AMSTERDAM TO LEIPZIG MUSIC IN NORTHERN EUROPE SEPTEMBER 28 - OCTOBER 14, 2017 TOUR LEADER: ROBERT GAY AMSTERDAM Overview TO LEIPZIG This new 17-day musical tour begins in the vibrant city of Amsterdam and MUSIC IN NORTHERN EUROPE travels across central Germany to the great musical and cultural centres of Dresden and Leipzig. Tour dates: September 28 - October 14, 2017 Along the way we visit Cologne, with its great cathedral towering above Tour leader: Robert Gay the Rhine, and its lovely ‘satellite’ city of Bonn where Beethoven was born. Then on to historic Weimar – famous for Goethe and Schiller – from which Tour Price: $9,775 per person, twin share we make an excursion to Eisenach, the birthplace of Johann Sebastian Bach. In Leipzig we visit the fascinating Mendelssohn museum, as well as Single Supplement: $1,850 for sole use of making a trip to nearby Halle to visit the Handel museum which also double room houses an outstanding collection of musical instruments. Booking deposit: $500 per person Performance highlights include two of Europe’s finest orchestras – the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam and the Gewandhaus Orchestra Recommended airline: Etihad Airways in Leipzig – and opera in Amsterdam, Cologne, and Dresden. We will also hear motets sung in the austerely beautiful Thomaskirche in Leipzig where Maximum places: 20 Bach worked from 1723 till his death in 1750. Itinerary: Amsterdam (4 nights), Cologne (3 The tour also incorporates visits to two of Europe’s greatest art galleries – nights), Weimar (2 nights), Dresden (4 nights), the newly extended and refurbished Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and Leipzig (3 nights) Dresden’s justly famous Gallery of Old Masters. Date published: April 24, 2017 Your tour leader For over 25 years, Robert Gay has presented music history courses for the Centre for Continuing Education at the University of Sydney. Over the same period, he has designed and escorted more than 80 musical and cultural tours to Europe and America. On tour Robert, will provide a thorough preparation to the performances you see, with detailed pre-performance talks and post- performance reviews. Robert’s approach to music is multi-faceted. First and foremost, he links the music to the biographical, historical and social context in which it was created. Secondly, he explains in plain language technical aspects of the music – how the composer communicates through sound. Finally, as a trained singer who attends dozens of performances each year, he offers great insight into the qualities of the performances you see on tour. Robert’s enthusiasm for music is infectious, and his skills as an educator and tour leader are exceptional. Since 2010, he has led tours exclusively for Academy Travel. Enquiries and bookings “There is no doubt that it was Robert Gay’s leadership that made the trip such a memorable experience. He was brilliant in every way. His For further information and to encyclopaedic knowledge of music and generosity in sharing it, plus his secure a place on this tour understanding and insight into works of art, added immeasurably to please contact Frederick everything we did. His meticulous planning and careful attention to detail Steyn at Academy Travel on made the logistics very easy for us all. His warmth, superb communication 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 skills, sense of humour, patience and sensitivity to group dynamics all (outside Sydney) or email made the trip a delight from beginning to end.” Feedback from Academy [email protected] Travel’s Switzerland to Spain: a musical adventure, April 2015 .au Performance Program Nine performances of opera, orchestral music and chamber music are included. Details of an opera or orchestral concert in Cologne or Bonn will be available from July 2017. Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Andrew Manze, performing music by Bach, Haydn and Beethoven with violinist Pekka Kuusisto Verdi’s rarely performed opera La Forza del Destino by the award- winning Dutch National Opera, conducted by Michele Mariotti. The star cast includes Eva-Maria Westbroek, Franco Vassallo and Robert Aronica Concert by Viennese string quartet, Quatuor Mosaϊques performing music by Mozart, Haydn and Schubert at the Concertgebouw An opera at Cologne Opera or in Bonn La Forza del Destino by the Dutch National Opera Berlioz’s rarely performed grand opera Les Troyens at the Semperoper Dresden, conducted by Lothar Koenigs, with Eric Cutler in the lead role Strauss’ Salome at the Semperoper Dresden conducted by Omer Meir Wellber, with Simone Schneider in the leading role Concert by the Dresdner Philharmonie Symphony orchestra at the newly refurbished Kulturpalast concert hall Concert by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Herbert Blomstedt, performing music by Brahms and Schubert Puccini’s Tosca at the Oper Leipzig conducted by Andrea Sanguineti, with Annemarie Kremer as Tosca. Tosca at the Oper Leipzig The Semperoper Dresden Detailed itinerary Included meals are shown with the letters B, L and D. Thursday September 28 Arrive Amsterdam Meet tour leader Robert Gay at the hotel for drinks and canapes. Overnight Hotel NH