WAGNER’S RING CYCLE IN MUNICH JULY 19-28, 2018 TOUR LEADER: ROBERT GAY WAGNER’S RING CYCLE Overview IN MUNICH Wagner’s four-part music-drama, Der Ring des Nibelungen, is considered Tour dates: July 19-28, 2018 by many music lovers to be the pinnacle of the Western music tradition. It combines intense, heroic drama with orchestral and vocal writing which is Tour leader: Robert Gay both vast in scale and highly innovative. Academy Travel has selected the Bavarian State Opera’s Ring Cycle in Tour Price: $8,850 per person, twin share 2018 for its fine production, unsurpassable singing cast and the musical leadership of Kiril Petrenko. We’ve also included two additional Single Supplement: $1,500 for sole use of performances taking place at the time of the Munich Ring. double room The itinerary includes nine nights’ accommodation in the heart of Munich, Booking deposit: $500 per person close to the National Theatre, best available tickets to six performances*, in-depth background talks, several meals and a music-themed excursion Recommended airline: Singapore Airlines, to the Bavarian countryside. We have deliberately kept the program Emirates or Etihad relaxed, with lots of free time to undertake individual sightseeing or simply relax and reflect upon the performances. Maximum places: 20 *Seat locations will be confirmed in October 2017. Itinerary: Munich (9 nights) Your tour leader Date published: September 1, 2017 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 introduction 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 “There is no doubt that it was Robert Gay’s leadership that made the trip bookings such a memorable experience. He was brilliant in every way. His encyclopaedic knowledge of music and generosity in sharing it added For further information and to immeasurably to everything we did. His meticulous planning and careful secure a place on this tour attention to detail made the logistics very easy for us all. His warmth, please contact Frederick superb communication skills, sense of humour, patience and sensitivity to Steyn at Academy Travel on group dynamics all made the trip a delight from beginning to end.” 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 Feedback from Switzerland to Spain: a musical adventure, April 2015 (outside Sydney) or email [email protected] .au About the Munich Ring Cycle Andreas Kriegenburg’s production premiered in Munich in Los Angeles Times reviewer Mark Swed summed up his 2013, and returns in 2018. Kriegenburg is well known in experience of Kriegenburg’s Munich Ring in 2013 thus: Germany as a theatre director, where he has worked for more than 25 years, directing plays by Shakespeare, Kriegenburg has stripped the "Ring" of much of its baggage Moliere, Schiller, Goethe, Kafka, Brecht and Lorca. He for the theater where the first two operas in the cycle had directed his first opera in 2006 (Gluck’s Orpheus and their premieres. He has gone back to essentials, reinventing Eurydice) and has since directed works by Handel, Mozart, and updating them. In doing so, he has sought and found one Verdi, Puccini, Richard Strauss and Shostakovich. His Ring of art's greatest gifts — a sense of renewal. Cycle is a contemporary, but lucid interpretation that pays close attention to Wagner’s intentions and the text. New York [This is] the right "Ring" for our time — the freshest, least Times reviewer Zachary Woolfe noted that the production self-conscious and most memorable "Ring" that I have seen was ‘consistently creative and thoughtful’ but ‘there are or heard about in nearly 40 years. enough swords, spears, arrows and anvils to satisfy any conservative Wagnerian’. Los Angeles Times, February 23, 2013 The cast The singers assembled for the 2018 Munich Ring Cycle represent the very best available Wagnerian singers of today. Swedish soprano Nina Stemme heads the cast, singing Brünnhilde in all three operas in which the character appears. Baritone Wolfgang Koch will be a fine Wotan/Wanderer, having sung the role at Bayreuth in 2014, and having performed other Wagnerian roles in London, Vienna, Frankfurt and Salzburg. Star tenor Jonas Kauffman adds lustre to Die Walküre in the role of Siegmund, with fine soprano Anja Kampe opposite him as Sieglinde. Heldentenor Stefan Vinke, who has sung Wagnerian roles in Bayreuth, Vienna, Berlin and Melbourne, takes on the role of Siegfried. The cast is led by young Russian-Austrian maestro Kiril Petrenko. Petrenko