provided by Federica Bartolini and her staff, as well as delicious food and comfortable accommodation. Three top-level concerts will be held in the delightful Old Methodist Hall with its excellent acoustics. Superb musicianship and staying in one of England’s finest hotels combine to make for a memorable spring break at a time when Cornwall is looking its best. In addition to the wonderful music on offer we will also enjoy a visit to the private garden at Lamorran, located just behind the hotel in St. Mawes and overlooking the sea. The garden was created by the owner after a visit to Lady Walton’s garden on the island of Ischia. St. Mawes music programme the hotel 14 March: ‘Don’t be beaten by Bartók’ – Simon Rowland-Jones unravels the mysteries of Bartók and explains The 5 star deluxe Tresanton enjoys a wonderful position, over- why musicians rank Bartók’s quartets alongside those of Haydn looking the sea. Olga Polizzi and her brother Sir Rocco Forte have and Beethoven. won accolades around the world for their work as renowned Bartók: String Quartet No.5; Dvor˘ák: String Quartet in G hoteliers and Olga is recognised as a leading hotel designer of stylish Op.106; Schubert: Quartettsatz but comfortable interiors. The hotel has 29 bedrooms, a terrace and a cosy bar. The menus for the three candlelit dinners will be carefully 15 March: ‘Papa Haydn and his genius’ – Simon selected by the hotel’s chef to ensure guests enjoy the best locally- Rowland-Jones spent sixteen years editing Haydn’s quartets for sourced ingredients. Please note that there is no lift at this hotel. Peters Edition. He talks about the genius of the man who invented the string quartet. Haydn: String Quartet Op.76 No. 3 ‘The Emperor’; Haydn: tour information String Quintet ‘Divertimento’ in G; Hob.II: 2 ‘Der Geburtstag’ with Simon Rowland-Jones; Ravel: String Quartet DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP 16 March: Barry Cheeseman in conversation with members 13 March £1,297 £280 of the Piatti Quartet. Mozart: String Quartet in B flat K589; Beethoven: String Quartet Price based on two people sharing a double room. in F op.59 No. 1 ‘Rasumovsky’; We b e r n : Langsamer Satz – what we include Webern’s sublimely lyrical slow movement for string quartet. • Four nights’ accommodation with breakfast • Four dinners at the hotel • Three concerts, each preceded by a musically illustrated talk the musicians • A visit to Lamorran Gardens in St. Mawes • The services of the Kirker Tour Leader The Piatti Quartet – With an average age of 29, the Piatti • Transfers from St. Austell Station to St. Mawes and return Quartet is one of the country’s leading string quartets. They Please make your own way by car to the hotel or by train to won joint second prize at the 2014 Wigmore Hall St. Austell station. International String Quartet Competition, impressing a Optional Excursion: Lanhydrock House (15 March, 09.30 distinguished jury which included Levon Chilingirian, Simon – 14.30) £60 per person. Rowland-Jones and Valentin Erben. They currently hold the Rebuilt after a fire in 1881, Lanhydrock is a perfect example of Richard Carne Junior Fellowship for String Quartet at Trinity a late Victorian country house and estate. Our visit includes a Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance in Greenwich. private tour and a light lunch with time to enjoy the gardens.

An Autumn Music Festival in Cornwall at Boconnoc 5 September 2016 We are delighted to introduce a new autumn music festival in Cornwall at Boconnoc, a magnificent Cornish estate close to Lostwithiel. The history of Boconnoc dates back to the late 1500s. It was bequeathed to the Fortescue family in 1864 and the current owner, Anthony Fortescue and his family have worked tirelessly over the past fifteen years to restore the house and estate to its former glory. We will stay in the main house and in cottages close by and all the concerts will be held in Boconnoc. Please see our website for details – www.kirkerholidays.com

12 escorted Holidays to leading music festivals & events

THE NORTH NORFOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL a five night holiday | 21 AUGUST 2016

Founded eleven years ago by Kirker’s very own Barry Cheeseman and musician Simon Rowland-Jones, who organises and plans all our music holidays, the Festival is always popular with our clients. It’s a chance to meet up with old friends and the musicians alike, many of whom regularly take part in Kirker’s range of music festivals. Concerts are held in the beautiful 13th century church of St. Mary’s in the village of South Creake, a few miles from the stunning Norfolk coastline.

The ITINERARY South Creake Church We stay at the 3 star Briarsfield Hotel which overlooks the marshes at Titchwell on the north Norfolk coast and is just six miles from South Creake where the concerts take place. We include visits to MUSIC PROGRAMME Houghton Hall and HM The Queen’s country retreat at Sandringham. We have private tours of Holkham Hall, seat of the 21 August: The Doric Quartet will be joined by dazzling Earl of Leicester, and Raynham Hall, home of Marquess and Russian pianist, Alexander Melnikov for a programme Marchioness Townshend. including the Brahms Piano Quintet Price £1,378 to include five nights’ accommodation with breakfast; 22 August: Voces Thule, a leading Icelandic choir will five dinners, three at the hotel and two with wine included in the perform music from four centuries from their native Iceland Festival Marquee; all sightseeing as described; entrance 23 August: The Gould Piano Trio NO SINGLE fees and gratuities; tickets and programmes for five SUPPLEMENT 24 August: The Van Kuijk Quartet from France, winners of concerts; the services of the Kirker Tour Leader. the 2015 London International String Quartet Competition For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours 25 August: Pianist Melvyn Tan section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284. THE THREE CHOIRS FESTIVAL IN GLOUCESTER A Four or eight NIGHT HOLIDAY | 23 & 27 july 2016

It’s the turn of Gloucester Cathedral to take centre stage at MUSIC PROGRAMME the 2016 Three Choirs Festival. Building began here in All performances are at Gloucester Cathedral at 7.45pm, 1089 and examples of every period of mediaeval unless stated. architecture can be found. It is particularly renowned for its 23 July: Jerusalem by Parry, orchestrated by Elgar; superb fan-vaulting – thought to have been invented here. The Kingdom by Elgar with Sarah Connolly 24 July: Finlandia by Sibelius; Violin Concerto by The ITINERARY Tchaikovsky; Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz You can choose one of two four night holidays beginning on 23 or 25 July: (2.45pm) Motets by JS Bach; Elijah by Mendelssohn 27 July, or stay for the whole Festival (eight nights). We stay at the 3 with Susan Bickley and Sophie Bevan star Mercure Bowden Hall Hotel, an elegant Georgian house set in parkland five miles from the cathedral. Our itinerary will include 26 July: (2.45pm) The Carducci Quartet plays quartets by visits to Westbury Court Garden, Painswick Rococo Gardens, Howells and Debussy, and Death and the Maiden by Schubert. Buscot Park and Snowshill Manor, near Broadway. Please make Three works by Vaughan-Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by your own way to the hotel. Thomas Tallis, The Lark Ascending and Dona Nobis; A Shopshire Lad by Butterworth Price £794 for 4 nights or £1,588 for 8 nights to include accommodation with breakfast; dinner each evening; concerts as 27 July: (2.45pm) Recital by Christopher Maltman, baritone described; sightseeing programme; return transfers between the hotel (8 night holiday only). Grande Messe des Morts by Berlioz and each concert; all entrance fees and gratuities and the services of 28 July: Mozart: Te Deum, Clarinet Concerto & Requiem the Kirker Tour Leader (single supplement £132 for 4 nights, 29 July: Enigma Variations by Elgar and Carmina Burana £264 for 8 nights). by Orff For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours 30 July: (2.45pm) National Youth String Orchestra – works section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284. by Mozart, Elgar and Howells Symphony No.8 ‘Symphony of a Thousand’ by Mahler

13 escorted Holidays to leading music festivals & events

THE METROPOLITAN OPERA & GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS OF NEW YORK a FIVE NIGHT ESCORTED HOLIDAY | 8 MARCH 2016 A SIX NIGHT ESCORTED HOLIDAY | 9 APRIL 2016

Join one of our popular tours and enjoy three star-studded performances at the Metropolitan Opera. Also included is a highlight for opera lovers – a backstage tour of the Met. We see at close quarters just how an opera house of this size and international standing functions.Under the direction of Peter Gelb the Met is reaching a huge global audience thanks to the high- definition live broadcasts of some of its performances each season. Wonderful though these are, there is nothing quite like the thrill of settling into your own seat at the Met itself. Visits to the city’s major museums and galleries combine to create the perfect cultural experience.

The ITINERARY A VISIT TO PHILADELPHIA In addition to the three included opera performances we will visit The tour departing 9 April 2016 includes a full day in Philadelphia, a selection of the city’s greatest museums and galleries including a about a two hour drive from New York. We will spend the visit to the Whitney Museum of American Art. This much-loved morning at The Barnes Foundation in its new home. Dr Albert New York museum moved from its Upper Eastside location to the Barnes’s collection of works by French Impressionists and Post- heart of the Meatpacking District in May 2015. The stunning new Impressionists includes a remarkable number of works by Cézanne, building (designed by Renzo Piano) sits between The High Line Renoir, Matisse and others. We include lunch at the wonderful and the Hudson River. We will also visit the Metropolitan Museum Philadelphia Art Museum and a short guided tour of America’s of Art with a tour of its American Wing and also go to MOMA for most historic city. a private visit before the crowds arrive – a wonderful experience, which has been a highlight for many clients in previous years. opera programme We will also see one of the world’s finest private collections of art anywhere at the Frick and visit the Morgan Library and Museum 8 – 13 March: L’elisir d’amore by Donizetti where we see the library of J P Morgan and ever-changing With Vittorio Grigolo, Alexandra Kurzak and Adam Plachetka. exhibitions of the Morgans’ stunning collections of art, manuscripts, Manon Lescaut by Puccini; Kristine Opolais sings the title letters and much more. Two dinners are included – one at a Kirker role and Jonas Kaufmann is Des Grieux favourite local restaurant and one at The Grand Tier, the Met’s own Le nozze di Figaro by Mozart; Fabio Luisi conducts restaurant. We stay in the heart of Midtown at the 4 star Affinia 50 Mikhail Petrenko in the title role and Rachel Willis-Sorensen Hotel between Lexington and Third Avenues on East 50th Street. as the Countess Kirker clients are accommodated in guest suites, each with a small and well equipped kitchen so you can make yourself at home. The 9 – 15 April: Roberto Devereux by Donizetti hotel serves continental breakfast and there are innumerable cafés The Met unveils the third of Donizetti’s Three Queens trilogy, and restaurants to choose from within a few steps of the hotel. with Sondra Radvanovsky as Elizabeth I and Elinas Garanca as The Duchess of Nottingham. Matthew Polenzani takes the title role Simon Boccanegra by Verdi; Conductor James Levine. Cast includes Joseph Calleja, Armenian soprano Lianna Haroutounian as Amelia and Placido Domingo in the title role. Madama Butterfly by Puccini; Kristine Opolais is Cio-Cio- San and Roberto De Biasio is Pinkerton

March price: £2,690 (single supp. £490) April price: £3,265 (single supp. £680) Prices per person including return flights with British Airways from Heathrow (depart 13.10, return 19.30) accommodation on a room only basis at the Affinia 50, three tickets in the rear stalls with uninterrupted views of the stage*, two dinners (including one at the Met’s Grand Tier), all transfers, entrance fees and gratuities and the services of the Kirker Tour Leader. *Seats closer to the stage are also available at a supplement – please ask us for details. Metropolitan Opera

14 escorted Holidays to leading music festivals & events

THE GRAFENEGG MUSIC FESTIVAL a five night Holiday | 7 SEPTEMBER 2016

Now well established as one of Europe’s grandest summer music festivals, the closing weekend is always a feast for music lovers. This year the Festival ends with performances by three great European orchestras, including the Vienna Philharmonic. Festival director and pianist Rudolf Buchbinder will perform all five Beethoven piano concertos in a single day – a veritable tour de force. Grafenegg is an hour’s drive from Vienna in the midst of the lovely Wachau wine producing region of Lower Austria. Concerts are in a spectacular open air auditorium, the Wolkenturm –The Tower of Clouds – with an acoustic which has been universally praised. The ITINERARY We stay in Krems in the heart of the wine producing Wachau region. The 4 star Hotel Steigenberger, surrounded by the vineyards which produce the local Grüner Veltliner, is a few minutes’ walk from the centre of the town with its footpaths along the Danube. The hotel has a spa, indoor swimming pool, bar and restaurant. Our visits will be to the picturesque village of Dürnstein © Alexander Haiden with its romantic associations between the troubadour Blondel and Richard the Lionheart. We visit the Egon Schiele Museum in the MUSIC PROGRAMME town where he was born in 1890. Schiele was born in the railway station there; his father was the station master. More than sixty of 8 September: WDR Sinfonieorchester, Köln conductor the artist’s works are on display, many from his childhood. Clearly Jukka-Pekka Saraste; Valentina Nafornita, soprano; Mozart: an artist of great talent from the start, the contrast in the style Two concert arias. Bruckner: Symphony No 5 in B major between the juvenilia and the paintings for which he became 9 September: Tonkunstler Orchester Niederosterreich; The famous is striking. Vienna Piano Trio; Beethoven:Triple Concerto Op.56 & Symphony Price from £2,286 to include return flights with British Airways No. 6, Op.68 ‘Pastorale’ from London Heathrow to Vienna (depart 11.35, return 14.10); five 10 September: The Dresden Staatskapelle, conductor nights’ accommodation with breakfast; five dinners – one at the hotel Christian Thielemann; Bruckner: Symphony No.3 and four at the Festival Restaurant; one lunch at Schloss Dürnstein ‘Wagner Symphony’ (wine is included with all dinners and the lunch); all entrance fees and gratuities; sightseeing as described; programme for each concert 11 September: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Rudolf and the services of the Kirker Tour Leader (single supplement £198). Buchbinder will play all five piano concertos by Beethoven in a single day and direct the orchestra For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours Concert 1 at 11.00: Concertos No.2 op.19, No.4 Op.58, No. 3 Op.37 section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284. Concert 2 at 19.00: Concertos No 1 Op.15 and No.5 Op 73 ‘Emperor’

THE BEETHOVEN FESTIVAL IN BONN A SIX NIGHT HOLIDAY | 19 september 2016

Nike Wagner’s artistic directorship of the Beethoven Festival in Bonn is causing as much comment as Beethoven’s own music did in Vienna when he first stormed onto the city’s musical scene. She is determined to honour Beethoven’s legacy, but at the same time she is bringing a typically Wagnerian imaginative and revolutionary approach to the programme.

music programme

At the time of going to press, only three concerts have been announced: Concert 1: ‘Au pays où se fait la guerre’ Quatuor Giardini with Isabelle Druet, mezzo soprano Cologne Concert 2: Works by Offenbach, Fauré, Duparc, Donizetti The ITINERARY and others WDR Symphony Orchestra, conductor Marek Janowski. Programme includes: Beethoven’s Symphony Staying in Bonn at the 5 star Hilton Hotel on the banks of the No. 3 ‘Eroica’ Rhine, we will visit Beethoven’s house, spend a day in Cologne, Concert 3: Mahler Chamber Orchestra, conductor enjoy a boat trip on the Rhine to Königswinter, and visit Brühl to Teodor Currentzis. Two works by Beethoven – Violin see two exquisite rococo palaces designed by Cuvilliés. Concert with Pekka Kuusisto and Symphony No. 7 For full details of the 2016 programme and tour prices please contact Lucy Ayling on 020 7593 2286 or email [email protected]

15 escorted Holidays to leading music festivals & events

MALTA BAROQUE MUSIC FESTIVAL A seven NIGHT HOLIDAY | 15 January 2016

A visit to Malta and the Valletta International Baroque Music Festival is a splendid way for music lovers to celebrate the start of the New Year. A very impressive line-up of internationally known Baroque musicians perform in the capital’s most historic buildings, including the exquisite Teatru Manoel, one of the finest 18th century theatres in the world. The programme is ambitious, varied and designed to complement the island’s 18th century architecture with music from the same period.

the ITINERARY Valletta The Festival takes place at a perfect time – Malta has a kind winter climate and the numbers of visitors to this fascinating island are few music programme and far between, allowing those attending the Festival to enjoy the island at its best. Our base is the 4 star Hotel Excelsior in Valletta 16 January, Teatru Manoel: Le Concert des Nations and from here we will enjoy a varied programme of sightseeing. J S Bach: ‘A Musical Offering’ BWV 1079. Malta and Gozo are small islands but there is a great deal of interest A collection of fugues, canons and other pieces based on a and history on both; beautiful coastlines, attractive fishing ports, theme presented to Bach by Frederick II of Prussia pretty villages often dwarfed by immense churches and fine 17 January, Ta’ Giezu Church: Abchordis Ensemble Baroque architecture. In Valletta we will see Caravaggio’s Unitate Melos – Works by Martini, Colonna and others masterpiece, ‘The Beheading of St. John’, and the Grand Master’s Palace. We will also take a cruise in the wonderful natural harbour 18 January, Jesuits’ Church: La Cantoria Campitelli on board a ‘Luzza’, a traditional Maltese boat. Further afield we visit Rubino: Requiem ancient Mdina, known as ‘the Silent City’ and make a trip to 19 January, Teatru Manoel: Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord neighbouring Gozo. Another day will be dedicated to Malta’s J S Bach: Goldberg Variations fascinating prehistoric temples including the Hypogeum, now a Ta’ Giezu Church: La Ritirata UNESCO World Heritage site. Works by Gabrielli and others. Price £1,997 per person (single supplement £240) to include Air 20 January, Teatru Manoel: Malta Philharmonic Malta flights from London Heathrow to Malta (depart 11.25, return Orchestra, Mahan Esfahani ‘Inspired by Baroque’ Music by 16.55); seven nights’ accommodation with breakfast; four dinners and Respighi, Poulenc, Stravinsky, and Concerto for two lunches; all sightseeing, entrance fees and gratuities; tickets for Harpsichord by Gorecki. seven concerts and the service of the Kirker Tour Lecturer, 21 January, St Nicholas All Souls Church: Christopher Monckton. La Compagnia del Madrigale L’arte del madrigale For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours Works by Monteverdi, Gesualdo and others. section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284. THE SIBELIUS FESTIVAL A four NIGHT HOLIDAY | 7 september 2016

After the 150th birthday celebrations of Sibelius in 2015, the Sibelius Festival will return to its usual long-weekend format. The Lahti Symphony Orchestra under the direction of its new Principal Conductor, the Russian Dima Slobodeniouk, will play each of the three all-Sibelius programmes in the magnificent concert hall by the lake in Lahti, located some sixty miles from Helsinki. The Lahti Symphony Hall is widely considered to have one of the finest acoustics in the world. The acclaimed Kamus Quartet will give a concert of music by Sibelius and other Finnish composers. We stay at Mukkula Manor on the shores of Lake Vesijärvi. This 18th century manorhouse opened in 2015 as a hotel with just 17 bedrooms, a restaurant and a bar. Kirker will have exclusive use of the hotel for the duration of the tour.