Amsterdam Museum Quarter, Amsterdam (C) Friday September 29 Amsterdam – performance I After a talk on this evening’s performance by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, we take a guided walking tour through the historic heart of this fascinating city which, at the beginning of the 17th century, grew from being just one of the many trading towns of the Low Countries into the cultural and economic centre of the Dutch Republic. We have a welcome lunch in a local restaurant. Overnight Amsterdam (B, L) Performance details Venue: Concertgebouw Hall Program: Bach, Haydn and Beethoven Performers: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Andrew Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring,1665, (above) in the collection of the Manze (conductor), Pekka Kuusisto (violin) Mauritshaus The Hague Delft’s tranquil canals with New Church in the background (below) Saturday September 30 The Hague and Delft – performance II Today we take a full day excursion starting with The Hague, the political centre of The Netherlands and a base for the United Nations’ justice programs. The Hague’s art collections are similarly impressive, including Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring and View of Delft, which we will see in the Mauritshaus. In the mid-afternoon, we continue on to nearby Delft, for a short walking tour of this charming medieval city. Overnight Amsterdam (B) Performance details Venue: Concertgebouw Hall Program: Mozart, Haydn and Schubert Performers: String quartet ensemble Quatuor Mosaïques Sunday October 1 Rijksmuseum – performance III After a talk on this evening’s performance, we head to the recently refurbished Rijksmuseum, containing an incomparable collection of Dutch masterpieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Ruisdael, Franz Hals and more. In the afternoon, we take a short canal cruise returning to the hotel in time to relax and refresh for this evening’s opera. Overnight Amsterdam (B) Performance details Venue: Dutch National Opera Program: Verdi’s, La Forza del Destino Performers: Robert Lloyd (Il Marchese di Calatrava), Eva- Maria Westbroek (Donna Leonora), Franco Vassallo (Don Carlo di Vargas), Robert Aronica (Don Alvaro) Monday October 2 Cologne via Aachen Depart for Cologne via Aachen, a spa city near Germany’s borders with Belgium and The Netherlands. After free time for lunch we have a guided tour of Aachen Cathedral, founded around 800 AD. Late afternoon we arrive in Cologne and have dinner in the hotel. Overnight Hilton Hotel, Cologne (B, D) Tuesday October 3 Cologne This morning we take a guided tour of the city, including the famous medieval cathedral, adorned with stained glass and breathtaking altarpieces and gold statues. It is testament to the power and prestige of the city over the centuries. Overnight Cologne (B, L) Wednesday October 4 Bonn – performance IV Today we travel to Bonn for a tour of the city including sites dedicated to Bonn’s most celebrated son – Ludwig van Beethoven. We visit the Beethoven House museum and have lunch in Bonn before returning to Cologne for this evening’s performance. Overnight Cologne (B, L) Cologne Cathedral across the Rhine (above) Performance details Portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven (below), 1820, while composing the Venue: Cologne Opera or in Bonn Missa Solemnis found in Beethoven-Haus, Bonn Program: To be announced Performers: To be announced Thursday October 5 Weimar via marburg Today we depart for Weimar stopping in Marburg, a town that rises steeply from the Lahn River to the spectacular castle that crowns the hill. Early afternoon we continue on to Weimar, home of Goethe and Schiller and the modernist Bauhaus movement, as well as seat of the Weimar Republic. We have dinner together at a local restaurant. Overnight Grand Hotel Russischer Hof, Weimar (B, D) Friday October 6 Bach Museum and Eisenach This morning we head to Eisenach to visit the Bach House museum, devoted to the entire lineage of the musical Bach family and includes a collection of historical musical instruments. We continue on to the famous Wartburg Castle, beloved of the German Romantics, to enjoy the commanding views over the Thuringian Forest. We return to Weimar in the late afternoon. Overnight Weimar (B) Saturday October 7 Goethe’s Weimar This morning we visit Goethe House museum, where Goethe lived and worked. Afterwards we travel to Dresden, just a couple of hours’ drive from Weimar. This evening we have dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight Innside Melia Hotel, Dresden (B, D) Sunday October 8 Dresden – performance V Once regarded as Germany's most beautiful city, the Dresden, on the Elbe River (above) "Baroque Florence", Dresden still bears some the scars of World War II. After a talk, we take a guided walking tour of The 18th century Zwinger Palace, Dresden (below); and Vermeer’s Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window, 1657, (bottom) held in the the historic centre of Dresden, ending at the Historic Green Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden Vault, a treasure-trove of fine and decorative arts, including one of the world’s finest collections of jewels.