May 2010

Some wonderful tours have taken place and we have been mercifully spared so far any disruption by strike or volcano.

Cracow and the Indian Summer Festival in Eastern Slovakia (29 September - 6 October)
with the chance to experience parts of Europe little seen by tourists. After two nights in Cracow we cross the High Tatras to the Spiss region of Slovakia, where we hear first-rate recitals and explore the area. We are offering this tour for the third year and the concerts go from strength to strength. The closing concert of our visit features Julian Lloyd-Webber playing the Elgar Cello Concerto. Direct flights from Gatwick and Edinburgh. Still some availablity

New - Opera in Berlin (16-21 March 2011)
After a splendid visit to Berlin for Wagner's Ring we return with a party of no more than 15 people to see three new productions : Tristan & Isolde (Graham Vick directs. Donald Runnicles conducts, Petra Maria Schnitzer, Peter Seiffert, Kristinn Sigmundsson and our own Jane Irwin sing); Les Troyens (David Pountney directs, Donald Runnicles conducts and Anna Caterina Antonacci is Cassandra); Die Liebe der Danae, Richard Strauss' rarely seen penultimate opera (Intendant Kirsten Harms directs, Andrew Litton conducts, Mark Delaven is Jupiter). And a revival of Robert Carsen's acclaimed Ariadne auf Naxos, sold out at its Munich premiere in 2008 and with the top cast from the Berlin first night of the co-production in 2009. Michaela Kaune, Robert Saccà (Covent Garden's recent Gambler). Ruxandra Donose and Jane Archibald lead.

We stay at a central hotel near Unter den Linden and have the best guide in Berlin for our excursions. We have seats in Row 9 of the stalls. Flights from almost everywhere to Berlin. Cost without flights for hotel tickets transfers and excursions £980 (single supplement £180.

12 - 17 January MANCHESTER the RNCM chamber music weekend, the first with new director Petr Prause on the theme of The Americas. Good tickets for all recitals, workshops and talks and five nights in our central 4* hotel £480 (£80 single supplement)

5 - 10 May VICENZA with three concerts by András Schiff and friends in the Teatro Olympico, visits to Palladian villas (some opened specially for us) and churches with a day in Venice and splendid meals.

9 - 14 June ITTINGEN Whitsun Festival with András Schiff and Heinz Holliger and their musician friends in what is without a doubt the finest chamber music festival anywhere. We have a limited number of rooms at the charterhouse and early booking is essential.

June/September SCHUBERTIADE in the beautiful setting on the Schwarzbergerwald and our award-winning hotel we choose as always the pick of the recitals on offer.

September EISENSTADT HAYDN FESTIVAL in the town where he spent many years working for the Esterházy family. The summer palace, birthplace and Vienna house are all included in our excursions.

Full details of these and our other 2011 tours will be available shortly

All these tours can be booked without flights and all are easily accessible by rail.

Please call or email for more details or to make a reservation.

We look forward to hearing from you.

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