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A Summer of British Festivals Featuring 3 performances at the The Proms, 2 operas at Glyndebourne and Shakespeare at Stratford and The Globe
As Summer comes to England, our minds turn towards glorious Summer Festivals. The wonderful series of BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, a night out at the opera at Glyndebourne and, in the 450th anniversary year of Shakespeare’s birth, to the Summer performances of the bard at the RSC in Stratford and at the Globe in London. Our 14 night program combines these inspiring events into a summer symphony of culture and allows you to sit back and relax while enjoying some stunning performances of drama and music.
However, our musical and dramatic pursuits do not prevent us from enjoying some of the best scenery England has to offer. Naturally, while in London, we enjoy a tour of the National Gallery with a specialist guide, we visit splendid Kew Palace and Gardens, enjoy a day out on the Thames at Windsor and Eton, visit Hampton Court Itinerary at a Glance and take advantage of the special Summer opening of Buckingham Site / Number of Nights Palace. We stay at Brighton, close to Glyndebourne, to visit the London - 4, Royal Pavilion and nearby Sissinghurst Gardens, as well as the Brighton - 3, quaint towns and villages of Kent and East Sussex, such as Stratford – 3, Tenterden and Rye. While in Stratford, not only do we visit the town of the Bard but also immerse ourselves in the history of London – 4. Warwick Castle, one of England’s finest, and explore the Program ends in London. quintessential villages and countryside of the Cotswolds.
Our program includes special expert introductions to the Shakespeare performances attended and to the operas viewed.
14 Nights in England Commences in London 25 July 2014 and ends London 08 August 2014
After our arrival into London Heathrow, we are met and transferred to our city hotel. Here we will have a program orientation and welcome dinner. Blue Mosque
Globe Theatre Warwick Castle London As well as being a seat of government from Roman times, as the centre of a world empire, London also attracted play writes, musicians and artists to provide entertainment for the court, the church, for the rich and for the less well off. In 2014, we celebrate the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth and there will be a whole series of exciting productions to attract us, as the Bard’s plays entertained his late 16th and early 17th century audiences. Indeed, one of his playhouses, the Globe, has been re-created on London’s Southbank, a seat of entertainment for centuries, and we shall attend a performance here, to re-capture the atmosphere of the period.
London, too, has a rich musical tradition from early folk and church music via the court composers of the Renaissance and Restoration to the great composers of the modern age, not to mention the modern phenomena of rock and roll, punk and modern popular music. We think of the rousing compositions of Handel for the great royal occasions, of the romantic nationalism of Elgar and the distinctive works of composers as Arthur Sullivan, Gustav Holst, Hubert Parry, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Benjamin Britten. Promenade concerts had existed in London's pleasure gardens since the mid-18th century, but in 1895 impresario Robert Newman arranged the first series of indoor promenade concerts, in the Queen's Hall in Langham Place. Newman's idea was to encourage an audience for concert hall music who, though not normally attending classical concerts, would be attracted by the low ticket prices and more informal atmosphere. In 1927, the BBC took over the running of the concerts and in 1942, the Proms moved to their current home, the Royal Albert Hall. They continue here today, still presenting newly commissioned music alongside pieces more central to the repertoire and early music. The tradition of “Promming” remains an important aspect of the festival, with over 1000 standing places available for each concert, either in the central arena (rather like the groundlings in the pit at Shakespeare's Globe) or high in the hall's gallery. We provide tickets for seated performances at both venues!
London also has a long artistic tradition and we think of the Royal Academy and the great collections of the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, not to mention the innumerable private collections containing works by Reynolds, Gainsborough, Stubbs, Constable, Turner and so many more.
Accommodation We stay in London for 4 nights at the beginning and 4 nights at the end of our program, in a comfortable 4 star central city hotel offering en-suite share twin, double, or single rooms. Typical local breakfasts and a total of 4 dinners are provided.
What We Will Experience London provides us with the opportunity to learn about the history of music and the performing arts in the city and we focus our attention on the works of William Shakespeare, with a special guided tour of the Bard’s London, and the great Promenade performances in the Albert Hall. However, we do not miss the opportunity to enjoy the great summer sights in and around the capital. We take advantage of the special summer opening of Buckingham Palace, take an expert guided tour of the National Gallery, enjoy the re-created Privy Garden of Hampton Court, stroll through the awe-some gardens of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and enjoy a day out on the Thames at Royal Windsor and Eton. During your two stays in London are included field trips to: Explore Shakespeare’s London with a specialist guided tour. Visit Buckingham Palace for its grand summer opening. Learn about British art with an expert guided tour of the National Gallery. Visit the recently renovated Palace of Kew and stroll through the Royal Botanic Gardens. View the Privy Garden and visit the Palace of Hampton Court, Experience a day on the Thames with visits to Windsor Castle and Eton, Renew your acquaintance with Shakespeare by attending 2 performances of his plays (at least 1 at The Globe) during his 450th birthday celebrations, Attend 3 BBC Promenade concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, From London, we make the short journey through the countryside of Surrey and Sussex to Brighton.
