VENICE TO BARCELONA OPERA AND BALLET IN NORTHERN ITALY & SPAIN OCTOBER 2-18, 2019 TOUR LEADER: ROBERT GAY FINAL PROGRAM VENICE TO BARCELONA Overview OPERA AND BALLET IN NORTHERN ITALY & SPAIN Academy Travel is proud to present this new 17-day program, offering performances of the highest calibre in four of Europe’s great cultural Tour dates: October 2-18, 2019 centres: Venice, Milan, Madrid and Barcelona. As always, the itinerary is built around a program of outstanding musical performances, with ten Tour leader: Robert Gay performances at venues including the La Fenice and La Scala opera houses in Italy, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona and the Teatro Real in Madrid. Tour Price: $12,990 per person, twin share Italy and Spain are culturally rich countries with varied artistic, Single Supplement: $3,240 for sole use of architectural and historic treasures. Aside from the performances, this tour double room offers the opportunity to explore the unique art and architecture of Venice, enjoy the vibrant modern city of Milan, see Spanish Masters at the Prado, Booking deposit: $500 per person and the modernista architecture of Barcelona. Guided visits and walks are led by local guides and free time is planned before each performance. Recommended airline: Emirates or Qatar Our journey takes us across northern Italy, beginning with four nights in Venice and three in Milan attending the very best of Italian opera and Maximum places: 20 visiting leading museums and galleries. En route from Venice to Milan we explore the ‘terre di Verdi’, where the composer was born and later Itinerary: Venice (4 nights), Milan (3 nights), returned. Madrid (3 nights), Barcelona (6 nights) Flying to Spain, we then have three nights in the capital, Madrid with an Date published: May 31, 2019 excursion to the historic city of Segovia. With six nights in Barcelona, we have time to attend three performances, enjoy the city’s artistic and architectural highlights and take excursions to the important historic sites of Tarragona and Montserrat. Centrally located four-star hotels, many meals, tipping and best-available tickets to performances are all included. Walking tours and museum visits with an emphasis on music round out the program. Pre-performance talks will enhance your understanding and enjoyment. Your tour leader For over 30 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 Enquiries and cultural tours to Europe and America. On tour, Robert will provide a thorough introduction to the performances bookings you see, with detailed pre-performance talks and post- performance reviews. Robert’s approach to music is multi-faceted. First For further information and to and foremost, he links the music to the biographical, historical and social secure a place on this tour context in which it was created. Secondly, he explains in plain language please contact Kathy technical aspects of the music – how the composer communicates Wardrop at Academy Travel through sound. Finally, as a trained singer who attends dozens of on 9235 0023 or 1800 639 performances each year, he offers great insight into the qualities of the 699 (outside Sydney) or email performances you see on tour. [email protected] Performance Program Ten performances are included, in some of Italy and Spain’s most celebrated music venues. The tour price includes the best available tickets to four operas, one ballet, two orchestral concert, one chamber music concert and flamenco. IN VENICE Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at Teatro La Fenice Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia at Teatro La Fenice A recital of songs by Barbara Strozzi and Handel by the specialist ensemble La Venexiana in the lovely Apollonian Rooms of La Fenice IN MILAN Donizetti’s delightful comic opera L’elisir d’amore at Teatro alla Scala, with stars Rosa Feola and Vittorio Grigolo Milan’s Teatro alla Scala Adam’s Giselle, performed by the renowned La Scala Ballet IN MADRID London’s celebrated Philharmonia Orchestra, on tour with the outstanding Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, performing Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony An authentic performance of flamenco at Casa Patas IN BARCELONA The Orquestra Nacional de Catalunya, performing Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky Spanish classical music at the Palau de la Musica Catalana Puccini’s Turandot at the Gran Teatro del Liceo, with an excellent international cast Italian operatic soprano, Rosa Feola Adam’s Giselle, performed by the renowned La Scala Ballet Detailed itinerary Included meals are shown with the symbols B, L and D. Tour start & finish time The tour starts on Wednesday October 2 at 7.00pm, in the lobby of the Hotel Al Codega Venice, where we will make our way to a local restaurant for a light dinner. The tour ends after breakfast on Friday October 18, at