THE ITINERARY

Our programme of visits will include Hämeenlinna, where Jean Price £1,668 per person (single supplement £252) to include Sibelius was born on 8 December 1865 and spend a day around the British Airways flights from London Heathrow to Helsinki (depart lovely Lake Tuusula which has always attracted composers, writers 11.30, return 17.15); four nights’ accommodation with breakfast; and artists. We will visit the villa of Joonas Kokkonen designed by four dinners and three lunches; three concerts; all entrance fees and Alvar Aalto. A day will be spent in Helsinki and there will be a gratuities and the service of the Kirker Tour Lecturer. visit to Ainola where Sibelius spent the last two decades of his life. For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours A boat trip on the lake shows us the wild landscape that so section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284. inspired him.

16 escorted Holidays to leading music festivals & events

OPERA AT THE ARENA DI VERONA a four night holiday | 29 june & 23 August 2016

Big operas in a big space – the 2016 summer season at the spectacular Arena di Verona promises to be a classic with a programme which includes all of the most popular operas. There really isn’t anything quite like a night at the Arena di Verona as dusk falls in the still warm air and the huge audience falls silent in anticipation of the delights to come. Verdi’s spectacular Egyptian opera, Aida, has been Verona’s favourite for a hundred years. This year it is joined by his other perennial favourites, La traviata and Il trovatore, Bizet’s Carmen and Puccini’s Turandot.

the Itinerary OPERA PROGRAMME We stay at the lovely 5 star Hotel Palazzo Victoria in the centre of Verona, just a few minutes’ walk from the Arena and the city’s 29 June departure: Aida (30 June) & La traviata elegant centre. There will be a walking tour with a local guide who (2 July) both by Verdi will introduce the major sights of this beautiful city. We will also Optional performance: Carmen by Bizet (1 July) visit the AMO Museum, a must for opera lovers where the history 23 August departure: Aida (24 August) & Il trovatore of opera in Verona is described. There will be time for independent (26 August) both by Verdi exploration – the cool green Giardino Giusti, San Zeno and the Optional performance: Turandot by Puccini (25 August) Roman Forum are all worth a visit as is the Chiesa dei Filippini, Our tickets are in first category poltronissime seats (numbered, where Maria Callas married Giovanni Battista Meneghini on 21 upholstered seats). Price for optional performance: £168 per ticket April 1949, right at the beginning of her illustrious career.

Price £1,925 per person to include flights with British Airways from Gatwick to Verona (depart 13.20, return 11.55); four nights’ accommodation with breakfast (deluxe room with shower); two dinners – one at the hotel and one at a local restaurant; guided walking tour of Verona and entrance to AMO Museum; all gratuities; two first category opera tickets; souvenir Opera Programme and the services of the Kirker Tour Leader. (Single supplement £498). For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284. THE PUCCINI OPERA FESTIVAL a five night holiday | 10 august 2016

Giacomo Puccini was born into a musical family in Lucca on 22 December 1858. As a boy Puccini sang in the choir of the Cathedral of San Martino and later received his musical education at the conservatory in Milan. His first opera, Le Villi, was performed in 1884. For the next forty years, until his death in 1924, Puccini composed operas which today are still the most performed works on the stages of the world’s opera houses. Each year the Puccini Festival is held in Torre del Lago near Lucca on the peaceful shores of Lake Massaciuccoli.

the Itinerary

We stay at the modern and comfortable 3 star Hotel Celide, located THE OPERAS just outside the city walls. There will be a walking tour of Lucca including a visit to Puccini’s birthplace and other places associated Madama Butterfly: Tragic consequences await everyone when with him. A day is spent in Florence and we visit two gardens near American and Japanese cultures clash in this bitter and cynical Lucca – the Villa Reale at Marlia and the Villa Garzoni at Collodi. story of life in 19th century Japan. Price £1,798 per person to include return flights with British Tosca: No one wins in this dramatic tale of revolution, lust and Airways from Gatwick to Pisa (depart 11.15, return 15.40); five love in the 19th century. All the protagonists meet a terrible end. nights’ accommodation with breakfast; four dinners – one in local restaurants and three at Torre del Lago; second category tickets for Turandot: The Chinese Princess Turandot hates men – until three operas; all entrance fees and gratuities; ticket for a recital of Calaf comes along and melts her icy heart. opera arias at Chiesa San Giovanni, Lucca and the services of the Kirker Tour Leader (single supplement £190). Departure date and opera programme to be confirmed in October 2015. For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284.

17 escorted Holidays to leading music festivals & events

OPERA AT LA FENICE IN VENICE a Four night holiday | 25 January, 10 february, 17 march, 11 april, 5 may, 2 june, 25 august, 12 september & 6 october 2016

La Fenice in Venice is one of the world’s most historic opera houses. Inaugurated in 1792 the opera house has, like its namesake, the phoenix has been rebuilt, not once but twice, in 1836 and 1996. The latest exquisitely restored La Fenice opened its doors in 2003. Along with the Teatro San Carlo in Naples and La Scala, Milan, La Fenice has always been one of the top three opera houses in Italy. During the 19th century many operas were first performed at La Fenice, including two of Verdi’s greatest and most popular works, La traviata and Rigoletto.

the Itinerary the hotel During the stay in Venice there will be a selection of carefully planned walking tours with the Tour Lecturer to some of the city’s Monaco & Grand Canal Deluxe churches and galleries. At the Accademia, the ‘National Gallery of The Monaco is one of Venice’s most famous hotels. The entrance Venice’, we see works by the most important Venetian artists from leads into a stylish lobby from where a grand staircase takes you up the 14th to the 17th centuries. We will see works from the 18th to the beautiful restored 18th century former Venetian theatre, century at the Ca’Rezzonico and more modern works from the complete with original fresco ceilings. The decor is contemporary Peggy Guggenheim collection at the palazzo overlooking the and comfortable and combines traditional Venetian elegance with Grand Canal where she lived. Visits to the jewel-like Santa Maria modern design. The Monaco is located just 50 yards from St. Miracoli, to Santa Maria della Salute, Santi Paolo e Giovanni, Mark’s Square and almost opposite Harry’s Bar, the Grand Canal Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, and to Carpaccio’s frescoes in the flows directly in front of the adjoining original wing. Breakfast and Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni will all be included. There dinner are served in the hotel’s canal-side restaurant. will be free time each afternoon for independent exploration during which you can use your included Venice pass to visit the Palazzo Ducale, the Museo Correr and the Archaelogical Museum. tour information One dinner at the hotel and another at a Kirker favourite restaurant are included. DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP 25 January £1,369 £140 opera programme 10 February £1,369 £140 25 – 29 January: Stiffelio by Verdi – An early opera, Stiffelio 17 March £1,475 £260 foreshadows the great works to come with their themes of the 11 April £1,475 £260 human conflicts between public and private lives 5 May £1,768 £390 2 June £1,768 £390 10 – 14 February: La traviata by Verdi – his best loved 25 August £1,475 £260 opera was given its first performance at La Fenice in 1853 12 September £1,768 £390 17 – 21 March: Madama Butterfly by Puccini 6 October £1,768 £390 Price based on two people sharing a double room. 11 – 15 April: La traviata by Verdi flight details 5 – 9 May: Choose between one of the most performed Flights with British Airways: operas of all, Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia or British Airways flies to Venice from London Gatwick, London something rarer – La favorite by Donizetti in the even Heathrow and London City Airport. Timings vary and depend rarer French version on the date of travel. Flights from regional airports are also available – please speak to one of our team to discuss the 2 – 6 June: First performed in Rome in 1891, Mascagni’s option most convenient for you. charming romantic comedy L’amico Fritz is another rare opera what we include • Return flights to Venice 25 – 29 August: Choose between the popular L’elisir • Private water taxi transfers d’amore by Donizetti, or Bellini’s great opera Norma • Four nights’ accommodation with breakfast 12 – 16 September: Choose between L’elisir d’amore by • Two dinners – one at the hotel and one at a local restaurant Donizetti and La traviata by Verdi • One first category opera ticket at La Fenice and synopsis • Gratuities and entrance fees as described 6 – 10 October: An opportunity to enjoy either L’elisir • The services of the Kirker Tour Lecturer d’amore by Donizetti or Verdi’s La traviata

18 escorted Holidays to leading music festivals & events

LA SCALA, MILAN a Four night holiday 28 January, 17 march, 1 May, 26 june, 18 september & 13 november 2016

La Scala, Milan is, for most opera lovers, the world’s most revered and important opera house. The theatre opened in 1778 with a performance of an opera by Salieri and since then many of the greatest Italian operas have received their first performance on its hallowed stage: Nabucco; Otello; Falstaff; Madama Butterfly; Turandot; Norma and many others, including Giordano’s seldom performed La cena delle beffe from 1924 which returns to La Scala during the 2016 season. Two very different divas enjoyed their greatest successes at La Scala – Renata Tebaldi and Maria Callas triumphed here season after season at the height of their careers. The Milanese conductor, Riccardo Chailly, is the current Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of La Scala.

the Itinerary Duomo di Milano Included in our tour to Milan are visits to the city’s great Duomo, opera PROGRAMME Leonardo’s ‘The Last Supper’ at Santa Maria delle Grazie, and the wonderful La Scala Museum with displays linked to all the great 28 January – 1 February: Rigoletto by Verdi. Mikko conductors, performers and designers associated with the opera Franck conducts Vittorio Grigolo as the Duke, Nadine Sierra house. Also included are visits to the Basilica Sant’Ambrogio, as Gilda and Leo Nucci in the title role. named after Milan’s patron saint, the Castello Sforzesco and Casa Optional performance: Ein deutsches Requiem by Brahms with Verdi, founded by Giuseppe Verdi and dedicated to taking care of Camilla Tilling. Bernard Haitink conducts the Filarmonica musicians who have devoted their working lives to opera. This is an della Scala. Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno by Handel exceptionally special visit for everyone with an interest in opera 17 – 21 March: I due Foscari by Verdi. Michele Mariotti and those who perform it. conducts Placido Domingo, Francesco Meli and Anna Pirozzi in this rare early Verdi opera the hotel Optional performance: Overtures to I vespri siciliani by Verdi, Guglielmo Tell by Rossini, Verdi’s String Quartet in a version Hotel de la Ville for orchestra, and the Symphony in D major by Cherubini. We stay at the very comfortable and well established 4 star Hotel de Riccardo Chailly conducts the Filarmonica della Scala la Ville in the heart of Milan’s historic centre and just a short walk 1 – 5 May: La fanciulla del West by Puccini. Eva-Maria from La Scala and the cathedral. The hotel has a restaurant, bar and Westbroek sings the title role, Marcelo Álvarez is the bandit an indoor swimming pool overlooking the cathedral. Dick Johnson and Claudio Sgura is the lecherous sheriff, Jack Rance. Riccardo Chailly conducts tour information Optional performance:A chance to see Giordano’s rarely performed dramatic opera set in Florence at the time of DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES Lorenzo de Medici, La cena delle beffe, on the same stage DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP where it was first given in 1924. Carlo Rizzi conducts and 28 January £1,638 £260 Kristin Lewis is the unhappy Ginevra 17 March £1,638 £260 26 – 30 June: Simon Boccanegra by Verdi with Leo Nucci, 1 May £1,638 £260 Carmen Giannattasio and Giorgio Berrugi as Gabriele 26 June £1,638 £260 Adorno. Myung-Whun Chung conducts. 18 September £1,638 £260 Optional performance: Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss. 13 November £1,638 £260 Zubin Mehta conducts and cast includes Sophie Koch and Price based on two people sharing a double room. Christiane Karg flight details 18 – 22 September: A new production by Kasper Holten of Flights with British Airways: Britten’s opera The Turn of the Screw with Ian Bostridge, Depart London Heathrow 11.55 arrive Milan Linate 14.55 Miah Persson, Jennifer Johnston and Allison Cook. Depart Milan Linate 15.40 arrive London Heathrow 16.40 Optional performance: Die Zauberflöte by Mozart. Adam Fischer what we include conducts the orchestra, chorus and soloists of the Teatro alla • Return flights to Milan Scala Accademia • Four nights’ accommodation with breakfast 13 – 17 November: Le nozze di Figaro by Mozart. Simon • Two dinners in carefully selected local restaurants Keenlyside and Diana Damrau are the Almavivas and Markus • One opera ticket (stalls) and synopsis Werba is Figaro • Visits and entrances as described Optional performance: Porgy and Bess by Gershwin. Nikolaus • Timed entry ticket to ‘The Last Supper’ Harnoncourt conducts and the cast includes Angel Blue and • The services of the Kirker Tour Leader Kristin Lewis

19 escorted Holidays to leading music festivals & events

THE SCHUBERTIADE FESTIVAL SCHWARZENBERG: a seven night holiday | 19 june & 24 August 2016 HOHENEMS: a six night holiday | 6 october 2016

The Schubertiade is considered by many to be the most important chamber music festival in the world, with an astonishing number of distinguished musicians gathering in this beautiful setting. We stay in the delightful Voralberg village of Hittisau, conveniently located for both Hohenems and Schwarzenberg. The Festival takes place throughout the summer in both Hohenems, where it began in 1976 and in Schwarzenberg where a beautiful concert hall was built in the alpine meadows to accommodate a steadily increasing audience.

THE ITINERARY Our base for both festivals is the pretty village of Hittisau, high in the dramatic peaks of the Voralberg Mountains and surrounded by lush alpine meadows. Our host will be Dietmar Nussbaum, owner of the delightful 4 star Gasthof Krone which has a fine reputation for its cuisine and high levels of personal service and has been welcoming Kirker guests for many years. There is much to enjoy in the village which is at the centre of a network of easy and beautiful walks that begin right outside the door of the hotel. The tour itinerary will Schwarzenberg include a drive through the Voralberg Mountains, a wine and cheese tasting and visits to the Angelika Kauffman Museum. On the return Hohenems MUSIC PROGRAMME journey to Zurich airport we will stop at one of the finest private art collections – the Oskar Reinhart Collection in Winterthur. 7 October (4pm): Till Fellner, piano Brahms: Four Ballades Op.10; Schumann: Humoresque Op.20 Schwarzenberg MUSIC PROGRAMMES and Fantasy in C major Op.17 8 October (8pm): Soile Isokoski, soprano and Ilkka 20 June (8pm): Marc-André Hamelin, piano Paananen, piano Works by Schubert, Liszt and Mozart Songs by Schubert, Brahms, Schumann and Berg 21 June (4pm): Daniel Müller-Schott, cello and Igor Levit, 9 October (4pm): Sabine Meyer, clarinet, Gautier Capuçon, piano; Beethoven: Cello Sonatas Op.52/2, Op. 69 and Op102/2 cello and Frank Braley, piano 22 June (8pm): Jerusalem Quartet: Sir András Schiff, Works by Schumann, Beethoven and Clarinet Trio by piano; Haydn: String Quartet Op.64/5; Weinberg: Piano Quintet Brahms Op.114 Op.18; Brahms: Piano Quintet Op.34 10 October (8pm): Martin Helmchen, piano 23 June (11am): Janne Saksala, baritone, Ning Fong, violin, JS Bach: Partita in C minor BWV826; Schubert: Sonata in Daniel Muller-Schott, cello and Igor Levit, piano; B major D960 Schubert: Piano Trio in B flat D898 and Piano Quintet in A major 11 October (8pm): Christian Tetzlaff, violin, Tanja Tetzlaff, ‘The Trout’ cello and Lars Vogt, piano 24 June (8pm): Sir András Schiff, piano Brahms: Piano Trio; Schubert: Piano Trio D 929 Haydn: Three sonatas; Schubert: Sonata in C minor D958 25 June (4pm): Igor Levit, piano; Three Beethoven piano sonatas: A major Op.2; D major Op.10 No.3; E major Op.31 No.3 tour information 25 August (8pm): Matthias Goerne, baritone and Martin DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES Helmchen, piano; DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP Schwanengesang and other songs by Schubert 19 June (Schwarzenberg – 7 nights) £1,997 £225 26 August (8pm): Ian Bostridge, tenor and Julius Drake, 24 August (Schwarzenberg – 7 nights) £2,044 £225 piano; Songs by Schubert 6 October (Hohenems – 6 nights) £1,798 £192 27 August (8pm): Igor Levit, piano; Beethoven: Sonatas Price based on two people sharing a double room. Op.109, Op.110 and Op.111 28 August (11am): Isabelle Faust, violin, Jean-Guihen Flights with British Airways: Queyras, cello and Alexander Melnikov, piano Depart London Heathrow 12.20 arrive Zurich 15.00 Haydn: Piano Trio Hob.XV:24; Schumann: Piano Trio Op.110; Depart Zurich 15.45 arrive London Heathrow 16.30 Schubert: Piano Trio D 929 what we include 28 August (8pm): Gerald Finley, Julius Drake, baritone and Return flights to Zurich piano; Songs by Schubert • Accommodation with breakfast and dinner 30 August (4pm): Francesco Piemontesi, piano • Schubert: Sonata D 958 and Sonata D 959 • Excursions and concerts as described 30 August (8pm): Adrianne Pieczonka, soprano and • A pass valid for travel on all local buses Wolfram Rieger, piano; Schubert: Winterreis • The services of our Kirker Tour Leader

20 escorted Holidays to leading music festivals & events

ART & MUSIC IN VIENNA a five night Holiday | 26 APRIL, 27 MAY & 19 JUNE 2016

Vienna was the undisputed centre of musical life in Europe from the mid-eighteenth century until the early years of the twentieth. As the capital of its vast empire, Vienna was able to provide all the conditions needed for such musical creativity to flourish. Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Schoenberg, Berg, Webern, Korngold, Mahler – these composers and musicians had the closest associations with the city and even though many were not even Austrian, let alone Viennese, their compositions and personal histories are stitched into the very fabric of Vienna’s artistic heritage. Their legacy is such that Vienna still maintains the highest standards of musical performance, with the world’s Schönbrunn Palace leading musicians visiting the city every year to perform in its concert halls and on the stage at the the Itinerary Vienna State Opera. Add to this the beauty and Our programme will include a panoramic tour of the Ring which grandeur of Vienna’s architecture and its first class encircles the old quarter of Vienna and is lined with the imposing museums and galleries and you have one of the world’s buildings of state. We will visit the Belvedere with its collection of leading cultural destinations. work by Austrian artists including The Kiss by Klimt, and see the Old Masters collection at the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Visits will be made to the house where Mozart wrote Le nozze di Figaro, the MUSIC Programmes Haydn House where Joseph Haydn lived for the last twelve years of his life and the houses where Franz Schubert lived and died. A day 26 April departure: will be spent in the Burgenland visiting Eisenstadt where we see Don Giovanni by Mozart (Vienna State Opera, 27 April) the palace of the Esterhazy family, for whom Haydn worked for Adam Plachetka is the Don; cast includes Rachel Willis- many years, as well as Haydn’s house and his Mausoleum. We also Sørensen and Jongmin Park visit the rural house where the composer was born. The elegant Turandot by Puccini (Vienna State Opera, 28 April) façade of the K & K Palais, our base for the holiday, looks out over Lise Lindstrom sings the title role and Johan Botha is Calaf. the Rudolfsplatz and though in a quiet part of the city, is just 10 Optional performances: minutes’ walk from St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Inside the style is Vienna Symphony Orchestra (Konzerthaus, 30 April) contemporary and the service is excellent. There is a bar where Tales from the Vienna Woods by Johann Strauss Op.325; Suite light meals are served and 66 stylish, air-conditioned bedrooms from The Cunning Little Vixen by Janácˇek; An Alpine decorated in the K & K Hotel’s warm signature colours. Symphony by Richard Strauss Op.64 Un ballo in maschera by Verdi (Vienna State Opera, 29 April) tour information 27 May departure: Don Carlo by Verdi (Vienna State Opera, 29 May) DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES René Pape, Ramón Vargas, Anja Harteros, Béatrice Uria- DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP Monzon and Ludovic Tézier take the leading roles. 26 April £1,975 £225 Simon Boccanegra by Verdi (Vienna State Opera, 30 May) 27 May £1,975 £225 Dmitri Hvorovstovsky, Barbara Frittoli and Ferruccio 19 June £2,136 £225 Furlanetto head the cast. Price based on two people sharing a double room. Optional performance: Flights with British Airways: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (Musikverein, 28 May): Depart London Heathrow 11.35 arrive Vienna 14.45 Programme includes the Coriolanus Overture by Beethoven Depart Vienna 14.10 arrive London Heathrow 15.35 and the Violin concerto by Berg. what we include 19 June departure: • Return flights to Vienna Manon Lescaut by Puccini (Vienna State Opera, 20 June) • Five nights’ accommodation with breakfast Singing the title role, Anna Netrebko adds to her gallery of • Two lunch and two dinners great heroines. Marcello Giordani and David Pershall complete • Sightseeing programme as described, all entrance fees the cast and Marco Armiliato conducts. and gratuities Le nozze di Figaro by Mozart (Vienna State Opera, 22 June) • Second Category (Stalls) tickets for two performances Luca Pisaroni and Rachel Willis-Sørenson are the Almavivas, as described with Alessio Arduini as Figaro. • Transfers between the hotel and Vienna State Opera for the Optional performance: included performances Alceste by Gluck (Vienna State Opera, 21 June) • The services of the Kirker Tour Leader and a local guide