Royal Albert Buckingham Palace Hall Brighton Pavilion
Glyndbourne
Brighton The spirit of the Prince Regent lives on in this lively and attractive seaside resort with its magnificent Royal Pavilion, once a farmhouse where the prince resided with Catholic widow, Mrs Fitzherbert, dramatically transformed by Nash into a fantastic oriental palace. The surrounding countryside is dotted with the quintessential villages of the Kent and Sussex Downs, as well as picture-postcard coastal towns, such as the Cinque Port of Rye. The justifiably famous Sackville-West gardens at Sissinghurst are also close by. Brighton is an excellent base for attendance at the renowned Glyndebourne Opera Festival.
Glyndebourne is thought to be about six hundred years old and is located near Lewes in East Sussex. It is now, more famously, the site of an opera house which, with the exception of its closing during World War II and in 1993 during the construction of the new theatre, has been the venue of the annual Glyndebourne Festival Opera since 1934. The love of the owner, John Christie, for music led him to hold regular amateur opera evenings at Glyndebourne and it was at one of these, in 1931, that he met his future wife, the Sussex-born Canadian soprano Audrey Mildmay, a singer with the Carl Rosa Opera company who had been engaged to add a touch of professionalism to the proceedings.
During their honeymoon, attending the Salzburg and Bayreuth festivals, Christie and his wife developed the idea of bringing professional opera to Glyndebourne and, although Christie's original concept was for it to be similar to the Bayreuth Festival, this changed to focus on smaller-scale productions of operas by Mozart which would be better suited to the intimate scale of the planned theatre. By the late 1980s, it became clear that a completely new theatre was necessary and this, capable of seating 1,200 people, was constructed in 1992. The inaugural performance, given sixty years to the day after the old theatre's first, was once again “Le nozze di Figaro”. The design of the theatre, a large brick oval building, has resulted in a four-level, horseshoe-shaped auditorium with main level seating, two balconies, and a gallery topped with a circular roof. The over sixty-foot-high stage building is semi-circular in shape and allows for the efficient flying and storage of scenery. The acoustics have been widely acclaimed. Sales of festival tickets have always been high and attendance at Glyndebourne has traditionally been regarded as one of the “musts” of the English summer season.
Accommodation We stay in a comfortable 4 star hotel close to Brighton offering en-suite share twin, double and single rooms. English breakfasts and 3 dinners are included.
What We Will Experience At Brighton we learn about the Regency period as we explore the opulent and recently restored Royal Pavilion. We discover the delightful local countryside, as we explore the quaint villages of Sussex and Kent and visit the charming Cinque port of Rye. We learn about the traditions of the arts and crafts garden with a visit to Sissinghurst Gardens and we experience the great operatic feast that is Glyndebourne. Included are field trips to: Learn about the Regency with a visit to the Brighton Pavilion, Explore the villages of Kent and Sussex including the charming Cinque port of Rye. Visit Sissinghurst Gardens, Attend 2 opera performances at world famous Glyndebourne, En route to Stratford, we explore the charming villages of the Cotswolds, including Bourton-on-the-Water. Stratford-upon-Avon This is the Heart of England, home of the Kingmakers of Warwick Castle but probably best known to all as the birthplace of Shakespeare, the country's Bard, and home today of the Royal Shakespeare Company with the celebrated Royal Shakespeare Theatre on the River Avon. The town itself is charming and the surrounding scenery, with its gently undulating green hills, is dotted with honey-coloured cottages made from the local Cotswold stone.
Accommodation We stay in a comfortable 4 star hotel in Stratford offering en-suite share twin, double and single rooms. English breakfasts and 3 dinners are included.
What We Will Experience At Stratford, we learn about the Bard and his plays with a special explanation and lecture by experts on the works you will see. We include 2 performances at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. We also explore the pivotal historic role of the region in Mediaeval, Edwardian and modern periods as well as its rich literary heritage. We explore the quintessential Englishness of the towns and villages of the area. Included are field trips to: Learn about the important role of the region in English history with a visit to Warwick Castle with its Kingmaker Exhibition, Royal Weekend Party plus the Great Hall and State Rooms. Explore Stratford-on-Avon with Ann Hathaway's Cottage and the Birthplace of Shakespeare, Learn about Shakespeare and his plays with a special expert lecture, Attend a performance of 2 Shakespeare plays at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, En route back to London we discover the fascinating colleges and dreaming spires of Oxford.
Our program concludes in London. If you wish to extend your stay in Britain, Ireland or Europe, please just ask us for details.
Mermaid Street - Rye
RSC - Stratford-on-Avon Activity Rating: Easy
Tour Code : GCTBF14
Program Includes
14 nights en-suite accommodation in 4 star hotels. Typical local breakfasts daily and 10 dinners. 2 opera performances at Glyndebourne, 3 Proms Price: AUD 8,350 NZD 9,345 concerts and 4 Shakespeare plays Book before 13/12/13 for our early bird Touring by comfortable and modern coach. prices: AUD 7,650 NZD 8,995 Transport, lectures and field trips as indicated. Applicable entry fees and services of local guides. Services of a program leader. Prices per person twin share. Gratuities and necessary tips. Single Supplement: AUD 1,750 NZD 1,885 Detailed program information booklet.
Music Festivals of Italy Extension If you combine this tour with our Music Festivals of Italy, we fly you from Venice to London at no additional cost!
Itineraries may change if flight schedules, site availability and other inclusions have to be amended prior to departure. Golden Compass will notify registrants if, and as soon as, such changes occur.
To book, or for a more information, please call 1800 132385(Aus) or 0800 132385(NZ) or email [email protected] © Golden Compass