Upcoming Music Journeys

 

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Vienna State Opera House

JOURNEY TO THE GREAT MUSICAL CITIES: VIENNA AND BERLIN, 9-23 MAY 2024

Over the last ten years we have taken groups of friends many times to these great cities, our absolute favourites.

Just look at these highlights:

  • Simon Rattle conducts Mozarts last three symphonies (39, 40 and the Jupiter) with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in the Berlin Philharmonie
  • A new Marriage of Figaro at the Vienna State Opera directed by Barrie Kosky, once Australias enfant terrible, now Europes favourite.
  • Much praised productions of Verdis Otello, Wagners Lohengrin, Purcells King Arthur and Mozarts Don Giovanni
  • Concerts by the incomparable Berlin Philharmonic playing a Bruckner symphony and a fab program played by their brilliant Karajan Academy Orchestra
  • Especially exciting is a production of British composer Thomas Adèsbrilliant opera The Tempest
  • Australian artist Monica Levy who lives in Berlin will guide us around the best private art galleries for which Berlin is so famous
  • Vienna is full of marvels we never tire of: palaces, great museums, old and new, and of course we cant miss the coffee houses
  • As something completely new, we will spend the last three days recovering from such a heady brew in the magnificent Harz Mountains, two hours south west of Berlin, staying in the historic town of Wernigerode and going for walks in the high country and taking excursions in the mountains by old narrow gauge steam trains.

SUMMER FESTIVALS IN ENGLAND: GLYNDEBOURNE, GARSINGTON, GRANGE PARK AND ALDEBURGH, 5-16  JUNE 2024

After the great success of our marvellous journey across Austria last August  to Festivals in Salzburg, Innsbruck and the Schubertiade,  we have teamed up with our good friend Andrew Neill from London to plan and organise a similar journey to English summer festivals next June. So that we can drive everywhere in a comfortable people mover, we will take a party of no more than ten people to four great opera and music festivals: celebrated Glyndebourne, Grange Park and Garsington opera festivals and Britain’s greatest music festival Aldeburgh, founded by Benjamin Britten.

The programmes for the opera companies are mouth watering: we start at Grange Park with a double bill of Puccinis hilarious Gianni Schicchi and Rachmaninoffs rarely heard but delightful early opera Aleko, set in a gipsy encampment, both starring  great Welsh baritone Sir Bryn Terfel. Next  is Glyndebourne with a new production of Bizets endlessly riveting classic Carmen. The third private opera house, set in beautiful gardens, is Garsington Opera which will host a new production of Jean Philippe Rameaus fabulous comedy drama Platée that wowed Sydney audiences a few years ago in Pinchguts production.

Then we drive to the east coast to Aldeburgh in Suffolk where we spend another six days at the incomparable Aldeburgh Festival.

Both the journey to Vienna and Berlin in May 2024 and the Summer Festivals journey in England from 5-16 June are fully booked, but bookings open in January 2024 for our third group journey in 2024, Pre Christmas Celebrations in Central Europe.

Pre Christmas Celebrations in Central Europe: 9 – 20 December 2024

Our wonderful agent Claudia and her husband Michael will drive us in two large cars from Prague to Vienna in a great circular sweep across the most beautiful towns and villages of southern central Europe where the Christmas celebrations, markets, carol services, concerts and opera are at their legendary most spectacular, leading up to Christmas. In addition to Prague and Vienna, west for two days in each of beautiful Linz and Graz in Austria and Bled in Slovenia, stopping on the way in many villages noted for their Christmas festivities.

Festival of Mahler’s 10 Symphonies at Concertgebouw Amsterdam: 7-18 May 2025

Following the huge success of the Festival of Mahler symphonies in Leipzig in 2023, Amsterdam has announced its own Festival for May 2025. It promises to be even better in several respects.. The Concertgebouw Orchestra has the greatest tradition of Mahler in the world, and its Concert Hall the finest acoustic. Five of the world’s greatest orchestras will play two concerts each: the Concertgebouw, Chicago Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, Budapest Festival Orchestra, and NHK Orchestra Tokyo. Our agent Claudia has secured 12 of the best seats almost 18 months in advance of the Festival .

WILL YOU JOIN US?

Our detailed itinerary and costings are still being finalised but we need to confirm our bookings in the next few weeks. Our three journeys to Europe this year to Italy, to Germany and shortly to Austria, all filled up very quickly when we sent out invitations last year, so dont delay in reserving a place.We wont ask for a deposit until we can send you the detailed itinerary and a costing, but well fill the available places in order of receipt of your requests for places.

If youd like to look at some of our previous journeys, browse the BLOGS page.