21 escorted Holidays to leading music festivals & events

THE RING CYCLE IN LEIPZIG A seven NIGHT HOLIDAY | 27 JUNE 2016

A Ring Cycle is always an important event for opera lovers, but for a performance to be given in the city where Wagner was born on 22 May 1813 is momentous – the Ring has not been performed in Leipzig for several decades. Plans for the current Ring began in 2013, the 200th anniversary of Wagner’s birth, and the Leipzig Opera will perform two complete cycles at the end of their 2016 season. Leipzig has one of the richest musical histories of any European city: Johann Sebastian Bach worked in the city for years, Clara Wieck married Robert Schumann here in 1840 and Mendelssohn died here. Grieg had close connections with the city and a host of famous composers studied in Leipzig. The music publisher Peters Edition had its headquarters here and Bluthner pianos were made in the company’s Leipzig factory. St. Thomas Church, Leipzig The house where Wagner was born no longer stands but we will visit the Nikolaischule where the young firebrand learnt how to play the piano. We have carefully planned a stimulating programme of visits which will show you the best of the city as well as excursions to two places closely associated with Wagner, but there will be plenty of free time so that you can relax before and after the performances. THE ITINERARY

DAY We fly from London to Berlin and transfer to Leipzig where DAY We will ve to Graupa today to see the Wagner Museum. This 1 we stay in the 4 star Radisson Blu Hotel overlooking the 4 occupies an old hunting lodge and the composer stayed here Gewandhaus and the Opera House. in 1846 when he began working on Lohengrin while he was employed in Dresden. DAY There will be a walking tour of the centre of Leipzig, which 2 has been much restored since 1990. We will visit Leipzig’s DAY The day is free to explore Leipzig before we attend the most important and historic buildings including Nikolaischule, the 5 performance of Siegfried this evening. Nikolai Church around which the protests began in 1989, St. DAY We visit Eisenach today to see the Wartburg where scenes Thomas’s Church where Bach was cantor for the duration of his 6 time in the city, and the Bach Museum which houses a collection of from Tannhäuser are set. We will also visit the birthplace of musical instruments and a detailed history of the composer’s life. In Johann Sebastian Bach who was born here in 1685. the evening we will attend the first performance – Das Rheingold. DAY This morning will be free for some final sightseeing before 7 DAY This morning we will visit the Schumann House where the the final performance of the ring cycle, Götterdämmerung, 3 Spring Symphony and the three string quartets Op.41 were which starts at 3pm. composed and the Mendelssohn House which displays much DAY personal memorabilia including letters and paintings. The second 8 We will drive back to Berlin for the flight to London. part of the Ring Cycle, Die Walküre, will be performed this evening. tour information Der Ring des Nibelungen by Richard Wagner DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP Ulf Schirmer, Conductor, Artistic 27 June £2,398 £290 Director and Music Director of Our prices are per person, based on the shared occupancy of a the Leipzig Opera will conduct twin/double room. Supplement for single occupancy rooms as shown. the performances. The producer is flight details Rosamund Gilmore from England, whose work has been seen Flights with British Airways: throughout Germany for many Depart London Heathrow 10.50 arrive Berlin Tegel 13.40 years. The Gewandhaus Orchestra Depart Berlin Tegel 14.30 arrive London Heathrow 15.30 will perform with soloists and what we include guests singers of the Leipzig Opera Richard Wagner • Return flights to Berlin and the Leipzig Opera Chorus. • Seven nights’ accommodation with breakfast 28 June: Das Rheingold at 19.30 • Four dinners and one lunch 29 June: Die Walküre at 17.00 • First category opera tickets for four performances All sightseeing as described 1 July: Siegfried at 17.00 • • All entrance fees and gratuities 3 July: Götterdämmerung at 15.00 • The services of the Kirker Tour Leader

22 escorted Holidays to leading music festivals & events

LEIPZIG & DRESDEN: MUSIC IN SAXONY AN EIGHT NIGHT HOLIDAY | 2 JUNE 2016

Just seventy miles separate two of Europe’s great musical cities, Leipzig and Dresden, and we combine them for the first time with our new tour. Leipzig has one of the grandest musical histories of any city. Wagner was born there, Johann Sebastian Bach, Felix Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann lived and worked there, and an astonishing number of composers went to Leipzig to study in the 19th century. The city is home to one of the world’s great orchestras, the Gewandhaus, and to the St. Thomas’s Boys Choir who sing almost every week in the church where Bach was Cantor. Dresden has the Semperoper, distinguished both architecturally and musically, and is home to the fabled Dresden Staatskapelle.

the Itinerary DAY We fly to Berlin and on arrival transfer to Leipzig for a four 1 night stay at the 4 star Radisson Blu Hotel Gewandhaus, located directly opposite the concert hall. Semper Opera House, Dresden DAY During our stay in Leipzig there will be a walking tour of 2–4 the historic centre of the city with visits to the music programme Nikolaikirche, the Alte Nikolaischule where Wagner was a pupil, the Town Hall, the Bach Museum and the historic St.Thomas’s Leipzig: Church where Bach worked for twenty seven years from 1723 3 June (8pm) Gewandhaus Orchestra; Wagner: Overture to until 1750. We will also visit the Mendelssohn House, the Tannhäuser; Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde; Schumann House and the Grassi Museum with its unrivalled Bruckner: Symphony No.3 in D minor WAB103 collection of historic instruments. We will make a visit to Zwickau to see the house where Schumann was born, and the Schönefeld 4 June (3pm) St. Thomas’s Church: The St. Thomas’s Church in Leipzig where he married Clara Wieck. Church Choir; the Gewandhaus Orchestra; JS Bach: Cantata ‘Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder’ BWV 153. DAY We depart from Leipzig and drive to Dresden where we stay 5 June (6.00pm) Leipzig Opera: Tosca by Puccini 5 for four nights at the 4 star Hilton Hotel in the centre of the city. This afternoon we will visit the Frauenkirche, now fully (There is an alternative performance at the Gewandhaus of restored after many years of renovation. ‘The Creation’ by Haydn) DAY In Dresden we will visit the Zwinger Gallery with its Dresden: 6–8 important collection of Old Masters, the Albertinum whose 7 June (7pm) Semperoper: La traviata by Verdi collection includes ten works by Caspar David Friedrich, and the New Green Vault and the Historic Green Vault. We will go to Meissen to see the cathedral and the porcelain factory and visit the tour information Carl Maria von Weber Museum and the Richard Wagner Museum at Graupa. DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES DAY We transfer back to Berlin for the flight to London. DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP 9 2 June £2,459 £320 Our prices are per person, based on the shared occupancy of a twin/double room. flight details Flights with British Airways: Depart London Heathrow 10.50 arrive Berlin Tegel 13.40 Depart Berlin Tegel 14.30 arrive London Heathrow 15.30 what we include • Return flights to Berlin • Eight nights’ accommodation with breakfast • Five dinners and two lunches • All sightseeing and tickets for concerts as described • All entrance fees and gratuities • The services of local guides and the Kirker Tour Leader Old Stock Market, Leipzig

23 escorted Holidays to leading music festivals & events

MUSIC IN BADEN–BADEN a FIVE NIGHT HOLIDAY | 18 MARCH & 6 JULY 2016

Baden-Baden is one of Europe’s most stylish and beautiful small towns, a fashionable spa for almost two hundred years. Its elegant architecture and great expanses of wooded parks and pathways running through the heart of the resort create an immediate sense of well-being for visitors. With its very smart and comfortable Festpielhaus, Baden-Baden is now firmly at the centre of musical Europe with performances of the highest international standard given throughout the year. The Berlin Philharmonic chose Baden-Baden as the new location for its prestigious Easter Festival, and they will return for their fifth Festival here in 2016 under the direction of the orchestra’s chief conductor Sir Simon Rattle. During July the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra and singers take up residence in Baden-Baden July Music Programme under the baton of Valery Gergiev. Valery Gergiev conducts his Mariinsky Orchestra in all three concerts, including a concert performance of Die Walküre by the Itinerary Wagner with Jonas Kaufmann in the role of Siegmund. Our tour is based at the 4 star Radisson Blu Badischer Hof Hotel 7 July: which is located in the centre of this delightful spa town and just a Die Walküre by Wagner; Valery Gergiev, conductor; Jonas few minutes’ walk from the Festspielhaus. The hotel is set in Kaufmann is Siegmund and Eva-Maria Westbroek is his long attractive grounds; it has indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a lost sister, Sieglinde. Rene Pape is Wotan and Evelyn Herlitzius spa, restaurant and lounges. Baden-Baden became an exclusive is Brünnhilde destination for the rich, royal and famous in the middle of the 19th 8 July: century and we will enjoy a walking tour of the town including a Valery Gergiev, conductor; Pinchas Zukerman, violin; visit to the casino. There will be a guided tour of the Festspielhaus Nelson Freire, piano which will tell us about its remarkable transformation from a An all-Beethoven programme: disused railway station into one of Europe’s most important concert Violin Concerto Op.61 Piano Concerto No.5 Op 73. ‘The Emperor’ halls and visits to the Museum Frieder Burda, the Monastery Symphony No. 5 Op.67 Lichtenthal and the house where Johannes Brahms spent his 9 July: holidays every year between 1865 and 1874. One day we leave Valery Gergiev, conductor; Hélèn Grimaud, piano Baden-Baden and travel through the glorious scenery of the Nikolaj Znaider, violin; An all-Brahms programme: Schwarzwald (Black Forest) to historic Freiburg. There will be a Violin Concerto Op.77; Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 Op.15 guided visit of the town, which is dominated by a huge mediaeval Symphony No. 1 Op.68 cathedral known as Freiburg Munster, and afterwards there will be time to explore independently. tour information march Music Programme DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra offers a sumptuous DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP programme. 18 March £2,460 £225 20 March: Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor 6 July £2,098 £225 Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra; Yo-Yo Ma, cello; Brahms: Our prices are per person, based on the shared occupancy of a Tragic Overture Op.81; Schumann: Cello Concerto Op.129; twin/double room. Supplement for single occupancy rooms Tchaikovsky: Symphony No, 6 Op.74 as shown. flight details 21 March: Sir Simon Rattle, conductor Flights with German Wings: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra; Mitsuko Uschida, piano Depart London Heathrow 13.55 arrive Stuttgart 16.30 Genia Kuhmeier, soprano; Sarah Connolly, mezzo-soprano Depart Stuttgart 12.25 arrive London Heathrow 13.15 Pavol Breslik, tenor; Florian Boesch, bass baritone; Mozart: Piano Concerto in E major KV482; Beethoven: Symphony No, what we include 9 Op.125 • Return flights to Stuttgart 22 March: Tristan und Isolde by Wagner • Five nights’ accommodation with breakfast Sir Simon Rattle, conductor • Three dinners Eva-Maria Westbroek and Stuart Skelton sing the title roles, • Second category tickets for all performances as described Sarah Connolly is Brangäne, Stephen Milling is King Mark, • All sightseeing, entrance fees and gratuities Michael Nagy is Kurwenal and Roman Sednik is Melot • The services of the Kirker Tour Leader

24 escorted Holidays to leading music festivals & events

OPERA IN BUDAPEST A SIX NIGHT HOLIDAY | 24 MARCH, 13 APRIL & 21 MAY 2016

A visit to the vibrant Hungarian capital is like seeing two different cities in a single holiday. The Danube runs right through the centre of the city dividing the capital in two: Pest has the characteristics of a major urban capital whilst Buda, with its historic and picturesque castle area, has a more open, almost rural aspect. Imaginative and creative programme planning and high production standards at the Hungarian State Opera and Ballet in Budapest combine to ensure a wonderful short break for music lovers. Performances are given in the State Opera House, which was built in 1884 to rival the great opera houses of Europe and in the Erkel Theatre, named after one of Hungary’s best-loved composers. THE ITINERARY

DAY We fly to Budapest and on arrival transfer to the 4 star hotel DAY 1 We visit three pretty, contrasting towns on the dramatic west K & K Opera, centrally located and directly opposite the 4 bank of the Danube. Szentendre has a happy amalgam of State Opera. (NB: for 21 May departure we stay at the Palazzo Baroque architecture and Orthodox churches while Visegrad is Zichy. Once the home of a Hungarian Count, it is today a dominated by the romantic ruins of the huge citadel built by King contemporary hotel close to the Hungarian National Museum.) We Bela IV in the 13th century. Esztergom, with a lovely Old Town, is have dinner this evening in a local restaurant. the seat of the Archbishop of Hungary and the country’s most DAY We will begin our visit with an introductory panoramic sacred city. 2 tour of Pest, the commercial sector of the capital. We will see DAY We begin the day at the Hungarian National Museum. The St. Stephen’s Basilica, Heroes’ Square, the Great Synagogue – the 5 story of Hungary’s colourful and turbulent history unfolds largest in Europe – and the Parliament. We will then cross the here from Mátyás Corvinus, through the periods of Turkish and Danube and explore Buda, visiting the Castle District, Gellért Hill then Habsburg rule, and the years following World War II and the and the Fisherman’s Bastion. 1956 Revolution. Later at the Museum of Fine Arts we see an DAY Today we will visit the Hungarian National Gallery with important collection of art once owned by the Esterhazy family. 3 works by Hungarian artists from mediaeval times to the DAY This morning we will go to the Royal Palace of Gödöllo´´, present day. Later, we go to the house in a leafy suburb where Bela 6 both romantic and flamboyant. This was the favourite Bartók lived and composed from 1924 until he fled to the USA in residence of the Empress Sisi. Later we go to Martonvásár where in 1940. The day ends with a visit to the apartment where Franz Liszt the Brunswick Mansion we discover a Memorial Museum spent the last five years of his life. dedicated to Beethoven who was a regular guest here. DAY Music Programme 7 We drive to Budapest airport for the flight back to London. 24 March departure: includes special Easter performances 27 March (double bill): an Easter Sunday performance of tour information Mascagni’s dramatic one-act opera Cavalleria rusticana, set in a Sicilian village where the passionate events reach boiling DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES point on Easter Day; followed by Pagliacci by Leoncavallo DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP 26 March: A fully staged performance of The St.John Passion 24 March £1,365 £189 by J S Bach at the Hungarian State Opera 13 April £1,498 £228 Optional performance: Parsifal by Wagner (15 March) 21 May £1,498 £228 Our prices are per person, based on the shared occupancy of a 13 April departure: Scoundrels, seducers and rakes – three twin/double room. Supplement for single occupancy rooms operas with a common theme as shown. 14 April: The Queen of Spades by Tchaikovsky flight details Tchaikovsky’s dramatic opera about obsession, gambling Flights with British Airways: and death Depart London Heathrow 14.00 arrive Budapest 17.30 17 April (double bill): Cavalleria rusticana by Mascagni Depart Budapest 13.10 arrive London Heathrow 14.50 & Pagliacci by Leoncavallo Optional performance: The Rake’s Progress by Stravinsky (15 April) what we include 21 May departure: operas based on plays by Shakespeare • Return flights to Budapest 23 May: I Capuleti e i Montecchi by Bellini • Six nights’ accommodation with breakfast Bellini’s sublime bel-canto opera based on Romeo and Juliet • One lunch and three dinners in local restaurants 24 May: Otello by Verdi • First category seats at the included performances Optional performance: The Tempest by Thomas Adès (25 May); • All sightseeing as described, entrance fees and gratuities Macbeth by Verdi (26 May) • The services of a local guide and Kirker Tour Leader

25 cultural tours

THE GRANDEUR OF ROME A seven NIGHT holiday | 18 April & 10 october 2016

The 3rd century AD saw Rome at its imperial peak, a densely populated city spreading out over its seven hills, a testament to the power and wealth of the vast Roman Empire. Many of the glorious buildings and sites survive today but added to these are the great architectural and artistic achievements of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Our tour has been planned to show you the very best from its treasure trove, spanning more than two thousand years.

THE ITINERARY

DAY We fly to Rome and transfer to one of our 1 favourite 4 star hotels in Rome, the Marcella Royal, centrally located on the Via Flavia.

DAY We start our visit at the Pantheon, the best preserved tour lecturer: 2 building of ancient Rome, and then go to the Church of CHARLIE HALL San Luigi dei Francesi where we see The Life of St. Matthew by Caravaggio. There will be some free time to enjoy the delights of Charlie Hall has known Italy intimately since 1965 the Piazza Navona and in the afternoon we will go to the Campo when his father set up the legendary John Hall Venice course de’Fiori, admire the exterior of the Palazzo Farnese and see the Theatre of Marcellus and the Piazza del Campidoglio. Our day for gap year students. Today Charlie runs the course and spends ends at the Capitoline Museum. many months in Italy each year. Visits to Florence and Rome play an important part in the curriculum DAY We start at the Ars Pacis – Augustus’s Altar of Peace and and he knows both cities very well. 3 then visit Santa Maria del Popolo with works by Caravaggio Charlie Hall writes: “However long one spends in Rome, it is never, and Raphael. In the afternoon we go to the Villa Borghese with its ever long enough. How could it be, with its history stretching back so superb picture collection and then to Santa Maria della Vittoria with its masterpiece by Bernini. far and with so much from its glorious imperial past still standing for visitors to enjoy? We’ve tried to include a judicious mix of architecture, DAY Trajan’s Markets, created by the Emperor in the 2nd century history and art in this week long tour, but still leave enough time to 4 AD, the Forum dotted with temples, triumphal arches and see Rome’s myriad treasures at a leisurely pace and to enjoy the city’s basilicas, and the beautiful Palatine Hill and the Colosseum make famous cuisine in the evenings.” up our programme this morning. This afternoon is devoted to three of the most ancient and important churches in Rome where the entire history of the city comes to life – San Clemente, Santa Costanza with its 4th century mosaics, and Sant’Agnese. tour information DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES DAY We spend the day in Tivoli where we visit Hadrian’s Villa DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP 5 and the fabled and fanciful gardens of the Villa d’Este. 18 April £1,796 £320 10 October £1,894 £340 DAY The morning is spent at the Galleria Doria Pamphili, Prices are per person, based on the shared occupancy of a 6 one of the greatest art collections still in private hands. room. Supplements for single occupancy are as shown. The afternoon is spent exploring the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. FLIGHT DETAILS Flights with British Airways: DAY We begin at Bramante’s Tempietto, cool and serene on the Depart London Heathrow 12.45 arrive Rome 16.10, 7 Janiculum Hill with its wonderful views over Rome. Depart Rome 17.10 arrive London Heathrow 18.55 Raphael’s glorious and colourful frescoes in the Villa Farnesina, NB: Regional departures available on request. Santa Maria in Trastevere and a walk through the lively Trastevere what we include district complete the morning. Our last visit will be to the Baths • Return flights to Rome of Caracalla, Rome’s second largest public baths built between • Seven nights’ accommodation with breakfast 212 – 217 AD. • Four dinners in local restaurants and one lunch • All entrance fees and gratuities DAY Some free time this morning before we depart for the • The services of the Kirker Tour Lecturer, Charlie Hall 8 airport and the flight back to London.