the H10 Urquinaona Plaza Barcelona. Wednesday October 2 Arrive Venice Above: looking along the Grand Canal to Santa Maria della If you have booked your air travel through Academy Travel we Salute, Venice’s greatest baroque church will organise a water taxi transfer from Venice Airport to our Below: The 200-year-old theatre, Teatro La Fenice, has survived against hotel. Please note that hotel rooms may not be available until the odds, being burnt down twice in both 1836 and 1996; and Teatro La early afternoon. At 7.00pm, meet Robert Gay in the hotel lobby Fenice's colourful and unique production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and walk to a nearby restaurant for a light dinner. Overnight Venice (D) Thursday October 3 Torcello – Madama Butterfly This morning Robert Gay gives an overview of our three performances in Venice. A local guide then takes us on a walking tour of some of the hidden treasures of Venice, close to our hotel. We visit hidden courtyards, quiet laneways and atmospheric corners of the oldest parts of the city. Private water taxis then take us to the island of Torcello on the northern reaches of the lagoon. Here we enjoy a welcome lunch at Locanda Cipriani, one of Venice’s most storied restaurants. Adjacent to the restaurant is the ancient mosaiced basilica of Torcello, which we inspect before returning to the hotel by taxi. The later afternoon is at leisure before we attend our opening performance at Venice’s historic La Fenice opera house. This theatre, which was rebuilt after a malicious fire in 1996, has been at the heart of Italian musical life since it originally opened in 1792, and has seen many notable premieres and legendary performances in its time. La Fenice’s production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly features sets and costumes by Japanese artist Mariko Mori. The operawire website described at as is ‘a thrilling production and the perfect antidote for opera goers who chafe at the sentimentality often to be found in Puccini’s works. Overnight Venice (B, L) Performance details Venue: Teatro La Fenice Program: Puccini’s Madama Butterfly Performers: Vittoria Yeo (Cio-Cio-San), Manuela Custer (Suzuki), Stefano La Colla (Pinkerton), Luca Grassi (Sharpless), Daniele Callegari (conductor) Friday October 4 The Venice Biennale – The Barber of Seville Venice’s renowned international art fair, the Biennale, is taking place during our visit. You will have a two-day pass to visit the official Biennale campus, but there are also excellent shows at venues around the city. This evening we return to La Fenice for Rossini’s timeless comedy. Overnight Venice (B) Performance details Venue: Teatro La Fenice Program: Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia Performers: Julian Kim (Figaro), Laura Polverelli (Rosina), Maxim Mironov (Count Almaviva), Francesco Ivan Ciampa (conductor) Saturday October 5 Wagner in venice, two artisitic masterpieces – La Venexiana This morning we visit the Palazzo Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, today the winter Casino of Venice. Richard Wagner rented the entire piano nobile of the palace in 1882 and died there in February 1883. We visit the small Wagner Museum in the palace. We then visit two of the city’s artistic gems with a local guide, each epitomising the High Renaissance period in Venice. The first is Above: Chiharu Shiota’s fabulous “Key in the Hand” installation at the the church of the Frari, containing two masterpieces by Titian Japan Pavilion, a part of the 2015 Venice Biennale and the tomb of the great Venetian composer, Claudio Monteverdi. Adjacent is the confraternity of San Rocco, Below: Rossini's best-known opera The Barber of Seville, at the containing magnificent paintings by Jacopo Tintoretto. The Teatro La Fenice in Venice afternoon is free. This evening we return to La Fenice for a special concert. The early music specialist group La Venexiana performs songs by Barbara Strozzi and Handel in the delightful Apollonian Rooms of La Fenice, the only part of the theatre to survive the devastating fire in 1996. Overnight Venice (B) Performance details Venue: Teatro La Fenice Program: Songs for soprano voice by Barbara Strozzi and GF Handel Performers: La Venexiana - Emanuela Galli and Monica Piccinini, sopranos; Davide Pozzi, harpsichord; Gabriele Palomba, theorbo and leader Sunday October 6 Verdi SITES Today we depart for Milan, visiting the town of Busseto, near Parma, where Verdi was born and spent much of his life. In the late morning, we visit the composer’s farmhouse-villa at Sant’Agata, which he purchased after achieving world-wide fame. The house contains important artefacts. Then in the afternoon we visit the fine house-museum of Verdi’s patron and father-in-law, Antonio Barezzi as well as the town of Busseto itself. We arrive in Milan in the early evening, and there is dinner in our hotel.