A Festival of Music in Castile (11–15 June 2011)

Spain was the dominant power in Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and her musical life gloriously reflected that status. Whatever the causes of Spain’s subsequent slippage from the centre of European affairs, the twin facts are that, first, some of the finest Renaissance and Baroque music is Spanish and, second, much of this heritage remains unknown.

A Festival of Music in Castile is a unique opportunity to hear some of the finest Renaissance and Baroque music in the right settings – palaces and churches which are not only masterpieces of architecture and decoration in themselves but, more pertinently, are also contemporary with the music, or even the actual building for which the music was composed.

The Musicians
The performers are among the finest living interpreters of the music: the Gabrieli Consort and Players, with Paul McCreesh, Orphénica Lyra, led by vihuelist José Miguel Moreno, His Majesty’s Sagbutts and Cornetts together with His Majesty’s Consort, and guitarist Carlos Bonell.

The Venues
The festival locations – Burgos, Lerma and Peñaranda de Duero on the Castilian plateau north of Madrid – are replete with historic buildings and, away from the usual tourist routes, remain remarkably unspoilt. Venues for the seven concerts include the Casa del Cordón, Iglesia de San Nicolás and the majestic cathedral in Burgos, the Collegiate Church of San Pedro in Lerma, and the outstanding renaissance Palacio de Avellaneda.

Lectures
Music is but one of the ingredients. Festival participants are accompanied throughout by four expert lecturers who introduce the music, Spanish art and history through a series of morning talks. Special attention will be paid to the food and wines.

The Festival Package
Access to the concerts is exclusive to a maximum of 170 participants who take a package which includes:
• Seven concerts and musical episodes.
• Accommodation for four or five nights in one of three carefully selected hotels in the historic centre of Burgos.
• Travel. Flights from London Heathrow to Madrid and coach transfers to your chosen hotel in Burgos – and vice versa. There is a price reduction for those that make their own way to Burgos.
• Meals. Three dinners and two lunches, with wine and coffee.
• Lectures on the music by Roderick Swanston and on art and history by our team of Spanish experts: Xavier Bray, Gijs van Hensbergen and Adam Hopkins.
• All tips for restaurant staff, drivers and porters, and all taxes.
Prices depend on the hotel option chosen and range from £2,260 to £3,240 per person.

Extra Services
Our team of lecturers lead optional, small-group visits to Santo Domingo de Silos, the finest Romanesque monastery in Spain, Burgos Cathedral, the Gothic Monasterio de las Huelgas with 16 royal tombs, and Cartuja de Miraflores, a marvellous ensemble of architecture and sculpture from around 1500. There are also three tours preceding the festival: Walking to Santiago, Art in Madrid and The Renaissance in Castile & León.