26 cultural tours

RAVENNA, URBINO & FERRARA A FIVE NIGHT HOLIDAY | 13 APRIL & 21 SEPTEMBER 2016

Ravenna was the last Western capital of the Roman Empire before it moved to Constantinople, leaving behind the most dazzling mosaics and Byzantine architecture as a lasting memory of imperial glory. In Urbino in Le Marche we discover an idealised city state created by the duke of Urbino, and in Ferrara we will learn more about the powerful d’Este family whose court was based here.

THE ITINERARY We stay for five nights in Ravenna at the centrally located 4 star Palazzo Bezzi. Two full days are spent in Ravenna to enjoy the mosaics and architecture at a leisurely pace. The Mausoleum of Galla Placida, Sant’Apollinare Nuovo with its procession of martyrs depicted in mosaics, and the National Museum are all included. The portraits of Justinian and Theodora at San Vitale and the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe complete our visit. Then we spend a day in Urbino to see Duke Federico’s art collection at the Palazzo Ducale and the frescoes at the Oratory of St.John. Finally, in Ferrara we see a collection of outstanding buildings associated with the d’Este family; the Palazzo Schifanoia, the art collection at the Palazzo Diamanti, and the Casa Romei. Price£1,428 per person to include return scheduled flights from Heathrow to Bologna (depart 08.35, return 12.45); five nights’ accommodation with breakfast; three dinners in Ravenna and one lunch in Urbino; all entrance fees and gratuities and the services of our Kirker Tour Lecturer Christopher Monckton (single supplement £198). For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284. Ravenna Mosaics PARMA, CREMONA & MANTUA A FIVE NIGHT HOLIDAY | 18 APRIL & 26 SEPTEMBER 2016

In the company of popular Kirker Lecturer Christopher Monckton, we will explore this relatively unknown corner of northern Italy from our base in Parma, a city of great historic importance. It is synonymous with the very best food and produce in Italy. Musically, too, the region has the finest credentials; Giuseppe Verdi was born in the small farming village of Roncole and Arturo Toscanini was born in Parma itself. This really is an exploration of the three things we most closely associate with Italy – art, food and music. A number of fine lunches and dinners are included and there will be an opportunity to learn more about the two foods for which the region is world famous, ‘parmigiano e prosciutto’.

THE ITINERARY

We stay at the centrally located 4 star Hotel Palace Maria Luigia in Lunch at I due Foscari, a hotel once owned by the son of the great Parma, once the seat of the Farnese family and today the centre of tenor Carlo Bergonzi, and dinner in the magnificent Antico Corte Italian cuisine with a gastronomic reputation of worldwide renown. Pallavicino on the banks of the Po, are among the included meals. Highlights in Parma include works by Coreggio and Parmigianino Price £1,498 per person to include return flights with British Airways at the art gallery, the wooden theatre of 1628, a tour of the city’s from Heathrow (depart 08.35, return 12.25); five nights’ exquisite opera house, the Teatro Regio and the frescoes by accommodation with breakfast; three dinners and one lunch; all Correggio at the Cathedral. Mantua was the power base of the entrance fees and gratuities and the services of the Kirker Tour Lecturer Gonzaga court, patrons of Mantegna and Romano whose works Christopher Monckton (single supplement £180). we see. In Cremona, birthplace of Stradivarius, we will see the Museum of the Violin and visit the atelier of a luthier. One day will For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours be spent discovering more about Giuseppe Verdi, who was born in section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284. rural Roncole and lived most of his life not far away in Busseto.

The two tours on this page run consecutively so why not book both for a ten-night tour of northern Italy’s art cities. Price £2,598 per person – single supplement £378.

27 cultural tours

VILLAS & GARDENS AROUND ROME a five night holiday | 9 May & 19 September 2016

Italy not only has many of the greatest 16th and 17th century gardens in Europe, it also has some which have been extensively restored and indeed created in the 20th century. We visit two of these at Ninfa and La Landriana. Our new tour will show you a wonderful selection of villas and gardens in the countryside around Rome as well as some in the city itself. We stay at the very comfortable 4 star Park Hotel Villa Grazioli in Frascati, a charming town surrounded by vineyards, which produce its eponymous wine, only 20 kilometres from Rome. Built in 1580 by Cardinal Carafa, the Villa Grazioli has been restored to its former splendour with vaulted ceilings and intricate 17th century frescoes. Park Hotel Villa Grazioli THE ITINERARY

DAY We fly from London to Rome and transfer to Frascati where DAY The garden at La Landriana was created over a thirty year 1 we stay for five nights at the 4 star Park Hotel Villa Grazioli. 5 period by the Marchesa Lavinia Taverna. The garden has over thirty separate compartments; some are devoted to a single DAY The day will be spent in Rome starting with a visit to the 2 species, some to a style and some to a colour. Our next garden is no Villa Borghese Gardens and Gallery which were formed in less wonderful and even more romantic – the garden at Ninfa, the early 17th century. We will have lunch in a family restaurant planted a hundred years ago over the ruins of the 14th century just off the Piazza Navona and then go to the Villa Torlonia, which walled town. recently reopened after a long period of restoration. This is a neo- Classical villa once owned by the Torlonia family, one of the DAY Before making our way to the airport we visit Villa grandest in Rome in the 19th century. 6 Aldobrandini, given by Pope Clement VII to his nephew in 1598. This is the finest of all the Frascati villas where much use is DAY Today’s gardens are the Villa Lante and the Villa Farnese. The 3 made of water features. This is a fitting end to our discovery of Villa Lante at Bagnaia is one of the greatest of all Italian some of Italy’s finest gardens. Renaissance gardens: its symmetrical design is absolutely perfect. The Summer and Winter Gardens of the Villa Farnese give way to a path which leads through a wooded landscape and eventually tour information reaches the Casino, used by the all-powerful Farnese family as a private refuge. This evening we will drive through vineyards to have DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES dinner at the Cantina di Santa Benedetta. There will be a tasting of DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP Frascati wine with the winemaker, followed by dinner in the lovely old farmhouse. 9 May £1,497 £260 19 September £1,497 £260 DAY Today is spent in Tivoli with its two great gardens: the Villa Our prices are per person, based on sharing a double room. 4 D’Este and Hadrian’s Villa. The narrow terraces of the Villa Prices are based on rooms in the hotel’s annexe connected to D’Este create the effect of a dramatic hanging garden, opening out the main villa by an underground walkway. Supplement for at each descending level. room in main villa: £210 per room.

flight details tour lecturer: Flights with British Airways: charlie hall Depart London Heathrow 12.45 arrive Rome 16.10 (See page 26 for biography) Depart Rome 17.10 arrive London Heathrow 18.55 Charlie Hall writes: “The gardens and villas around Rome have NB: Regional departures available on request. rich associations with some of Italy's most noble families. The country what we include retreat of the great Farnese family at Capraola and the Aldobrandini • Return flights to Rome villa at Frascati provide a vivid reminder of their immense power and • Five nights’ accommodation with breakfast influence. Even grander, the Emperor Hadrian created his villa and • Three dinners and two lunches garden at Tivoli. For me, the highlights of this tour are the visits to • All transfers, entrance fees and sightseeing as described La Landriana and Ninfa, two of the most perfect gardens in Europe.” • The services of our Kirker Tour Lecturer, Charlie Hall

28 cultural tours

THE ITALIAN LAKES: GARDENS & VILLAS OF COMO & MAGGIORE A six NIGHT holiday | 25 May & 22 JUne 2016

One has to go far to find a more perfect and peaceful landscape than the shores of Lake Como, where this tour is based. Tranquil, serene and timeless, the mountains that fringe the crystal waters provide a dramatic backdrop as do the countless pristine villas that stretch up the hillsides from the lake shores. These villas that have been built over the centuries by wealthy Milanese families have superb gardens which we will visit during the tour. A visit to the shores of Lake Maggiore, quite different in atmosphere from Lake Como, completes this discovery of one of the most beautiful regions of Italy.

Villa Balbianello THE ITINERARY

DAY We fly from Heathrow to Milan before transferring to the coloured annuals and other exotic species flourishing around a 1 lakeside town of Como where we stay at the 4 star Hotel romantic unfinished villa. Lunch is included today. Terminus for the duration of the tour. The Terminus is a small, DAY Today we visit two stately villas with elegant interiors and privately-owned hotel located in the heart of the town. A 19th 5 century property in Art Nouveau style, it has been recently formal gardens. First is the Villa Cicogna which is still refurbished and has a large hall with a painted ceiling. The attractive owned and lived in by the ancestors of the family who built it in bar leads on to a terrace with views of the lake and the the 15th century. Our second garden is at the Villa della Porta surrounding hills. Bozzolo. It clings to a steep hill leading from the centre of the village of Casalzuigno. Lunch at the Villa Cicogna is included. DAY After a morning walking tour of Como, we travel by 2 DAY We will take the ferry the short distance to Cernobio where hydrofoil to Bellagio, known as the ‘Pearl of the lake’. At the 6 Villa Melzi exotic species thrive in the warm climate – the garden we’ll enjoy lunch at the fabulous Villa D’Este, one of the finest is renowned in spring time for its riotous display of azaleas. hotels in Italy. The afternoon is free for independent exploration; ferries depart from close to the hotel to numerous towns. DAY We drive to Villa Carlotta which was built in the 19th 3 DAY On our way to the airport we will visit Monza Cathedral to century and spreads over 14 acres that tumble down to the 7 water’s edge. We then take a private boat to Villa Balbianello which see the famous Iron Crown of Lombardy used at the sits on a promontory in an impossibly romantic setting. coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VII in 1312. DAY We spend the day at Stresa, the principal town on the shores 4 of Lake Maggiore. We will visit the beautiful Borromean tour information Islands by boat and at Isola Bella will explore a magnificent palace DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES surrounded by terraced gardens. At Isola Madre, we see brightly DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP 25 May £1,987 £398 tour lecturer: 22 June £1,987 £398 christopher monckton Our prices are per person, based on the shared occupancy of a room. Supplement for single occupancy rooms is as shown. Christopher was a choral scholar at Magdalen College Our prices are based on superior double/twin rooms and standard Oxford, where he developed a passion for both double rooms for sole occupancy. performing and teaching. This led to a lifelong interest in FLIGHT DETAILS history, music and art history. He has led countless tours Flights with British Airways: all over the world covering many subjects and periods. Depart London Heathrow 14.50 arrive Milan Malpensa 17.50 Christopher Monckton writes: “Lake Como is for me Depart Milan Linate 15.55 arrive London Heathrow 17.05 one of the most peaceful and beautiful regions of Europe, its what we include shores swathed in romantic mystery and dotted with the • Return flights to Milan imposing villas of royalty and aristocrats from the past three • Six nights’ accommodation with breakfast hundred years. The sense of isolation and secrecy created by • Three dinners the cool, deep waters of the lake and the tall, elegant • Three lunches, including one at the Hotel Villa D’Este cypresses that grace the shore create a wonderful atmosphere, • All entrance fees and gratuities far removed from the outside world.” • The services of our Kirker Tour Lecturer, Christopher Monckton

29 cultural tours

LUCCA & THE LUCCHESE HILLS A Four NIGHT holiday | 1 April & 4 November 2016

Lucca is a perfect example of a small Italian walled city with artistic treasures of the first order. A popular destination for day visits, Lucca rewards those who stay in the city and take the time to discover its secrets. Four nights is the perfect duration as it enables visitors to enjoy its charms in an unhurried manner, and provides the opportunity to explore the beautiful Lucchese hills which surround the city.

Guinigi are also included. We will visit two of the best of many villas dotted amongst the Lucchese Hills – the Villa Grabau and the Villa Reale at Marlia - as well as the smallest public theatre in the world, built in 1890. On the last day we will visit Pisa to see the Romanesque Campo dei Miracoli, dominated by the leaning tower. Price £1,237 per person (single supplement £118) to include THE ITINERARY British Airways flights from London Gatwick to Pisa (depart 11.40, We stay in the lovely 4 star San Luca Palace, located centrally but return 15.30); four nights’ accommodation with breakfast; four quietly in a mediaeval square within the city walls. We will spend dinners in four different local restaurants close to the hotel; all two days exploring Lucca with visits to its cathedral, San Martino, entrance fees and gratuities; a ticket for a recital of arias at the with important sculptures, and San Michele in Foro with its close Basilica of San Giovanni and the service of the Kirker Tour Lecturer, associations with the Puccini family. Giacomo Puccini was born in Charlie Hall. Lucca in 1858 and we will visit his birthplace, which is today a For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours museum. The Romanesque church of San Frediano and the Villa section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284. FLORENCE – CRADLE OF THE RENAISSANCE A FIVE NIGHT holiday | 5 APRIL & 8 NOVEMBER 2016

The dawning of the golden age of artistic creativity began in Florence and soon spread to other city states in the north of Italy, each ruled by an immensely wealthy family. The Medici in Florence led the way, fully aware that their patronage of artists and architects would increase their power and standing. Others followed but none would ever surpass the legacy of the Medici. Kirker Tour Lecturer Charlie Hall will introduce you to the works of a litany of great artists and help you to put them and their achievements into context.

THE ITINERARY

Based at the erxcellent 4 star Santa Maria Novella hotel, our tour and Brunelleschi’s last great masterpiece; Santo Spirito, are all includes the major highlights of Florence alongside some less included. All sightseeing is done on foot and there will be free time visited places. At the Uffizi Gallery we will see works by every each afternoon. great Florentine artist, and at Santa Maria Novella works by Price £1,468 per person (single supplement £298) and to include Masaccio and Ghirlandaio. All the great Florentine sculptors are represented in the Bargello including Michelangelo and Donatello, flights from London Gatwick to Pisa (depart 11.35, return 16.00); and at the Accademia we see Michelangelo’s David. Fra Angelico’s five nights’ accommodation with breakfast; three dinners in local frescoes are at the Friary of San Marco and we can see how the restaurants; all entrance fees and gratuities and the service of the Medici made their presence felt after death with their monumental Kirker Tour Lecturer Charlie Hall. tombs at San Lorenzo. The Franciscan Santa Croce; the great For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours collection at the Palazzo Vecchio; the exquisite Brancacci Chapel section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284.

The two tours on this page run consecutively so can be booked as a nine night tour in the company of Charlie Hall. Price £2,455 per person – single supplement £496.

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RUSKIN’S VENICE a four night Holiday | 14 MARCH & 15 NOVEMBER 2016

Dr Nicholas Shrimpton, Emeritus Fellow in English Literature at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford and internationally recognised as a distinguished Ruskinian, follows in John Ruskin’s footsteps through Venice. Visiting the same places as Ruskin, we see La Serenissima through his eyes during the visits he made over a period of thirty years, including the three years he spent there with his wife, Effie Gray, researching his book ‘The Stones of Venice’. He discovered the city through its Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance past.

THE ITINERARY

We stay at the 4 star deluxe Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal. In an painting of St. George. At San Giacomo di Rialto we see the introductory talk on what Ruskin called ‘the paradise of cities’, inscription which is at the core of Ruskin’s social beliefs. Nicholas Shrimpton recreates Ruskin’s journey from his ecstatic Price £1,467 per person to include return flights from London discovery of Tintoretto to his growing interest in Byzantine Venice. Gatwick with British Airways (depart 12.35, return 16.30); four We will take a private boat trip to Torcello to see the 11th century nights’ accommodation with breakfast; two dinners and lunch at the Basilica di Santa Maria dell’Assunta, and on the same day we visit Locanda Cipriani on Torcello; private transfers; all sightseeing as San Marco. Other visits will include the Doge’s Palace following described; all entrance fees and gratuities and the services of the same itinerary taken by Ruskin and described by him in Dr. Shrimpton (single supplement £160). ‘St. Mark’s Rest’.At the Accademia we see Carpaccio’s ‘Scenes from the Legend of St. Ursula’, a work through which Ruskin For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the communicated with his dead inamorata Rose La Touche, and later Cultural Tours section of our website kirkerholidays.com or at the Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni we see Carpaccio’s call us on 020 7593 2284. GENOA – CITY OF THE DOGES A five NIGHT HOLIDAY | 20 APRIL, 15 JUNE & 5 OCTOBER 2016

One of the most beautiful coastlines in the whole of Europe, the Ligurian Riviera is also one of the least visited. Liguria is dominated by Genoa, a city that has only in recent years begun to attract visitors despite its artistic and architectural treasures. It rivalled Venice as the most important trading centre in the Mediterranean, and like La Serenissima, it too was ruled by all-powerful Doges chosen from the city’s wealthiest families. Add to that the glorious scenery of its coast and you have the perfect base for a richly enjoyable holiday. The ITINERARY We stay at the splendid 4 star Grand Hotel Savoia in the heart of the city. We spend two full days in Genoa visiting several magnificent mansions once owned by the city’s grandest families, all clustered along via Garibaldi. We visit the Cathedral of San Villa del Principe Doria Lorenzo, the Museo del Tesoro with its religious art brought back from the Crusades, the Villa del Principe Doria, the art collection at OPERA PROGRAMME Palazzo Spinola and the Maritime Museum. We drive to Portofino for lunch at the aptly named Hotel Splendido, and on another day 20 April departure: Andrea Chénier by Giordano (20 April) have lunch in a private palace in Chiavari. An opera performance at A hot-blooded tale of love, treachery and death during the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa is included. Terror of the French Revolution. Jorge de León is the Price £1,575 per person (single supplement £198) to include romantic hero, Norma Fantini is Maddalena and Carlos British Airways flights from London Gatwick to Genoa (depart Almaguer the revolutionary Gérard. 09.10, return 13.00); five nights’ accommodation with breakfast; 15 June departure: La forza del destino by Verdi (18 June) three dinners and two lunches; all entrance fees and gratuities; a First Martina Serafin is the unfortunate Leonora, Luca Salsa is Don category opera ticket and the service of the Kirker Tour Lecturer. Carlo and Marco Berti Don Alvaro. For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours 5 October departure: Opera details available in spring 2016. section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284.

