Our 2009 tours are booking quickly. There are still places available on : The RNCM Chamber Music Festival in Manchester is dedicated to Music in Vienna from Schubert to Schoenberg. The Endellion Quartet and Jane Manning are among the artists and we can attend the NYO concert at the Bridgewater Hall (Strauss An Alpine Symphony) (7-12 January). Haydn and the other anniversary-composer Mendelssohn feature in András Schiff's Vicenza Festival in concerts given in the incomparable setting of Palladio's Teatro Olimpico. We start in Venice and attend a performance of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda at the Teatro la Fenice (29 April-5 May). A Haydn TRIOthalon at Eisenstadt (30 April - 4 May) with piano trios, string trios, flute trios and bartyon trios by Haydn and includes the 1909 works written by French composers in honour of Haydn and premieres of similar works commissioned this year. Richard Wigmore accompanies our party and talks about Haydn and his music. His book on Haydn's life and music will appear in January. The Eisenstadt Haydn Memorial Days tour includes a day where we visit the place Haydn was born and where he died 200 years ago with a recreation of the Requiem Mass in the church where his funeral took place. The Creation is performed by the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra under Adam Fischer with Thomas Quasthoff among the soloists. Talks are given by Prof Denis McCaldin of the Haydn Society (27 May-1 June). Wagner's Ring in the Budapest Palace of Arts conducted by Adam Fischer over four evenings in a "semi-staged" production that impressed everyone in 2008. It is being repeated again with a cast of the finest Wagner singers around, and we have secured seats in the front row (and others) for our tour which is accompanied by Michael Kennedy (10-15 June). The Schubertiade at Schwarzenberg always brings together the cream of singers and instrumentalists and this year is no exception. Ian Bostridge, Gerald Finlay, Matthias Goerne, Robert Holl, Thomas Quasthoff and Andreas Scholl are among the singers and pianists include Till Fellner, Paul Lewis and András Schiff. We stay in a lovely small hotel in a peaceful valley setting. We are offering two tours and it is possible to stay for both (17-22-28 June). Heinrich Schiff's Mondsee Musiktage in its beautiful lakeside setting wecomes Gidon Kremer, Oleg Maisenberg and Leonid Kavakos (29 August - 7 September) We first took a party to Eisenstadt for the anniversary exhibition in 1982. We helped establish the September festival and have seen the Iron Curtain fall and watched the restoration of the Esterházy Schloss and the summer palace in Hungary. The International Haydn Festival features Haydn's London opera L'animo del filosofo, the first appearance of Colin Davis with the ECO and of course the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra. Introductory talks by Richard Wigmore (21-27 September). This years Indian Summer festival in Eastern Slovakia was enjoyed by all. Next year there are two recitals by the Vienna Piano Trio and the Budapest Baryton Trio and Slovak Chamber Orchestra appear. (2-7 October). Looking ahead to 2010, two Ring cycles in Dresden and Berlin (our first tour to Berlin!) beckon. Please email, call or write to reserve a place on any of these holidays. TOUR CALENDAR 2009 |
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RNCM Chamber Music Festival 7 - 12 January January starts with our annual visit to the RNCM Chamber Music Festival in Manchester, this year devoted to Music in Vienna from Schubert to Schoenberg. |
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Opera in Venice and András Schiff's Vicenza Festival Haydn and the other anniversary-composer Mendelssohn feature in András Schiff's Vicenza Festival in concerts given in the incomparable setting of Palladio's Teatro Olimpico. We start in Venice and attend a performance of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda at the Teatro la Fenice. |
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Haydn TRIOthalon in Eisenstadt with Richard Wigmore An in-depth exploration of piano trios, flute trios and baryton trios by Haydn and dedicated to Haydn in the original setting of the Esterhazy Palace Haydnsaal, Empiresaal and Chapel. Richard Wigmore (critic, broadcaster and author of the latest Haydn biography) will introduce each programme and interview some of the musicians. Visits to the special Haydn exhibitions in Eszterháza, Vienna and the Rohrau birthplace are included. |
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15th Ittingen Festival 20 - 24 May The 15th Ittingen Festival coincides with Heinz Holliger's 70th birthday. "Haydn the Genius" is the subject - the opera L'isola disabitata (Holliger conducting and Schiff playing timps) and two masses, quartets, trios and piano music with other composers' tributes to Haydn. We also visit galleries in Winterthur and Zurich including the re-opened Buehrle collection. We stay in the idyllic setting of the Charterhouse with the musicians and there is very limited accommodation, so please reserve places soon. |
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Haydn Memorial Days in Eisenstadt and Eszterháza 31 May is the 200th anniversary of Haydn's death and we will be in the Bergkirche where he is buried to hear his Creation Mass, followed by a performance of The Creation with Adam Fischer and the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra and soloists including Thomas Quasthoff. Also the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and the Academy of Ancient Music. Professor Denis McAldin of the Haydn Society is guest lecturer. Visits to the special Haydn exhibitions in Eszterháza, Vienna and the Rohrau birthplace are included. |
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Wagner's Ring in Budapest 10 - 15 June New in 2008, and very popular, was our visit to Wagner's Ring in the Budapest Palace of Arts conducted by Adam Fischer. This was over four evenings in a "semi-staged" production that impressed everyone. It is being repeated, and we have secured seats in the front row (and others) for our party. |
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Schubertiade at Schwarzenberg 17 - 22 - 28 June The Schubertiade at Schwarzenberg always brings together the cream of singers and instrumentalists and this year is no exception. We stay in a lovely small hotel in a peaceful valley setting. We are offering two tours and it is possible to stay for both. |
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Mondsee Musiktage 29 August - 7 September We are planning a return to Heinrich Schiff's Mondsee Musiktage in its beautiful lakeside setting near Salzburg. |
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Eisenstadt Haydn Festival 21 - 27 September Our annual pilgrimage to the places Haydn lived and worked. Highlights include Adam Fisher and the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, Haydn's London opera 'L'anima del filosofo' with Christiane Oelze, Paul Agnew and Jonathan Lemalu, and Christophe Coin playing both cello concertos and works for baryton. Richard Wigmore is guest lecturer, and visits to the special Haydn exhibitions in Eszterháza, Vienna and the Rohrau birthplace are included. |
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Indian Summer Festival In Eastern Slovakia After an exceptionally successful inauguration this year the festival continues next autumn with two recitals by the Vienna Piano Trio, (Mendelssohn and Haydn), two recitals by the Stamic Quartet and appearances by the Budapest Baryton Trio and the exciting South African pianist Petronel Malan. |
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