holds the prestigious role of Generalmusikdirektor of the Bavarian State Opera, and conducted the Ring Cycle at the Bayreuth Festival in 2013, 2014 and 2015. He is one of the finest Wagnerian conductors of his generation. Cast and creative list Conductor: Kiril Petrenko Director: Andreas Kriegenburg Sets: Harald Thor Costumes: Andrea Schraad Lighting: Stefan Bolliger Wotan/The Wanderer: Wolfgang Koch Siegmund: Jonas Kaufmann Sieglinde: Anja Kampe Siegfried: Stefan Vinke Brünnhilde: Nina Stemme Hagen: Hans-Peter König Alberich: John Lundgren Mime: Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke Fafner: Ain Anger Erda: Okka von der Damerau Jonas Kaufmann Anja Kampe Nina Stemme Detailed itinerary Included meals are shown with the letter B, L, D or C for canapes. Get the most from performances In order to fully enjoy the Ring Cycle we suggest you plan to arrive in Europe at least a day before the tour commences. As well as flights, we are happy to arrange pre-tour accommodation in Munich or another European city. Please contact us to discuss the best options. Thursday July 19 Arrival You should arrange your travels to arrive at our Munich hotel by the late afternoon. In the early evening, meet your tour leader and fellow travellers in the hotel for drinks and canapes. (C) Friday July 20 Das Rheingold In this morning’s pre-performance talk, Robert Gay introduces Wagner’s epic cycle before focusing on the cycle’s preliminary evening. We then enjoy a welcome lunch in a private room in one of Munich’s finest restaurants. Our performance of Das Rheingold commences at 7.00pm. (B, L) Above: Wagner’s Das Rheingold by the Bavarian State Opera Performance details Venue: National Theatre, Bavarian State Opera Program: Wagner’s Das Rheingold Saturday July 21 Below: Stunning Neuschwanstein Castle THE LUDWIG CASTLES King Ludwig II of Bavaria saw his first Wagner opera at the age of 15, and subsequently became perhaps the most obsessed Wagnerian of all time. Today we visit two of his famous Bavarian castles: Linderhof, a tiny neo-rococo villa set amidst beautifully landscaped grounds; and Neuschwanstein, a breathtaking fairy-tale chateau complete with replica of the Singers’ Hall from the Wartburg depicted in Wagner’s Tannhäuser, and decorated with wall paintings of scenes from his idol’s music dramas. Lunch in a country restaurant. (B, L) Sunday July 22 Die Walküre This morning’s talk examines Die Walküre, the best-known opera of the Ring, and the one in which we meet the principal characters of the work. Key narrative elements are introduced and key musical ideas presented. The remainder of the day is free to explore Munich, and we recommend a visit to one of the city’s many excellent art museums. Tonight’s performance commences at 5.00pm (B) Performance details Venue: National Theatre, Bavarian State Opera Program: Wagner’s Die Walküre Monday July 23 Piotr Beczala recital Today is free to further explore Munich. This evening we take a break from Wagner with a song recital by the fine Polish lyric tenor Piotr Beczala. Beczala’s repertoire spans from Mozart to Puccini, and he has sung roles such as Tamino (The Magic Flute), Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), The Duke of Mantua (Rigoletto), Lenski (Eugene Onegin) and Rodolfo (La Bohème) at all the great opera houses of the world. (B) Performance details Venue: National Theatre, Bavarian State Opera Program: to be announced Performers: Piotr Beczala (tenor) Tuesday July 24 Siegfried The third music-drama in the Ring Cycle, Siegfried, contains perhaps the pivotal episodes and character development of the work. But it is also the least known work of the cycle. This morning Robert Gay takes you through the music and plotlines in preparation for this evening’s performance. The remainder of the day is free. The curtain rises at 5.00pm. (B) Performance details Venue: National Theatre, Bavarian State Opera Program: Wagner’s Siegfried Wednesday July 25 Free day The entire day is free to relax, do more sightseeing, or perhaps to take a day trip to nearby Nuremberg which is only a little over an hour away by train and has rewarding Wagnerian connections. (B) Thursday July 26 Les vêpres siciliennes We are indeed fortunate to be able to include Verdi’s rarely- performed Les Vêpres siciliennes in our program. The Bavarian State Opera has chosen the original French version of the work, a grand opera in five acts from Verdi’s middle period.