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UMBRIA – THE ESSENCE OF ITALY A seven night holiday | 25 april & 5 september 2016

Perugia, the capital of Umbria and one of the finest cities in Italy is the centre from which we explore this fascinating region. Umbria is filled with historic art towns, perched on hilltops with wonderful views of the rolling countryside planted with olive groves and vineyards. We will visit the most important of these towns including Orvieto, Arezzo and Assisi – each of which is within easy reach of Perugia. Works by some of Italy’s most important artists will be viewed, including frescoes by Giotto, Filippo Lippi and Piero della Francesca.

Orvieto THE ITINERARY

DAY We fly to Rome and transfer to Perugia where we stay for DAY Today we visit Assisi to see the Basilica di San Francesco, the 1 the duration of the tour at the 4 star Brufani Palace Hotel . 7 home of the Franciscan Order. The frescoes by Giotto tell Opened in 1884, the Brufani Palace is a traditional hotel in every the story of the life of St. Francis. There will be time to wander sense with spacious public areas, well appointed bedrooms and a through the picturesque narrow mediaeval streets and enjoy the high level of personal service. marvellous views. DAY DAY Perugia is the capital of Umbria and one of the country’s We drive back to Rome for the flight back to London. 2 most beautiful hill towns, still retaining the air of a bustling 8 market town. We will visit the National Gallery of Umbria and the church of San Bernardino and see frescoes by Perugino in a tour lecturer: merchant’s hall. The rest of the day is free. christopher monckton DAY We visit the small town of Todi with its fine Renaissance 3 church, and then continue to Orvieto with its shimmering Christopher was a choral scholar at Magdalen College marble cathedral and magnificent frescoes by Signorelli. We will see Oxford, where he developed a passion for both performing the very grand town hall here, the Palazzo del Popolo. and teaching. This led to a lifelong interest in history, music DAY Our first stop today is Spello, a small hilltop town of the and art history. He has led countless tours all over the world 4 utmost charm where we see the frescoes by Pinturicchio in covering many subjects and periods and has been leading the church of Santa Maria Maggiore. We then go to Spoleto, one of our tour to Umbria for the past four seasons. Umbria’s great cultural centres, nestled in the foothills of the Christopher Monckton writes:“The miracle of Italy is that its Appenines. It is dominated by one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Italy, famous for its frescoed apse by Filippo Lippi. regions are so distinct in character from each other. They all share an enormously rich artistic past but when visited, the individuality of DAY The morning is spent in Gubbio with its dramatic piazza on each becomes apparent, none more so than in rural Umbria, known 5 a hillside and a number of grand mediaeval palaces, including the Ducal Palace which was once part of the Duke of as The Green Heart of Italy. Its art towns are all on a more Montefeltro’s empire. There will be free time for independent intimate scale but together they add up to provide a wonderfully exploration in Perugia later in the day. varied and rewarding experience.” DAY Today we drive to Arezzo in Tuscany where we see one of 6 the greatest works in all Italy – Piero della Francesca’s frescoes, ‘The Legend of the True Cross’, in the church of San tour information Francesco. There will be time for an independent lunch here before DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES going to Sansepolcro, the hometown of Piero, where we see his ‘Resurrection’ in the Museo Civico. DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP 25 April £1,847 £325 5 September £1,847 £325 Our prices are per person, based on the shared occupancy of a twin/double room. Supplement for single occupancy is as shown. FLIGHT DETAILS Flights with British Airways: Depart London Heathrow 12.50 arrive Rome 16.10 Depart Rome 15.20 arrive London Heathrow 17.05 what we include • Return flights to Rome • Seven nights’ accommodation with breakfast • Four dinners – two at the hotel and two in local restaurants • All entrance fees and gratuities • The services of our Kirker Tour Lecturer, Christopher Monkton

Arezzo Cathedral Spoleto Cathedral

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THE BAY OF NAPLES A six NIGHT holiday | 13 MARCH & 4 NOVEMBER 2016

The ancient and imperial history of Naples and its glorious bay is so powerfully etched into the minds of travellers to the region that it often comes as a shock to remember that, after the fall of the Roman Empire, Naples was reborn and went on to establish itself as a major historic and cultural centre. After the Romans came the Byzantine influence, followed by the Normans, the Spanish and the Bourbons. After troubled years in the 20th century, Naples is now a city determined to show off its unique charms to the full. For this tour we concentrate on the city itself, which is often overlooked in favour of the great Roman sites along the coast. Pompeii THE ITINERARY DAY We travel to Naples and stay for five nights at the 5 star tour lecturer: 1 Grand Hotel Parker’s, located close to the elegant KARINA MITENS neighbourhood of Chiaia. Our clients all have the hotel’s splendid rooms overlooking the Bay of Naples. Karina Mitens is a Danish archaeologist who obtained her doctorate at the University of Copenhagen. She now works in DAY We begin our visit with a panoramic sightseeing tour of the the Bay of Naples, the region of Italy closest to her heart and 2 thronging, colourful streets of Naples. Each of the city’s neighbourhoods has its own distinctive flavour, with vastly loves to share her archaelogical knowledge of this facinating area. contrasting worlds. We visit the vast and impressive Palazzo Reale Karina Mitens writes:“I spend at least half the year working where we will see the Museum of the Royal Apartments, and the around the Bay of Naples which is one of the most scenically blessed exquisite Teatrino di Corte. We then go to Castel Nuovo which landscapes in the world. Visitors can easily trace the region’s history dominates the seafront. following the line from its Greek beginnings through its glory days as a summer haven for Roman emperors thanks to the DAY Today we go to Herculaneum, which contrasts in every way 3 with Pompeii. Excavations began here in 1738 under the enlightenment of its more recent rulers, the Bourbons, who started the enlightened patronage of the Bourbon King Charles. Sunk in mud excavations in Pompeii and Herculaneum.” and perfectly preserved, Herculaneum is a mysterious and haunting place. We also visit the beautifully restored Villa Oplontis. tour information DAY We will see several works by Caravaggio today – ‘The Seven 4 Acts of Mercy’ at the Pio Monte della Misericordia and ‘The DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES Martyrdom of St. Ursula’. We will visit the glorious and richly DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP decorated interiors of the Cathedral of San Gennaro, and end the 13 March £1,695 £290 day in the Capodimonte Museum. It was built by Charles VII of 4 November £1,695 £290 Naples and Sicily to house the matchless collection of paintings and Prices based on two people sharing a double room – single ancient sculptures inherited from his mother. We will see a third supplement as shown. Caravaggio here, ‘The Flagellation of Christ’. FLIGHT DETAILS DAY Back to the world of the Romans, we visit Pompeii, frozen 5 Flights with British Airways: in time for almost 1,700 years. We will see the clearly defined Depart London Gatwick 14.25 arrive Naples 18.10 townscape with its houses, shops and amphitheatre, all in the Depart Naples 11.40 arrive London Gatwick 13.30 shadow of Vesuvius. what we include DAY The morning is spent in the Museum of National Antiquities 6 • Return flights to Naples which is full of impressive finds from the ancient sites around • Six nights’ accommodation with breakfast the Bay of Naples. During the afternoon your Tour Lecturer, Karina • Five dinners Mitens will share some of her favourite places with you. • All entrance fees and gratuities DAY • The services of the Kirker Tour Lecturer, Karina Mitens 7 We drive to the airport for the flight back to London.

OPERA AT TEATRO SAN CARLO The Teatro San Carlo is one of the most beautiful and historic opera houses in the world. Why not take the opportunity to enjoy a performance here during your stay in Naples. 13 March departure: Falstaff by Verdi (15 March) Verdi’s last work and his only comic opera: £98 per ticket. 4 November departure: A special concert performance in celebration of the Bourbon King Charles III - Achille in Sciro by Domenico Sarro (5 November). This opera was the first to be performed at the newly opened Teatro San Carlo on 4 November 1733: £98 per ticket. Opera Weekends in Naples Please ask us for details of our special Naples Opera Weekends – Norma by Bellini (February); Fedora by Giordano ( May); an unusual double-bill - Goyescas by Granados and Suor Angelica by Puccini (June); and Adriana Lecouvreur by Cilea (November). Contact Lucy Ayling on 020 7593 2286 or by email [email protected] for more information

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SICILY – AN ENIGMATIC ISLAND A nine NIGHT holiday | 26 April & 2 October 2016

The largest island in the Mediterranean, Sicily’s strategic importance has given it a violent, eventful and colourful history. Doric temples, Roman mosaics, elegant and powerful Norman architecture and a wealth of Baroque and Renaissance palaces and churches are a reminder of its great past. Add to this the beautiful Sicilian landscape dotted with remote and traditional villages, the friendly people and an agreeable climate; few places can offer such an uplifting cultural discovery.

THE ITINERARY Agrigento

DAY On arrival we visit a private palazzo in Catania before making DAY We continue our journey to the northern shore of Sicily, 1 our way to the 4 star Grand Hotel Ortigia in Syracuse where 6 stopping en route at the Piazza Armerina to visit a luxurious we stay for the first four nights of our tour. villa from the late Roman Empire where the floors are paved with DAY Syracuse is a charming town and once the most significant city the most magnificent mosaics. After an independent lunch we travel 2 in Magna Graecia. We visit the Greek theatre dedicated to on to Palermo where we stay for four nights in the 4 star Hotel Athena and the important archaeological museum with a superb Centrale Palace. collection from the Greek, Roman and Early Christian eras. Later we DAY The whole day is spent in Palermo. We start with a visit to the will visit the historic island of Ortigia with its maze of streets. 7 Oratorio di San Domenico and continue to the 13th century DAY Today we drive to Taormina, one of the loveliest resorts in the church of St. Francis of Assisi and the cathedral before enjoying a 3 Mediterranean. Located on the slopes of Mount Etna, guided tour of Palazzo Conte Federico. Later we go to the opulent Taormina enjoys a glorious position between the volcano and the sea. Norman Royal Palace where we see the Chapel of the Kings, the We visit the Graeco-Roman theatre and the 13th century cathedral. Palatine Chapel and the Ermeti Chapel. In the afternoon there will be time for independent exploration. You DAY Our first visit today is to Segesta to see the glorious Doric may wish to take the funicular to the top of Taormina from where 8 temples and theatre – the best Greek site on the island. Later there are splendid views over the sea to Calabria. we continue to the enormous hillside site of Selinunte, which was DAY Today we visit the Baroque buildings and churches of two of founded in 650BC. 4 the island’s most charming and unspoilt towns – Modica and DAY This morning we drive to Monreale to visit the great Norman Noto. Modica became a UNESCO site in 2002 and Noto is a place 9 cathedral dating from 1172, its mosaics surviving intact from of great atmosphere with its grand palaces and crumbling façades. the Middle Ages. Its elegant but unexceptional exterior does not DAY We leave Syracuse and drive to Agrigento where we spend one prepare the visitor for the splendours within where dazzling mosaics 5 night at the 3 star Hotel Jolly dellaValle, overlooking one of the depict scenes from both the Old and New Testaments. In the most mystical and atmospheric sites of the ancient world – the Valley afternoon we return to Palermo and visit two impressive Norman of the Temples. We visit the museum and walk along the Sacred Way buildings, both of which have fine mosaics – the San Caldo and the overshadowed by the Temples of Zeus and Concord. Martorana where we see a graceful Norman tower dating from 1153. DAY . 10 We drive to Palermo airport for the flight back to London. tour lecturer: NEIL FAuLkNER tour information Neil Faulkner was educated at King’s College, Cambridge DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES and the Institute of Archaeology, UCL. He is currently DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, Editor of 26 April £2,370 £390 Military History Monthly, and Co-director of 2 October £2,370 £390 archaeological field projects in Norfolk, Jordan, and Our prices are per person, based on the shared occupancy of a Slovenia. The author of eight books, he works as a twin/double room. Supplement for single occupancy is as shown. freelance lecturer, writer, and broadcaster. Originally FLIGHT DETAILS trained as a Romanist, he now considers himself a Depart London Gatwick 15.10 arrive Catania 19.10 (British Airways) generalist interested in history’s ‘grand narratives’. Depart Palermo 10.15 arrive London Gatwick 12.15 (Easyjet) Neil Faulkner writes:“I always love unravelling the complex and what we include colourful history of Sicily and explaining why this strategically • Return flights important island has been the focus of so many civilisations. Each • Nine nights’ accommodation with breakfast and dinner (most has left behind splendid architectural legacies from the Doric Temples dinners are taken at local restaurants in Palermo and Syracuse) • All entrance fees and gratuities at Agrigento, the glistening mosaics at Piazza Armerina and • All visits and excursions as described stunning Norman architecture in Palermo and Monreale.” • The services of our Kirker Tour Lecturer, Neil Faulkner

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PAS–DE–CALAIS: LILLE, LENS & ARRAS a FOUR night Holiday | 1 APRIL & 29 SEPTEMBER 2016

This new tour has been inspired by a number of major cultural developments in this corner of northeast France, which have revitalised the region after many years of neglect. It is based in Lille, which is just 90 minutes by Eurostar from the centre of London. Visiting the area now, during the centenary of World War One, provides a timely reminder of the battles that took place here, as well as highlighting the area’s cultural attractions, both new and established.

The ITINERARY Lille itself is a lovely city with a townscape that looks more Flemish than Gallic. The art collection at the city’s Palais des Lille Beaux-Arts has always been considered one of the finest outside of Paris, but now there are many other reasons to visit the city. Price £996 per person (single supplement £198) to include return The Musée d’Art et d’Industrie has displays of art and sculpture in standard class Eurostar from London St.Pancras to Lille (depart what was an Art Deco swimming pool. The recently opened Villa 12.58, return 15.30); four nights’ accommodation with breakfast; Cavrois, built in 1929, is a magnificent building combining classical three dinners in local restaurants; all entrance fees and gratuities and design with modern aesthetics. The Henri Matisse Museum at the service of the Kirker Tour Lecturer, Patrick Bade. Le Cateau-Cambrésis, the Louvre-Lens Museum built on a disused coalmine, and the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Arras are all included. For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours We will also go to Ypres for the sounding of The Last Post which section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284. has been played every evening since 1929. We stay at the comfortable 4 star Carlton Hotel in the centre of Lille. ANCIENT & MEDIAEVAL PROVENCE A seven NIGHT HOLIDAY | 1 APRIL & 17 OCTOBER 2016

Basing our tour in Avignon enables us to explore the wealth of ancient and mediaeval architecture dotted throughout one of the loveliest regions of France. The papacy resided in Avignon for much of the 14th century and today the town is still dominated by its majestic palace. We will be discovering some of the greatest Roman sites and monuments outside of Italy, as well as making visits to Aix-en-Provence for its art collections and to Châteauneuf-du-Pape for a lunch amidst the famous vines. Avignon THE ITINERARY

This is a tour of real contrasts with so many sights all within easy Price £1,778 per person (single supplement £268) to include driving distance of Avignon. We stay at the 4 star Hotel Avignon British Airways flights from London Heathrow to Marseille (depart Grand in the centre of the town, close to the ramparts. Visits in 13.00, return 16.45); seven nights’ accommodation with breakfast; Avignon itself will include the Palais des Papes, built by the popes four dinners and one lunch; all entrance fees and gratuities and the during the period of their residency here in the 14th century and service of the Kirker Tour Lecturer. the ruined Charterhouse at Villeneuve-lès-Avignon. The collection If you would prefer to travel by Eurostar on the direct service between of classical and early Christian art at the Musée d’Arles Antique is London St. Pancras International and Avignon, please call us for magnificent. We will go to ancient Glanum at St-Rémy-de- further information. Provence and the greatest western Roman theatre at Orange. For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours We will see the Pont du Gard and the simple elegance of the section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284. Maison Carré at Nîmes. In Aix we will see the unusual ensemble of architecture at the cathedral as well as the Caumont Art Centre, opened in 2015 in an elegant 18th century villa.

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ART OF THE CÔTE D’AZUR A FIVE NIGHT HOLIDAY | 16 APRIL & 10 SEPTEMBER 2016

French artists began to discover the attractions of the Côte THE ITINERARY d’Azur and the iridescent quality of the region’s dazzling The tour is based at the 4 star Hôtel Le Grimaldi, close to the old light towards the end of the 19th century. Monet was the town in Nice. We will visit the Chagall Museum famous for his first artist to be lured to the Riviera, arriving there in Biblical Message series of paintings, and in Vence we go to Matisse’s 1885. Matisse, Chagall, Picasso and many more soon Chapel of the Rosary.The Maeght Foundation at St-Paul-de-Vence followed him. The simple villages they painted may have has a stunning collection of works by Picasso, Miró and Hepworth turned into smart resorts but the light and beauty have not and we will have lunch at the Hôtel Colombe d’Or which has its own superb art collection. We’ll also visit the Musée d’Art changed and still inspire artists today. The tour is led by Moderne et d’Art Contemporain and the Musée Matisse where we Simon Monckton. see not only paintings but ceramics, sculptures and stained glass by the artist. Picasso himself donated most of his works now on display at the Château Grimaldi, and in Le Cannet we visit the Musée Bonnard at the Hôtel Saint-Vinnay in honour of the artist who lived in the town for many years. Price from £1,632 to include British Airways flights from Heathrow to Nice (depart 11.40, return 15.25); five nights’ accommodation with breakfast; three dinners in local restaurants and one lunch at Hôtel Colombe d’Or; all sightseeing as described; all entrance fees and gratuities; the services of Simon Monckton, the Kirker Tour Lecturer (single supplement £325). For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284. Pierre Bonnard, Amandier en Fleurs, 1930. Le Musée Bonnard © Adagp, Paris 2014 GARDENS OF THE RIVIERA A FIVE NIGHT HOLIDAY | 21 APRIL & 15 SEPTEMBER 2016

There are many great gardens dotted along the Côte d’Azur between St-Jean-Cap- Ferrat and the border with Italy. Along with the artists, many gardeners were drawn to the Riviera, attracted by both its climate and its beauty. The legacy of these 19th century gardeners still survives, giving inspiration to today’s visitors. Simon Monckton, who lived for many years on the Riviera, leads the tour. THE ITINERARY

Our base for this tour is the family-owned 4 star Hôtel Napoléon principality’s collection of succulents at the Jardin Exotique. in Menton, a firm favourite with Kirker clients. Located very close Across the border in Italy we visit the famous Hanbury garden to the old centre of Menton, the hotel has a swimming pool and at La Mortola and Ursula Piacenza’s private garden, the Villa terrace. There is no restaurant but many are close by. At St-Jean- Piacenza Boccanegra. Cap-Ferrat we visit the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, as famous for Price from £1,449 to include British Airways flights from Heathrow its art collection as for the nine beautiful gardens that surround the to Nice (depart 11.40, return 15.25); five nights’ accommodation villa. Afterwards we go to Villa Kerylos, a contemporary, stylish with breakfast; three dinners in local restaurants in Menton, recreation of a classical villa. In Menton, we visit the Val Rahmeh including one at the Michelin-starred ‘Mirazur’; all sightseeing as garden developed in 1905 by Lord Percy Radcliffe, as well as described; all entrance fees and gratuities; the services of Simon Lawrence Johnston’s garden, Serre de la Madonne. William Monckton, the Kirker Tour Lecturer (single supplement £215). Waterfield cares for the Clos du Peyronnet, which has been in his family’s ownership since 1915. Now, a hundred years later, it is still For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours a wonderfully imaginative garden. In Monaco we see the section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284.

