GERMANY Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time.
Bach Festival in Leipzig
Day 1 Depart London Heathrow on British Airways for Berlin. Transfer to Seaside Park Hotel, Leipzig, for seven nights. Evening festival performance at Leipzig Gewandhaus featuring the Gewandhaus Children’s Choir and Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir, with soloists, under Ton Koopman (conductor): J S Bach St Matthew Passion, BWV 244.
June 14–21, 2021 from £2795 per person | with John Bryden
Day 2 Morning walking tour of Leipzig including Altes Rathaus and Baroque Barthels Hof (exteriors). Free afternoon followed by evening lecture. Thomaskirche
• Join this spectacular annual festival as it celebrates Bach’s depictions of the story of Jesus of Nazareth, and the faith it inspired • Highlights will include the St Matthew and St John Passions, as well as the timeless Mass in B minor conducted by Jordi Savall • Pianist Sir András Schiff and organist Olivier Latry will present some of Bach’s most celebrated keyboard music Leipzig lies at the heart of the classical music tradition: Wagner was born here, Mendelssohn died here and Bach spent nearly three decades as Kapellmeister at the Thomaskirche. It is fitting, therefore, that Leipzig plays host to a magnificent annual festival centred on Bach and the composers he inspired. The 2021 festival will explore a particularly stimulating theme, and one that recurs so often in Bach’s music: the story of Jesus of Nazareth. Christian faith has many dimensions when applied to composer, who spent so much of his life playing the organ, studying the Bible, composing sacred music and working as Director of Music in Leipzig’s churches. It is perhaps unsurprising that he has often been described as ‘the fifth evangelist’: the festival’s Artistic Director, Dr Michael Maul, explains that “with his music, Bach gave comfort, provided reconciliation and transcended boundaries”. Bach’s keyboard music will come to the fore across concerts with Olivier Latry and Sir András Schiff, including an organ 48
This tour will be led by John Bryden, MA, ARCM, ARCO. A former member of the National Youth Orchestra of Britain, John has played across Britain and Europe as a soloist, accompanist and chamber musician. setting of An Wasserflüssen Babylon. The psalms recur in a special performance at the Gewandhaus featuring Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms. The festival’s international line-up of performing artists is no less impressive – among them will be the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir, Collegium Vocale Gent, Netherlands Chamber Choir, La Capella Reial de Catalunya and of course Leipzig’s own Gewandhaus Orchestra. We will stay throughout the tour in the centre of Leipzig at the Seaside Park Hotel, a four-star Art Deco residence situated within easy walking distance of the Thomaskirche. FITNESS / PRACTICALITIES: This tour involves several excursions to museums, as well as walking tours, and participants should therefore feel comfortable staying on their feet for extended periods of time. A good general level of fitness is required for this tour.
Cost of £2795 includes: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, performances as described, breakfast, three lunches, five dinners (one light) with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities. Not included: travel insurance, single room supplement £235.
Day 3 Whole day excursion to Dresden including visits to the New Green Vault and Old Masters Picture Gallery, and opportunity for independent visit to the Frauenkirche. Evening festival performance at the Thomaskirche featuring Olivier Latry (organ): J S Bach Fantasia in G major, BWV 572, Prelude & Fugue in E flat major, BWV 552, An Wasserflüssen Babylon, BWV 653, Fantasia in C minor, BWV 562/1; as well as works by Nicolas de Grigny and François Couperin. Day 4 Morning lecture followed by visit to the Bach Archive Museum (the world’s pre-eminent centre of Bach scholarship). Free afternoon. Independent dinner followed by evening festival performance at Leipzig Gewandhaus featuring Collegium Vocale Gent and Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, with soloists, under Philippe Herreweghe (conductor): Mendelssohn Mitten wir im Leben sind, Op 23, No 3, Symphony No 5 in D ‘Reformation’, Op 107; J S Bach Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80; Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms. Day 5 Morning lecture followed by guided tour of the Museum of Historical Musical Instruments including a short recital by the Tour Director (subject to confirmation). Afternoon: guided tour of the Mendelssohn House Museum with piano recital by the Tour Director (subject to confirmation). Evening festival performance at the Nikolaikirche featuring Concerto Köln and Netherlands Chamber Choir, with soloists, under Peter Dijkstra (conductor): J S Bach St John Passion , BWV 245. Day 6 Morning visits to the Monument to the Battle of the Nations and Schumann House Museum, including private recital with the Tour Director (subject to confirmation). Afternoon: some free time followed by lecture. Evening festival performance at Leipzig Gewandhaus featuring Sir András Schiff (piano): J S Bach English Suites, BWV 806–811. Day 7 Optional morning service in the Thomaskirche followed by afternoon visit to Leipzig Fine Arts Museum. Independent dinner followed by evening festival closing performance at the Thomaskirche featuring La Capella Reial de Catalunya and Le Concert des Nations, with soloists, under Jordi Savall (conductor): J S Bach Mass in B minor, BWV 232. Day 8 Köthen Castle (where Bach served as Kapellmeister for Prince Leopold). Continue to Berlin for flight to Heathrow.
TOUR CODE: BACH21
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