ART & GARDENS OF THE CÔTE D’AZUR The idea of having two separate tours to the Côte d’Azur, one devoted to art and the other to the wonderful gardens along the Riviera, proved to be very popular and indeed many clients choose to book both tours as they have been planned to run consecutively. The price for both tours in 2016 is £2,738 (single supplement £540).

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CARCASSONNE & ALBI A SIX NIGHT HOLIDAY | 21 may & 17 SEPTEMBER 2016

Our tour is based at the pinnacle of the mediaeval citadel of Carcassonne from where we explore this beautiful, historic region of southwest France. The arrival here in the 11th century of the Cathars signalled the beginning of the Albigensian Crusades, as the sect strove to defy the tyranny of Pope Innocent III. Delia Gray-Durant, who lived in this region for many years, leads this perennially popular tour to a beautiful area of France.

Carcassonne THE ITINERARY

We stay at the 5 star Hôtel de la Cité, dramatically situated in Collioure, a picturesque fishing village that features in many Carcassonne. We explore the citadel and the modern town below. paintings by Derain, Dufy, Matisse and Chagall. A day in the Pays de Foix includes a visit to a tiny church carved Price £1,996 per person (single supplement £398) to include British deep into the rock. We then go to Mirepoix, a perfect example of Airways flights from London Heathrow to Toulouse (depart 14.10, a bastide. We see the impenetrable castle at Montségur and spend return 17.50); six nights’ accommodation with breakfast; three dinners a day in Albi with its distinctive buildings of pink and ochre stone. including one in the Hôtel de La Cité’s gastronomic restaurant ‘La We will visit the Toulouse Lautrec Museum here and the Barbacane’; all entrance fees and gratuities; sightseeing as described cathedral. A day is spent in Toulouse admiring the Romanesque and the service of the Kirker Tour Lecturer Delia Gray-Durant. sculptures in the Musée des Augustins and the largest Romanesque church in Europe, St. Sernin. As a complete contrast For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours we spend a day on the shores of the Mediterranean, visiting section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284. THE DORDOGNE A seven NIGHT HOLIDAY | 16 April & 24 September 2016

The rural landscape of the Dordogne has a unique richness and depth which sets it apart from its neighbours. Its densely forested hills, wide and fast-flowing rivers and impressive châteaux seem very special even when compared with the loveliest areas of France. Visitors say it is the light and the glowing stone of its buildings that make the difference. Our seven night tour allows you to discover its charms at an unhurried pace, with time to enjoy some special lunches and dinners in restaurants, including La Tour des Vents, carefully chosen by our Tour Leader.

La Roque Gageac, Dordogne THE ITINERARY

Our base for the tour is the 3 star Hôtel de Selves, a few minutes’ the Dordogne and a visit to Perigueux, a highlight for gourmands, walk from the centre of the picturesque market town of Sarlat with complete the tour. its narrow streets and squares lined with the half-timbered houses Price £1,796 per person (single supplement £178) to include British so typical of the region. During the tour we will visit several of the Airways flights from London Gatwick to Bordeaux (depart 13.35, imposing châteaux which dot the countryside and line the great return 16.45); seven nights’ accommodation with breakfast; four rivers, including the dramatically-sited Château de Fénelon, the dinners and two lunches in local restaurants; all sightseeing, Château Biron and Monbazillac, surrounded by vineyards. We will entrance fees and gratuities and the service of the Kirker Tour Leader. visit prehistoric sites at Les Eyzies-de-Tayac, Abri Pataud and Abri de Laugerie Basse, and the caves at Lascaux. The Dordogne is For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours famous for its mediaeval fortified villages known as bastides, found section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284. throughout the region, and we visit Monpazier, perhaps the finest example of all and founded in 1284 by Edward I. A boat ride on

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SEVILLE & ANDALUCIA A seven Night tour | 8 march & 8 november 2016

Our new tour to Andalucia is based in the city of Seville. It has been planned to give you plenty of time in this beautiful and historic city with its impressive cathedral, important art collections and famous tapas bars in the Barrio de Santa Cruz where we stay. Cordoba was one of the greatest centres of learning in Europe until the Reconquista expelled the Moors but they left their timeless legacy in the city’s buildings, notably the great Mezquita and the Juderia area of the city. Excursions into the lovely rural Andalucian landscape with its picture-perfect villages and a visit to Jerez, the centre of the sherry trade, are included.

THE ITINERARY

DAY We fly to Seville and on arrival transfer to the Hotel Doña DAY We take the AVE train to Cordoba, a journey of less than an 1 Maria in the heart of the Barrio de Santa Cruz district in the 5 hour. On arrival we will visit the Mezquita to see the centre of the city. stunning mosque with its lines of arches encircling the cathedral built by Charles V.The Mezquita encapsulates the unique blend of DAY We begin our first day in Seville on foot with a walking tour Islamic and Christian history ehich makes Andalucia such an 2 through the Barrio de Santa Cruz, its narrow streets and absorbing and beguling destination. We will also visit the Alcazar alleys lined with picturesque townhouses. Most houses keep their and the noble Palacio de Vena. A typical tapas lunch will be courtyard doors tantalisingly ajar to allow passers-by fleeting included today. glimpses of the flower-filled courtyards so typical of Seville. We will visit the world's largest Gothic cathedral, Seville's fortified DAY The day is free for further independent sightseeing in Seville royal palace, the Alcazar and the elegant architecture and patio at 6 and in the evening we drive for half an hour to one of our the Casa de Pilatos, the finest example of a Mudejar townhouse. favourite rural hotels in Spain, Hacienda de San Rafael, for dinner. DAY Today we visit the art collections in the Museo de Bellas DAY Today we drive to the neighbouring province of Huelva to 3 Artes and the Hospital de la Caridad. Both collections are 7 visit two beautiful hilltop villages. Almonaster le Real still has displayed in historic buildings and both have important works by its three original Moorish town gates and a beautiful 10th century Spanish artists including Zurbarán and Murillo. Later we visit the mosque next to a tiny bullring. Linares de la Sierra is a lovely city's famous bullring. The rest of the day is free. village famous for its restaurants – we will have an included lunch of locally sourced gastronomic delights. DAY Today we drive south to visit the two prettiest ‘pueblos 4 blancos’, the famous white villages of Andalucia. We will go DAY The morning is free and at noon we will drive to historic to Medina Sidona, perhaps the most exquisite example of the many 8 Carmona, a Roman town that sits high on a hill overlooking villages which dot the rural landscape and to Arcos de la Frontera, a fertile plain. We will have a guided walk and enjoy a late lunch overlooking the Guadalete River. We will have an included lunch before leaving for Seville airport. before continuing to Jerez de la Frontera, the centre of the sherry trade. We will visit one of the most famous bodegas for a glass of tour information refreshing, cool manzanilla before returning to Seville. DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP 8 March £1,696 £298 8 November £1,696 £298 Our prices are per person, based on the shared occupancy of a twin/double room. Single supplement as shown. FLIGHT DETAILS Flights with British Airways: Depart London Gatwick 16.20 arrive Seville 20.00 Depart Seville 20.45 arrive London Gatwick 22.25 what we include • Return flights to Seville • Seven nights' accommodation with breakfast • Four dinners including one at the Hacienda de San Rafael • Four lunches • Sightseeing as described • All entrance fees and gratuities • The services of the Kirker Tour Lecturer Arcos de la Frontera

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BILBAO, CANTABRIA & OLD CASTILLE A SEVEN NIGHT HOLIDAY | 25 MAY & 17 OCTOBER 2016

The power and influence of architecture is nowhere more keenly felt than in Bilbao, a once neglected and unloved industrial city in the Basque region. Everything in Bilbao changed forever when Frank Gehry's iconic Guggenheim Museum opened in 1997. Since then, Bilbao has featured on the itinerary of everyone who loves art and architecture, making the city one of the most visited in Spain. The city's culinary reputation grew too, and now Bilbao has restaurants that rival those of the great centres of Spanish cuisine – as our visit will confirm. A full day is spent in Bilbao, and one day is spent exploring the Cantabrian coast and countryside. Moving south to Burgos, the old capital of Castille, we see the more traditional side of Spain – monasteries, great cathedrals and picturesque mediaeval villages. San Milán de la Gogolla THE ITINERARY

DAY We fly to Bilbao and transfer to the 4 star Hotel Melia in the surrounds Burgos, with visits to Santo Domingo de la Calzada 1 heart of the city where we stay for three nights. with its fine mediaeval cathedral, and to San Millán de la Cogolla, the site of two important monasteries located in a lovely open, DAY The day is spent exploring Bilbao with a visit to the rural setting. 2 Guggenheim, which continues to make an enormous impact on visitors today, as it did almost twenty years ago when first built. DAY Today we drive to Quintanilla de las Viñas to see a remote We will also visit the Museo de Bellas Artes with an important 6 Visigothic chapel, Santa María de Lara. It was abandoned at collection of works by Spanish artists and go to the Basque the time of the Moorish conquest in the early 8th century and not Museum where this proud region's culture is celebrated. We will rediscovered until 1920. Both the location and the chapel have a see the dramatic bridge by Santiago Calatrava and some of the magical, timeless aura. Later at Covarrubias we visit the Monastery striking metro stations designed by Sir Norman Foster. of Santo Domingo de Silos with its superb sculptures from the 12th century. DAY We drive west to the resort of Santander passing by Laredo 3 where the Emperor Charles V landed in Spain after his DAY After a free morning to explore the historic area of Burgos journey from Flanders in 1517. We will visit the picturesque village 7 we will drive to the lovely 12th century church of Santa of Santillana del Mar, where many houses dating back to the 14th María at Carrión de los Condes, where countless pilgrims who had century line the pedestrianised streets. We will have lunch in the erred on their journey across Europe were granted forgiveness lovely Parador here today. before reaching their final destination.

DAY DAY We drive to Burgos where we stay for four nights at the We drive back to Bilbao today for the flight back to London. 4 4 star Palacio de Burgos in the centre of this historic city. 8 This afternoon we will visit Burgos Cathedral, begun in 1221, the Miraflores Charterhouse and the royal monastery of Las Huelgas tour information with its fine cloister. DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES DAY Burgos is located on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP 5 Compostela. Today we retrace some of the route that 25 May £1,598 £248 17 October £1,598 £248 tour lecturer: Our prices are per person, based on the shared occupancy of a twin/double room. Single supplement as shown. simon monckton WILL LEAD THE MAY TOUR FLIGHT DETAILS christopher monckton WILL LEAD THE OCTOBER TOUR Flights with British Airways: Simon writes: “This tour is one of contrasts and in just a single Depart London Heathrow 15.45 arrive Bilbao 18.45 week highlights both the rich history of Spain and just how much Depart Bilbao 12.45 arrive London Heathrow 13.45 the country has changed over the past twenty years. Staying in what we include Bilbao will illustrate the power of architecture to renew an entire city • Return scheduled flights to Bilbao and region and indeed, how the surge in visitors encouraged a new • Seven nights' accommodation with breakfast generation of chefs to put Spain at the top of the culinary league. • Five dinners and three lunches Staying in Burgos we will return to a more traditional time when • All sightseeing as described pilgrims arrived foot weary and hungry from all over Europe on • All entrance fees and gratuities their way to the Shrine of St James in Santiago de Compostela.” • The services of the Kirker Tour Lecturer

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DISCOVERING LISBON A five night holiday | 12 May & 6 October 2016

‘The City of the Navigators’ was once at the heart of European maritime power, and evidence of Portugal’s Golden Age is to be found everywhere in today’s Lisbon. The treasures that fill the city’s museums and galleries were brought back from all corners of a once vast empire and myriad monuments attest to Portugal’s seafaring past. As well as discovering the city’s art, architecture and museums, we will enjoy the exceptional hospitality, delicious cuisine and atmosphere of faded grandeur which makes Lisbon one of Europe’s most beguiling cities.

THE ITINERARY

Staying in the centrally located 4 star Lisboa Plaza Hotel we will visit Manueline style of late Gothic architecture. A visit to the rococo three great museums. The Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga is really the palace of Queluz completes the tour. country’s national gallery, with an important collection of old masters. Price £1,297 per person (single supplement £225) to include TAP Air In the impressive Gulbenkian Foundation the fabulous collection of Portugal flights from London Heathrow to Lisbon (depart 11.20, Calouste Gulbenkian is beautifully displayed. The Museu Nacional do return 15.00); five nights’ accommodation with breakfast; three dinners Azulejo is filled with the iconic tiles for which the country is famous. and one lunch; all entrance fees and gratuities and the service of the One day is spent in the lovely hill town of Sintra where we visit the Kirker Tour Escort and a local guide. former Royal Palace and Monserrate, once the home of William Beckford. We go to the Belém area to see the San Jerónimos For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours Monastery and the Torre de Belém, perfect examples of the section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284. IMPERIAL CITIES OF MOROCCO – FEZ, MEKNÈS & RABAT A five NIGHT HOLIDAY | 21 may & 10 october 2016

Our tour is based in Fez, Morocco’s oldest and most spiritual city. It never fails to impress visitors with its palpable sense of learning, heritage and tradition; a city quite unlike any other. A visit to Fez must not be hurried – its labyrinthine medina, its souks and artisan quarters need time to be discovered and savoured. Visits to the Roman site at Volubilis, and to Meknès and Rabat, complete the tour.We have planned the May tour to coincide with The Fez Festival of World Sacred Music. Concerts are given at the historic Bab Al Makina and other venues. Fez

THE ITINERARY

We fly to Casablanca and stay for one night at the 5 star Sofitel Price £1,878 per person (single supplement £346) to include Royal Tour Blanche. En route to Fez we stop at Rabat, the administrative Air Maroc flights from London Gatwick to Casablanca (depart capital of Morocco. Four nights will be spent at the Riad Maison 16.15, return 12.10); five nights’ accommodation with breakfast; four Bleue in Fez during which we will enjoy a guided walking tour of dinners and three lunches in local restaurants; all entrance fees and the oldest part of the city, Fez el Bali, a place of a thousand gratuities and the service of the Kirker Tour Lecturer Andrew Allen alleyways where artisans still ply their trades as they have done for and a local guide. The May tour will include one concert for the Fez centuries. Two half-day visits, to imperial Meknès and to Roman Festival of Sacred Music – tickets for other performances will be Volubilis, dating from the 1st century AD, allow for free time to available on an optional basis. discover more of Fez independently. Lunches and dinners will be For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours taken in a variety of local restaurants. section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284.

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ART GALLERIES OF THE NETHERLANDS A FIVE NIGHT HOLIDAY | 17 april, 19 june & 2 october 2016 AMSTERDAM – THE HAGUE – THE KRÖLLER–MÜLLER MUSEUM

There has never been a better time to visit Amsterdam’s great trio of art museums and galleries. The Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk and the Van Gogh Museum are all now back in business after lengthy closures for renovations. Indeed, visitors to the Rijksmuseum will hardly recognise the building which really has been restored to its former glory. We will also visit a fourth museum in the city, The Hermitage, Amsterdam. Treasures from the vast collection at the Hermitage St. Petersburg are on display at the historic Amstelhof on the Amstel Canal. In The Hague we will see the magnificent collection at The Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, reopened in June 2014 after the painstaking restoration of its 17th century interiors. We also visit the Kröller-Müller Museum near Arnhem. Amongst its rich collection of 19th and 20th century paintings are over 90 works by Van Gogh. This stunning, modern gallery enjoys an unusual location amid the wild beauty of the national park De Hoge Veluwe.

THE ITINERARY OPTIONAL MUSIC PROGRAMMES DAY We transfer to the 4 star NH Museums Quarter Hotel AT THE CONCERTGEBOUW 1 which is conveniently located close to the Museumplein. The hotel has a bar, a restaurant and comfortably furnished Amsterdam’s beautiful and distinguished Concertgebouw is bedrooms. one of the best loved concert halls in the world, as much for its superb acoustic as for its long history. DAY Our visit starts with a pre-booked guided tour of the 2 April departure: Rijksmuseum, telling the story of the renovations. The Franz Welser-Möst, conductor; Laurens Woudenberg, horn Rijksmuseum opened in 1895 and was designed by Pierre Cuypers. Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 2 in E; We will then visit its great collection of Dutch art, the finest Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 in E flat anywhere in the world. Afterwards we will go to the Van Gogh Tickets from £50 Museum. These visits will take place on foot. June departure: DAY Today we enjoy a private canal trip to the Hermitage, 3 François-Xavier Roth, conductor; Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Later we go to the Stedelijk whose collection of Orchestra; Emanuel Ax, piano art and design is displayed to stunning effect in the recently Haydn: Symphony No.22 ‘The Philosopher’ renovated museum. Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Op.58 DAY Today we drive to The Hague, a sedate and dignified town Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 in A 4 of great charm. Here we visit the Mauritshuis with its Tickets from £50 wonderful collection of works by Dutch and Flemish masters, October departure: Music programme announced in 2016. including Vermeer’s ‘The Girl with the Pearl Earring’ and ‘The Goldfinch’ by Carel Fabritius. DAY We drive to Arnhem this morning to visit the Kröller- tour information 5 Müller Museum, a superb collection displayed in a building surrounded by the great open spaces of the National Park. Helene DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES Kröller-Müller was a collector of great taste and in her lifetime she DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP amassed more than 11,000 objects and works. Her last major 17 April £1,478 £298 purchase was Seurat’s ‘La Chatut’ in 1922. 19 June £1,478 £298 DAY 2 October £1,478 £298 6 We drive to the airport for the flight back to the UK. FLIGHT DETAILS Flights with British Airways: Depart London Heathrow 11.55 arrive Amsterdam 14.05 Depart Amsterdam 14.55 arrive London Heathrow 15.15 NB: We offer alternative flights from many airports in the UK – please ask for details. what we include • Return flights to Amsterdam • Five nights’ accommodation with breakfast • Three dinners • All entrance fees and gratuities • The services of the Kirker Tour Lecturer Rijksmuseum

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KRAKÓW TO WARSAW – CASTLES & PALACES OF POLAND a nine night holiday | 27 MAY & 9 SEPTEMBER 2016

Our tour to Poland visits its two main, but very different, cultural centres – Kraków and the capital Warsaw. Kraków miraculously remained undamaged during World War II and retains one of the finest mediaeval townscapes in Europe thus contrasting strongly with Warsaw whose beautiful Old Town was systematically destroyed but completely rebuilt as soon as the war ended. We travel between Kraków and Warsaw by way of some lesser known but beautiful rural areas visiting a number of important country houses and palaces which have been restored over the past 25 years. Visits to the homes of Poland's most important composers, Chopin and Szymanovsky add a musical dimension to the art and history which we will discover in this fascinating country. THE ITINERARY

DAY We fly from London to Kraków and transfer to the centrally DAY The morning is spent in the Old Town with the Royal 1 located 4 star Hotel Pod Róz˙a˛ for a four night stay. 8 Castle, St.John’s Cathedral and the Old Market Square and in the afternoon we visit the royal park of Lazienki with its palace. DAY There will be a tour of the city this morning, taking us to 2 the Wawel Hill district where we visit the Royal Castle, DAY We drive out of the city today and go to Nieborów to see and the cathedral with the tombs of the country’s monarchs and 9 the Baroque palace of the Radziwill family. The day ends at national heroes. Later, on a walking tour, we will see the city’s Zelazowa Wola where we see the simple rustic house where great mediaeval civic buildings which line its impressive square. Frédéric Chopin was born in 1810. We follow the Royal Route of Kraków and visit St.Florian’s DAY Church and the Czartoryski Gallery with a fine collection, 10 We transfer to the airport for the flight back to London. including The Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo.

DAY This morning we will go to the famous salt mines at tour lecturer: 3 Wieliczka, the oldest working mine in Europe. During the afternoon there will be a visit to Auschwitz with its vivid KRZYSZTOF KISILENICKI reminders of the full horrors of the Holocaust. Polish-born Krzysztof Kisilenicki has spent long periods in DAY We head south through the majestic Tatra Mountains and the United Kingdom as well as leading cultural tours in 4 spend the day in Zakopane, a pretty mountain resort. Here Poland for many years. He enjoys introducing overseas we will visit the home of the composer Karol Szymanowski and visitors to the less well-known areas of his country. ride on a cable car to enjoy the mountain views at their best. Krzysztof Kisilenicki writes:“A great many changes have taken place in my country in recent years and I have been thrilled by the DAY We visit two castles on our way to Sieniawa: Niepolomice 5 with its 14th century royal castle, and Baranów fact that many of our fine country houses and palaces have been Sandomierski, a well preserved Renaissance castle. We spend two gloriously restored. I know that Kirker clients will be impressed by nights at the 3 star Sieniawa Palace, an elegant hotel in a beautiful the architectural and historic treasures they will see on this tour landscaped park. which includes not just our two main cities but a journey through a DAY Two very fine castles are included today – Łan´cut and lovely region which visitors from abroad often miss.” 6 Krasiczyn. On our way back to the hotel we will stop off at Przemys´l, one of the loveliest small towns in Poland. tour information DAY Leaving for Warsaw, we will stop first at Lublin to see the 7 city’s castle, cathedral and the Dominican church. The next DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES three nights are spent in Warsaw at the 5 star Hotel Bristol in the DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP heart of the old city. 27 May £2,498 £360 9 September £2,498 £360 Our prices are per person, based on the shared occupancy of a double/twin room. Supplements for single occupancy are as shown. FLIGHT DETAILS Flights with British Airways: Depart London Heathrow 11.50 arrive Kraków 15.20 Depart Warsaw 12.00 arrive London Heathrow 13.45 what we include • Return flights • Nine nights’ accommodation with breakfast • Nine dinners and eight lunches • Sightseeing as described and all entrance fees and gratuities • The services of the Kirker Tour Lecturer and a Tour Escort

Krasiczyn Castle Baranów Sandomierski Castle

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THE COUNTRY HOUSES OF BOHEMIA & MORAVIA a seven night Holiday | 23 May & 19 SEPTEMBER 2016

Our new tour is largely based in Brno, the main city of the Czech region of Moravia, rich with Gothic and Baroque architecture. The extensive aristocracy dominated life throughout the Hapsburg Empire, owning vast country estates each with its own impressive castle. By comparison, the life of the Hapsburg emperors and empresses seemed almost modest as these great families outdid each other in the manifestation of their wealth and social importance. Many of these families’ estates were in today's Czech Republic with an enormous concentration of important houses and gardens in southern Moravia. One day will be devoted to the life and works of Moravia's most famous son, the composer Leoš Janácˇek. The tour will end in Cˇeský Krumlov, a beautiful small town on the River Vltava. Valtice Castle, Moravia THE ITINERARY

DAY We fly to Vienna and transfer on arrival to Brno, a journey of DAY Leaving Brno today we journey to southern Bohemia and 1 around two hours. We stay for five nights at the 4 star Hotel 6 stop first at Hluboká with its superb neo-Gothic castle. Royal Ricc, in the heart of the historic area of the city. We then continue to Telcˇ, a perfectly preserved Renaissance town, DAY Our first visit will be to Moravský Krumlov where we see the considered to be the most beautiful in the country. Telcˇ is famous for 2 epic paintings by Mucha. We then continue to Vranov Nad its picturesque fish ponds which lend a timeless air to the town – not merely decorative; they played an important role in the economy of Dyjí with important interiors designed by Fischer von Erlach ˇ including the famous Hall of the Ancestors. Our day ends at Znojmo mediaeval Bohemia. After the visit we continue to Ceský Krumlov high above the Dyje River. Here we see the St. Catherine Chapel. for a two night stay. DAY Cˇeský Krumlov is perched on a dramatic loop on the River DAY Today we go to Kromeˇrˇíž, a fine town on the banks of the 7 3 River Moravia where we visit the Great Palace and see the Vltava. It has one of the best-preserved renaissance town dazzling Throne Room and Great Dining Room. There is an centres in Europe. We will see the majestic palace of the important art collection here including Titian’s ‘The Flaying of Schwarzenberg family with its beautiful Masquerade Hall where Marsyas.’ Our second visit is to the former capital of Moravia, grand and lavish entertainment took place. We’ll also see the museum Olomouc now a UNESCO listed site which enjoys an impressive devoted to the life and works of Egon Schiele. There will be a natural setting, its narrow streets lined with fine buildings. Our visits walking tour of this historic town and an afternoon free for here will include the Cathedral of St. Wenceslas. We'll see the independent exploration. Archbishop’s Palace and its lovely gardens from the 17th century. DAY We drive to Prague today making a stop at Tabor. This was 8 DAY We stay in Brno today starting with a visit to the Villa the centre of the Hussites, a group of 15th century reformers 4 Tugendhat, a stunning example of the work of the architect who, in the shadow of the castle here, openly challenged the absolute Mies van der Rohe. After much recent restoration, both internal and power of the Emperor and the Church. external, the Villa is now a wonderful monument to him. We see the exhibition on the lives of Fritz and Grete Tugendhat who lived here tour information until they fled in 1938. We will see the Janácˇek Memorial and the house where Janácˇek (1854 - 1928) lived from 1910 until his death. DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES We’ll also visit the composer's grave in Brno’s cemetery. DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP DAY This morning we will drive to Slavkov and see where the 23 May £1,593 £198 5 famous Battle of Austerlitz, or the Battle of the Three 19 September £1,593 £198 Emperors as it is popularly known, took place on 2 December 1805 Our prices are per person, based on the shared occupancy of a when Napoleon’s forces defeated the combined might of the twin/double room. Single supplement as shown. Russia Tsar and the Hapsburg Empire. Today, the site is marked by a FLIGHT DETAILS monument and a museum which tells the story of his epic battle. Flights with British Airways: Next we go to Lednice-Valtice, built by the Liechtenstein family as Depart London Heathrow 11.35 arrive Vienna 14.45 their summer retreat. In addition to the two main palaces, the park Depart Prague 15.35 arrive London Heathrow 16.50 is dotted with delightful pavilions, many now romantic ruins. Our day will end with a tasting of wine produced by the vineyards on what we include the estate. • Return flights • Seven nights' accommodation with breakfast OPERA IN BRNO • Four dinner and three lunches We will be offering the opportunity to attend an optional • Sightseeing as described performance of Smetana’s ‘The Bartered Bride’ at the • All entrance fees and gratuities Opera House in Brno on 27 May. • The services of the Kirker Tour Leader Andrew Taylor and a The September schedule is yet to be announced. local guide on occasion during the tour

www.kirkerholidays.com 43 cultural tours

THE CLASSIC TOUR OF BULGARIA – ICONS, MONASTERIES AND MOUNTAINS A SEVEN NIGHT HOLIDAY | 11 April & 12 september 2016

Much of the rich heritage of Bulgaria dates back to the days of the Ottoman Empire, although there is a great deal to see from more ancient periods in its history; there are Thracian, Roman and Byzantine sites in abundance, as well as a number of important mediaeval Orthodox monasteries. The countryside is beautiful with plunging valleys and high peaks, covered in wild flowers and the people are friendly and welcoming. All of this combines to provide a rich and diverse cultural experience.

THE ITINERARY We fly from London to Sofia and stay for two nights at a centrally located 4 star hotel. While in Sofia we visit the Alexander Nevsky Memorial Cathedral, two fine Byzantine churches – St.Sophia and St. George – and the National Historical Museum where we see gold and silver Thracian treasures. We cross the Balkans to the Troyan Monastery with its timbered courtyards and frescoed church, before reaching Veliko Tarnovo, the capital during the 13th and 14th centuries where we spend two nights. Continuing to the 17th century church of the Nativity in Arbanassi and the Monastery of the Transfiguration, we will climb into the mountains to reach the spectacular Shipka Pass, the site of battle during the April Uprising. After visiting Koprivshtitsa, where the Uprising began in 1876, we stay for two nights in the Roman town of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia Plovdiv. As well as Roman sites our tour will visit Bachkovo Monastery, ending the day with a tasting of the region’s wines. Price £1,494 per person (single supplement £198) to include British On the way back to Sofia we stop at Bulgaria’s most important Airways flights from London Heathrow to Sofia (depart 08.30, return monastery at Rila, hidden away in a densely forested valley. The 14.35); seven nights’ accommodation with breakfast; seven dinners frescoes here are especially uplifting. Returning to Sofia for the last and six lunches; a wine tasting; all entrance fees and gratuities and night of the tour, we go to Boyana with its tiny mediaeval church, the service of the Kirker Tour Lecturer and a local guide. a UNESCO World Heritage Site with frescoes dating from 1259. In this beautiful but simple setting we can reflect on what we have For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours seen – a fitting place to end our stay in Bulgaria. section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284. AN INTRODUCTION TO ALBANIA A six night holiday | 11 June & 24 September 2016

Although a small country, Albania is historically and geographically diverse and wherever you are you will always be impressed by the warmth and friendliness of Albanian hospitality. The direct flight to Tirana may be just three hours but when you land you will feel far removed from the rest of Europe and be immediately impressed by the vibrancy of the country. At Butrint we visit one of the most beautiful and romantic Greco-Roman sites to be found anywhere.

THE ITINERARY

The tour will begin with a three night stay in Tirana, a lively, in 588 BC and then move on to Vlora, an attractive town on the colourful city which has seen many urban improvements in the last scenic Albanian coast. We stay in Saranda for two nights with plenty decade. We stay at the 4 star Rogner Hotel in a leafy residential area of time to enjoy Butrint, which dates back to the 7th century BC. a few minutes’ walk from the centre. We visit the splendid National Price £1,396 per person to include British Airways flights from Historic Museum, which charts the history of the country from the London Gatwick to Tirana (depart 16.25, return 19.40); six era of the national hero, Skanderbeg, through its Ottoman period nights’ accommodation with breakfast; six lunches and six dinners to its short-lived monarchy, then World War II and the Communist in local restaurants; all entrance fees and gratuities and the service era, which ended in 1990. We drive though the dramatic scenery of of the Kirker Tour Lecturer and a local guide. Dr Neil Faulkner the Sari Saltik range to Kruja, where at the Skanderbeg Museum will lead the June tour, and Andrew Allen the September tour. we learn how the eponymous hero saw off the forces of the Ottomans no less than three times. Leaving Tirana we see For a more detailed day by day itinerary please visit the Cultural Tours Apollonia, an important city of ancient Ilyria colonised by Greeks section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2284.

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THE PALACES & GALLERIES OF ST. PETERSBURG a six night holiday | 14 april, 12 may, 1 september & 6 october 2016

Peter the Great was a man with a vision. He was determined to show the world that Russia was not a backward nation rooted in tradition but one that was modern and forward thinking, looking to the West, not the East for its inspiration and ideals. How better to do this than to build a new city on the Baltic Sea? Today, the legacy of his ambitions and achievements is displayed in abundance. Monumental buildings of state, great churches and cathedrals, ornate theatres, legendary art collections, all add up to create one of the most rewarding experiences for modern day visitors. The Hermitage

THE ITINERARY

DAY We fly to St. Petersburg and transfer to the centre of the city DAY Today we visit the wonderful collection of art and icons on 1 where we stay for the duration of the holiday at the 5 display in the Russian Museum housed in the Mikhaylovsky excellent 4 star Angleterre, a Rocco Forte Hotel. Palace. Our day will also include visits to the Church on the Spilled Blood and St. Isaac’s Cathedral. This is followed by a tour of the DAY We begin with an introductory panoramic tour of the city Yusupov Palace. 2 and see the Peter & Paul Fortress and cathedral, the simple DAY log cabin where Peter lived as his city grew around him, the Free to explore the city at your leisure. Menshikov Palace and the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. 6

DAY Today is devoted to the Hermitage, the great Winter DAY The last day of the tour is spent at the glittering palace at 3 Palace which houses one of the world’s greatest 7 Peterhof with its sensational gardens that tumble down to collections of paintings and decorative fine arts. Here we find the edge of the Baltic Sea. Old Masters, Impressionists, antiquities, ceramics, porcelain and works by the court jeweller, Fabergé. After a guided tour and tour information time for an independent lunch, we will visit the recently opened Fabergé Museum. DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES DAY Today we visit two sumptuous palaces built for members of DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP 4 the imperial family. Pavlovsk, built for the son of Catherine 14 April £1,897 £260 the Great as a private residence and the Catherine Palace at 12 May £1,997 £340 Pushkin which is a Baroque showpiece. 1 September £1,997 £340 6 October £1,897 £260 tour lecturer: Our prices are per person, based on the shared occupancy of a double/twin room. Supplements for single rooms as shown. TATIANA SHUlgA FLIGHT DETAILS Tatiana lives and works in St. Petersburg and has been Flights with British Airways: leading Kirker's tours to the city for several years. Depart London Heathrow 09.30 arrive St. Petersburg 15.45 Her knowledge extends over all periods of the city's Depart St. Petersburg 16.55 arrive London Heathrow 17.25 cultural history and its people. what we include Tatiana Shugla writes: “Visitors are often delighted and Return scheduled flights to St. Petersburg surprised to discover how culturally important and influential • Six nights’ accommodation with breakfast St. Petersburg was in the 18th and 19th centuries. Today the • • Five dinners and two lunches city is regaining its status as one of the world’s great artistic • All entrance fees and gratuities centres. I visit the Hermitage every week and am still amazed • Russian visa at the depth and breadth of its unrivalled collections.” • The services of our Kirker Tour Lecturer, Tatiana Shulga

45 CULTURAL TOURS: A SELECTION OF MILITARY HISTORY TOURS

ISTANBUL & GALLIPOLI AN EIGHT NIGHT HOLIDAY with DR NEIL FAULKNER | 28 may 2016

On our visit to Gallipoli, during the centenary of the Great War, Dr Neil Faulkner will analyse the events that led to the defeat of the Allies between April 1915 and January 1916 as they tried to wrest control of the Dardanelles from the Ottoman Empire. the ITINERARY Before leaving for Çanakkale, we stay in Istanbul for four nights and enjoy a full programme of visits to the city’s great palaces, mosques and churches. We focus on the Trojan War first and include a visit to the haunting Plain of Ilium. Crossing the Dardanelles, a day is spent visiting ANZAC Cove, Brighton Beach, the Beach Cemetery and the ANZAC Commemoration site. A further night in Istanbul ends the tour. Price £1,896 (single supplement £230) to include British Airways flights from London Heathrow to Istanbul (depart 10.30, return 17.35); eight nights’ accommodation with breakfast; six dinners and Charles Dixon, The landing at Anzac, 1915 four lunches; all entrance fees and gratuities and the services of the For a more detailed daily itinerary, please visit the Cultural Tours Kirker Tour Lecturer and a local guide throughout. section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2286. THE PENINSULAR WAR A SEVEN NIGHT HOLIDAY with HUGH MACDONALD-BUCHANAN | 17 APRIL 2016

The Peninsular War began in 1808, one year after Napoleon decided it was time to stop Britain from trading with the rest of Europe. Napoleon was taken unawares and had neither considered that the Portuguese would prove to be a steadfast ally nor that the Spaniards would be swept up in their own revolts. The Battle of Salamanca in 1812 saw the beginning of the end for Napoleon, which led to his abdication and exile in Elba

THE ITINERARY Starting from the Portuguese second city, Oporto, we will travel up stop is Salamanca, one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. We will the Douro River towards the plains of Castille following in the spend two nights here, exploring the city’s glowing honey coloured footsteps of Wellington and his army. In Oporto we will view the and beautiful buildings, including the two spectacular cathedrals. spot where Wellington made his daring assault across the river, Price £1,879 per person (single supplement £280) to include return driving to the battlefields where The Iron Duke won an flights (Heathow to Oporto with TAP Air Portugal departing unexpected victory over Marshal Soult. After an evening port 11.20, Madrid to Heathrow with British Airways departing 18.20); tasting we will dine in the elegant surroundings of Taylor’s Port seven nights’ accommodation with breakfast; seven dinners; all Wine Lodge overlooking the river. We then travel by train sightseeing, entrance fees and gratuities and the services of the following the course of the river to Pinhao where we spend a night Kirker Tour Lecturer. in the Vintage House Hotel before crossing into Spain where we will spend two nights in Ciudad Rodrigo. From here we will For a more detailed daily itinerary, please visit the Cultural Tours explore the open countryside where important battles took place – section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2286. the Coa Valley, Fuentes d’Onoro and Barba del Puerco. Our final THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO A THREE NIGHT HOLIDAY with HUGH MACDONALD-BUCHANAN | 8 JULY & 30 SEPTEMBER 2016

The Battle of Waterloo in 1815 involved the three greatest generals of the age and 200,000 troops representing nine countries. The outcome was on a knife-edge until the very last hour of combat, which finally put paid to Napoleon’s ambitions. the ITINERARY We stay for three nights at the 4 star Hotel Metropole in the centre of Brussels. After an introductory talk, visits will be made to Napoleon’s command at La Belle Alliance and to La Haye Sainte, the headquarters of Wellington’s campaign. Ligny, Quatre-Bras, Hougoumont, the Wellington Museum and the memorial to the British dead are all included. Price £829 (single supplement £150) including return standard class Eurostar to Brussels; three nights’ accommodation with breakfast; three dinners; all sightseeing, entrance fees and gratuities and the services of the Kirker Tour Lecturer. For a more detailed daily itinerary, please visit the Cultural Tours section of our website kirkerholidays.com or call us on 020 7593 2286. ‘Battle of Waterloo from the English side’ by Sir William Allan, 1843.

46 cultural tours

THE GALLERIES & MUSEUMS OF WASHINGTON DC, PHILADELPHIA & NEW YORK AN EIGHT NIGHT HOLIDAY | 23 APRIL & 22 OCTOBER 2016

The cultural institutions of America are spectacular and on this tour we immerse ourselves in the country’s heritage – from George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon on the Potomac River to the dazzling collections of fine and decorative art in Philadelphia and New York amassed by the country’s wealthiest citizens. THE ITINERARY DAY We fly to Dulles Airport, Washington DC and transfer to the 1 centrally located 4 star Liaison Capitol Hill on New Jersey Avenue, just a few steps from the Capitol. It has a restaurant, a bar The Capitol, Washington DC and a spectacular rooftop pool and terrace. DAY During our stay we will first visit the fashionable Foundation. We will have a short sightseeing tour of historic 2/4 neighbourhood around Dupont Circle to see the Phillips Philadelphia before continuing on to New York. We stay for five Collection. Housed in the former home of its founder, Duncan nights at the 4 star Affinia 50 located on E 50th Street and Phillips, it has an eclectic range of art from both sides of the Lexington Avenue, in the heart of mid-town. Atlantic. It includes works by many American artists such as DAY Our visits in New York will include the Metropolitan O’Keefe and Rothko, as well as works by Renoir, Bonnard, Monet 6/9 Museum of Art where there will be a guided introduction to and many others in its 3,000 strong collection. There will be a the marvellous American Wing with works by Winslow Homer panoramic sightseeing tour of the nation’s capital. We start at the and Thomas Eakins, among others. We will go to the Morgan National Mall where we see prominent public monuments Library to see its extensive collection of paintings and manuscripts honouring the nation’s most significant historic moments. We’ll see and to MoMA for a private tour before the museum opens its The White House, the Capitol, and the Supreme Court. We spend doors to the public. We will visit the Frick Collection, universally one day in historic Georgetown where we first visit Dumbarton acclaimed as one of the greatest private collections anywhere. Oaks, the home of Robert and Mildred Barnes Bliss whose Visits to the High Line project – a park created along a disused collection of pre-Colombian and Byzantine art is still on display. elevated railway line – and to the New York Botanical Garden in Afterwards, we drive to Mount Vernon in Virginia to the 18th the Bronx complete the tour. century plantation house where Washington lived the life of a gentleman planter from 1754. A morning will be spent in the National Gallery of Art, founded in 1937 by Andrew Mellon and a tour information small group of wealthy art lovers. There will be a visit to the DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES Library of Congress in the Thomas Jefferson Building. Its changing exhibitions are renowned for their scholarly yet accessible DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP presentation of important aspects of America’s history. 23 April £3,795 £798 22 October £3,995 £960 DAY We leave Washington and drive to Philadelphia, which served 5 Our prices are per person, based on the shared occupancy of a as the nation’s capital from 1790-1800 and was the centre of twin/double room. cultural life in the United States for most of the 19th century. We FLIGHT DETAILS will visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art and view the mainly Flights with British Airways: French Impressionist collection of Dr Barnes at the Barnes Depart London Heathrow 10.45 arrive Washington Dulles 13.45 Depart New York JFK 19.00 arrive London Heathrow 07.00 the tour lecturer: ANDREW TAYLOR next day. what we include Andrew Taylor graduated from the University of St. Andrew’s in • Return flights 1989 with a degree in Church History. He has a further degree • Eight nights’ accommodation on a room only basis in Classical Studies and in 2014 graduated with a Masters in the • Two lunches and four dinners in local restaurants History of Art from the University of East Anglia. • All entrance fees and gratuities Andrew Taylor writes: “Visiting the galleries and museums in the • Services of the Kirker Tour Lecturer, Andrew Taylor United States is about discovering how these great collections came about and the people who assembled them. They started out as collections of OPTIONAL PERFORMANCE AT THE European art but have been enhanced with works by major American METROPOLITAN OPERA IN NEW YORK artists. These museums lead the way in what is know as ‘visitors’ Why not go to the Met for a performance of La bohème by services’ – everything is done to make visiting these great institutions as Puccini in Zefirelli’s stunning, traditional production with comfortable and as insightful as possible.” Maria Agresta as Mimi (29 April).

47 cultural tours

IMAGES OF CUBA a seven night Holiday | 14 JANUARY & 8 november 2016

Our new tour to Cuba comes at a time when the country is facing great changes as the new generation begins to embrace an outside world ignored by its leaders for the past half century. The name ‘Images of Cuba’ is inspired by the vivid gallery of impressions we all have, whether or not we have stepped foot on the island yet, at the mention of the name Cuba. These include Fidel Castro in his fatigues, brightly coloured portraits of Che Guevara, a bottle of Havana Club rum, Russian missile ships, the bright colours of lovingly restored 1950s Chevys and Buicks. Not to mention the exotic aroma of cigar smoke, the sound of fine jazz, glamorous and athletic ballet dancers, blue skies and grand but crumbling Spanish colonial architecture. Only those who visit the island can experience the natural charm and hospitality of the Cubans themselves who have taken Havana 50 years of revolution in their stride and eagerly await their country’s future.The tour is led by an expert local guide and will be escorted by one of Kirker’s most popular and experienced tour leaders, Siân Walters, who is passionate about Cuba. She studied History of Art at Selwyn College, Cambridge and, in a former career, was a professional dancer. Siân has promised to give salsa classes to everyone on the tour.

THE ITINERARY

DAY We fly direct to Havana where we stay for three nights at afternoon for a final two nights at the stylish 5 star Hotel Saratoga 1 the 4 star Hotel Santa Isabel in the heart of the historic area with its rooftop pool offering breathtaking views over Havana. of Havana. A beautiful, Colonial style house, the Santa Isabel offers This evening we dine at Starbién for a quintessential Cuban well-furnished accommodation, a courtyard and a terrace with musical experience. views of Havana’s famous bay. DAY In the morning we shall visit the home of the photographer DAY We begin our visit with a half day walking tour including 7 Roberto Salas, whose work tells the story of Cuba over the 2 the Museo de la Revolución and Havana’s historic quarter past 50 years. A close friend of Fidel Castro, he produced many with its fine Baroque buildings. Much admirable work has been wonderful images through which we will see impressions of the done in recent years to sensitively restore the crumbling façades. real Cuba. This afternoon we spend some time at a rumba rehearsal During the afternoon we will travel to Cojimar to see the where members of the Clave y Guaguanco troupe explain how to Hemingway Museum, where he celebrated his Pulitzer Prize in dance the perfect rumba. 1953. On our return to Havana, we shall visit the Basilica San DAY After a free morning we drive to the airport for the Francisco for a short concert in its simple but elegant interior. 8 overnight flight back to London Gatwick. DAY The exciting and vibrant arts scene in modern Havana will 3 be our focus today. There will be visits to the Museo tour information Nacional de Bellas Artes, the studios of two contemporary artists and a tour of The National Art Schools of Cuba: a grandiose DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES project, dreamed up by Fidel and Che, and designed by the Italian architect Vittorio Garatti who has opposed recent plans by Carlos Date Price Single Supp Accosta to restore the complex. We will learn more about the 14 January £3,186 £252 origins and future hopes for the Schools. Later we visit the Cuban 8 November £3,668 £298 National Ballet School, which has more than 3,000 students at any Our prices are per person, based on the shared occupancy of a time. The day ends with a lesson in how to make the perfect mojito twin/double room. and a tasting of local rums. FLIGHT DETAILS DAY This morning we leave for Playa Girón on the infamous Bay Flights with Virgin Atlantic: 4 of Pigs, stopping en route for a picnic lunch in the National Depart London London Gatwick 11.30 arrive Havana 16.30 Park. Afterwards we continue to Trinidad, where we stay for two Depart Havana 20.10 arrive London Gatwick 09.50 the nights at the charming Finca Kenia, a 19th century former house. next day. DAY Today we will use 4 x 4 jeeps to travel through the tropical what we include 5 forest of Topes. In the afternoon we will enjoy a walking • Return flights to Havana tour of Trinidad, a protected UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s a • Seven nights’ accommodation with breakfast city of quaint cobbled streets, brightly painted houses and a • Seven dinners and five lunches complex history. • All sightseeing, entrance fees and gratuities DAY Today we look at the history of slavery in Cuba and visit a • The services of a local guide and the Kirker Tour Lecturer, 6 sugar plantation to discover more about the life of the sugar Siân Walters barons and the people they enslaved. We return to Havana in the

48 cultural tours

GARDENS, TEMPLES AND CITIES OF JAPAN A TWELVE NIGHT HOLIDAY | 13 MAY & 6 NOVEMBER 2016

The cultural life of Japan, with its myriad traditions and sometimes puzzling customs, remains a mystery to many visitors from the West. A visit to Japan can seem a daunting experience but on this tour, in the company of the same Japanese local guide throughout the tour to smooth the way, the country will reveal its secrets as we visit not just its great cities but the countryside too. In a peaceful Zen garden in Kyoto there is a stone turtle looking back at the flow of the raked gravel, representing the futility of dwelling in the past. On this introduction to Japan you will look forward to each day as the tour unfolds.

THE ITINERARY

DAY DAY We fly from London to Tokyo overnight. We leave after breakfast by train for Takayama, a very attractive 1 10 small town surrounded by high mountains. We visit the Government House, a wonderful showcase for beautiful, delicate DAY Arriving in Tokyo in the morning we will transfer to our handicrafts. We spend two nights in Takayama. 2 centrally located 4 star hotel where we stay for three nights. The rest of the day is free. DAY Takayama is famous for its delightful Asaichi market. Farmers 11 come here every day with their produce to fill the stalls lining DAY We spend the day exploring Tokyo. We will see the the river that flows through the town. During the afternoon we will 3 Imperial Palace, the Meiji Shrine, the Asakusa Shrine and drive to Shirakawa-go, a mountain village with more than a hundred the vibrant Ginza district. houses in the gassho-zukuri style – traditional structures with sharply angled roofs designed to deal with the heavy snowfalls of winter. We DAY We drive to Hakone this morning passing by the foot of Mt. 4 then drive to Kanazawa, one of the most beautiful cities in Japan and Fuji before reaching Hakone. Here we enjoy a cruise on the renowned as a great centre for artisans who still practise traditional clear, still waters of Lake Ashi admiring the richly forested hills which Japanese crafts. line the lake. The day ends back in Tokyo at the colourful Buddhist temple dedicated to The Goddess of Mercy, Asakusa Kannon Temple. DAY This morning we will visit the wonderful Kenrokuen Garden 12 where the artistic glories of Japanese gardens can be DAY We leave for the station and travel by a Shinkansen service to 5 appreciated to the full. Later we take the train to Tokyo for the final Hiroshima, a journey of four hours. On arrival we will visit night of the tour which will end with a farewell dinner. the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and the Museum, which serve as reminders of the tragic events that took place here. DAY We drive to the airport for the flight back to London, arriving 13 there in the afternoon. DAY Today, in sharp contrast, we visit one of the most beautiful 6 places in all Japan, Miyajima, which translates as ‘shrine-island.’ We travel by ferry to this revered Shinto shrine, Itsukushima, which tour information feels remote despite its proximity to the bustle of modern Japan. We DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES will then travel by train to Kyoto, a journey of under two hours. Four nights are spent in Kyoto at a centrally located 4 star hotel. DATE PRICE SINGLE SUPP 14 May £4,785 £498 DAY The temples, shrines and Zen gardens of Kyoto are the 6 November £4,785 £498 7 quintessence of Japan. Our full day tour will take us to the Our prices are per person, based on the shared occupancy of a city's most impressive sights – Nijo Castle, Kinkaku-ji Temple, the twin/double room. Single supplement as shown. Heian Shrine and the Kiyomizu Temple. The impeccably raked FLIGHT DETAILS gravel gardens, the exquisite planting of the acers, and the unique Flights with Japan Airlines: sense of serenity everywhere make it clear just why Kyoto is at the Depart London Heathrow 19.15 arriving Tokyo 05.50 heart and soul of Japanese culture. the following day Depart Tokyo 11.20 arriving London Heathrow 15.25 DAY Today is free to explore at leisure. You can easily travel by 8 the same day bus around the entire city and discover the many different what we include neighbourhoods of Kyoto, alighting at clearly designated stops. • Return scheduled flights to Tokyo DAY Today is spent in Nara, home of the magnificent Todai-ji • Eleven nights' accommodation with breakfast 9 Temple, the largest wooden building in the world. We will • Four dinners & one lunch also see The Great Buddha of Nara and the shrine of Kasuga-taisha • All sightseeing and travel as described with its glistening lacquered pavilions surrounded by beautiful trees • All entrance fees and gratuities and parkland. Later in the afternoon we drive to Nagoya where we • The services of a Japanese guide throughout and the Kirker spend one night. Tour Escort

49 cultural tours

KIRKER MUSIC FESTIVALS AT SEA 2016 Enjoy a series of included exclusive chamber music concerts by international artists on board the Black Watch during our tenth season of music cruises in 2016. The music is planned by violist and composer Simon Rowland-Jones and a range of optional shore excursions will be available at selected ports of call. NORWAY’S MIDNIGHT SUN – A MIDSUMMER CRUISE ACROSS THE ARCTIC CIRCLE A THIRTEEN NIGHT HOLIDAY | 12 JUNE 2016 Sailing from Dover: Visiting the North Cape, Finnmark, Tromsø and Trondheim and cruising along some of Norway’s most spectacular fjords. Featuring: The Carducci String Quartet; Elisabeth Perry, violin; Moray Welsh, cello; Simon Rowland- Jones, viola; Simon Lepper, piano. They will be joined by a singer, details to be announced. Travelling along Norway’s long and dramatic coastline is much more than just a cruise; it is a great journey in its own right as the country’s glorious scenery is always within sight of the ship. Calling first at the lovely town of Ålesund we then sail in a northerly direction enjoying some wonderful cruising between the mainland and islands of Norway. At Alta in Finnmark we can discover more about the Sami culture before we reach Honingsvåg, the world’s most northerly city and gateway to the North Cape. Sailing south we experience the Midnight Sun on Midsummer day in Lødingen and call in at one of the country’s most historic cities, Trondheim. Price from £2,210 per person for thirteen nights including all concerts, talks and interviews, full-board throughout and two private drinks parties. Norwegian Fjords

A CRUISE TO SPAIN, MOROCCO AND PORTUGAL AN ELEVEN NIGHT HOLIDAY | 31 OCTOBER 2016 Sailing from Harwich: Visiting Vigo (for Santiago de Compostela), Casablanca (for Rabat), Cádiz, Lisbon, Oporto, Iberia & Morocco. Featuring: The Gould Piano Trio; David Evans, violin & viola; Robert Plane, clarinet; Alec Frank-Gemmill, Principal Horn of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. They will be joined by a singer, details to be announced. Sailing to the northwest corner of Spain we will visit Santiago de Compostela, destination of so many weary pilgrims throughout the centuries. We continue to Morocco’s imperial Cities and later call in at Cádiz from where the Spanish conquistadors set sail for South America, and the sherry bodegas of Jerez. From Lisbon we will visit Sintra in the hills above the city, and former home to royal families and other aristocrats. Finally we stop at Portugal’s buzzing second city, Oporto, spectacularly spanning both banks of the River Douro. Price from £1,850 per person for eleven nights including all concerts, talks and Oporto interviews, full-board throughout and two private drinks parties.

ART CITIES OF FLANDERS, THE NETHERLANDS AND GERMANY WITH THREE EXCLUSIVE CONCERTS GIVEN BY THE NAVARRA STRING QUARTET A SEVEN NIGHT HOLIDAY | 11 NOVEMBER 2016 Sailing from Tilbury: Visiting Zeebrugge (for Bruges), Hamburg and Amsterdam. We have selected this cruise as one of our three because it allows us a full day in beautiful Bruges and overnight stays in both Hamburg and Amsterdam, giving us plenty of time to enjoy all these cities’ great museums and art galleries. We also hope to be able to attend an optional performance at the historic Concertgebouw, Amsterdam’s beautiful concert hall and at the Hamburg State Opera, one of the most important German opera houses. Today, the Navarra String Quartet is one of Britain’s busiest and most acclaimed quartets, performing throughout the United Kingdom and in Europe at major chamber music venues and festivals. Two of the quartet’s founding members are Dutch and they now have their own festival in Weesp, not far from Amsterdam. Price from £1,480 per person for seven nights including three concerts, talks and interviews, three private excursions, full-board throughout and two drinks parties. Amsterdam

50 booking form CULTURAL TOURS & MUSIC HOLIDAYS 2016

Kirker Holidays, 4 Waterloo Court, 10 Theed Street, London SE1 8ST Office hours: 09.00–18.00 (Mon-Fri), 09.00–16.00 (Sat) Reservations: 020 7593 2284 Fax: 020 7593 1461 Brochure requests: 020 7593 2282 Accounts/administration: 020 7593 2280 [email protected] www.kirkerholidays.com CONTACT DETAILS/TRAVEL AGENT’S STAMP DETAILS OF ALL PASSENGERS Name: Title Initial and Surname Age (if under 18) Address:

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Full details of our data protection policy are We hold an Air Travel Organiser's Licence issued by the Civil Aviation Authority recommended to consult before booking and in good time before departure. available on our website and on request.

Kirker Travel Limited Registered Office: Publication date September 2015 4 Waterloo Court, 10 Theed Street, London SE1 8ST. ©2015 Kirker Travel Limited Registration in England: 1985696 VAT Reg No. 805 1461 59 OUR RANGE OF HOLIDAYS FOR DISCERNING TRAVELLERS

Short Breaks italY Holidays to 60 classic cities and relaxing rural The Kirker Italy brochure features destinations locations throughout Europe and beyond. Our from The Lakes and Venice in the North, to Sicily Short Breaks brochure features a range of over 500 in the South, and from Puglia in the East, to Rome, selected hotels and we can create any tailor-made the Amalfi Coast, Florence and Lucca in the West. itinerary to two or more destinations. Each Kirker Our expertise can cater for your every need; we holiday is created to suit your personal offer opera and concert tickets, entrance for requirements with travel by air, rail, Orient-Express, festivals, museums and special exhibitions, tailor- Eurostar or overnight sleeper combined with made itineraries combining beautiful Tuscan Villas, private guided tours, opera tickets, museum passes exquisite Ferrogamo city centre hotels with high or a table at a Kirker recommended restaurant. speed trains, car hire or the Orient-Express.

SOUTHern AFRICA iNDIA

Our Southern Africa brochure features a range of Our comprehensive brochure covers India from short break options and longer tailor-made Shimla in the North to Cochin in the South and itineraries. As well as including the pick of hotels has a broad choice of hotels from converted palaces and guesthouses in outstanding locations such as to characterful homestays. The dedicated Sri Lanka the Cape Peninsula and the Garden Route, our section highlights the many attractions of this programme includes game reserves, Zulu and Boer fascinating island which can be combined in a War battlefields, Victoria Falls, Botswana, Zambia tailor-made tour. Call our experienced sales team and Mauritius. for further guidance.

france SPAIN

Our French brochure features classic city breaks to Spain offers a great climate and a wonderful Paris, Nice, Bordeaux, Monaco, Strasbourg, Cannes range of music, art and architecture; all perfect and Lyon and tailor-made holidays to Normandy, ingredients for a wonderful short break The Brittany, the Loire Valley, Champagne, Burgundy, Phoenicians, Romans and Moors all left behind Provence, Languedoc-Rousillon and the idylic an extraordinary legacy for you to explore. island of Corsica. We feature simple family-run Experience this wonderful country by asking hotels up to the grandest palaces and châteaux. one of our experts to suggest a tailor-made holiday, designed to reflect the diversity of this truly fascinating destination.

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Kirker Holidays, 4 Waterloo Court, 10 Theed Street, London SE1 8ST Office hours: 09.00–18.00 (Mon-Fri), 09.00–16.00 (Sat) Reservations: 020 7593 2284 Brochure requests: 020 7593 2282 • Accounts/administration: 020 7593 2280 • Fax: 020 7593 1461

ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT TOUR OPERATORS – OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD 2011, 2012 & 2014 ADVANTAGE INDEPENDENT TRAVEL AGENTS – BEST SPECIALIST TOUR OPERATOR 2012 & 2013