"This was my first MRT tour and I was blown away by the brilliant execution. Immediately following completion of the tour, which I did alone, I registered my wife and me for the same tour next Spring. Thank you for the best nine days of my life."
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Copenhagen Opera House ©Royal Danish Opera.
Opera & Ballet in Copenhagen - Donizetti, Strauss and the Royal Danish Ballet
5
days
from
£2,820
ex flights
9th April 2026
- Two performances at Copenhagen’s extraordinary Opera House (2005): Donizetti’s Don Pasquale and Der Rosenkavalier by Strauss.
- One ballet: Giselle at the Old Stage (1874) to music by Adolphe Adam.
- Private tours of the Opera House and The Old Stage.
- A walk with a local guide and free time for the city’s outstanding museums.
Scandinavia has long played a distinguished role in the history of music. Denmark has intensified its commitment to this heritage and increasingly offers world-class standards of music, as well as one of the most exciting new opera houses created in recent years – indeed Henning Larsen’s dazzling creation is one of the best equipped in the world.
Copenhagen is a strikingly attractive capital, and a relatively small one. It is an exciting hub of contemporary culture and design with a wealth of museums and art galleries, palaces and theatres. These range from the court theatre at the Christiansborg Palace to the Peacock theatre staging commedia-dell’arte-inspired pantomimes in the pleasure gardens of Tivoli.
The Royal Danish Ballet, founded in 1784, is not only one of the longest established dance companies in the world but also one of the most enjoyable of those performing today. It combines a rich heritage repertory with contemporary creativity.
Itinerary
Fly at c. 10.00am from London Heathrow to Copenhagen (British Airways). The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek is home to the magnificent benefaction of a brewer. It has collections of Mediterranean antiquities, particularly Roman portrait sculpture, Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, Golden Age paintings and much else besides. There is time to settle into the hotel before dinner.
Start with a lecture on this evening’s performance. A walk passes the Amalienborg, an ensemble of 1750s palaces, the English church, Gefion Fountain, the Little Mermaid, bastions of the Kastellet and (across the water) the opera house. In the afternoon travel by coach for the opportunity to visit one of the city’s finest art collections (self-guided): the Statens Museum for Kunst, the National Gallery of Denmark, which holds an extensive selection of Danish art from the Golden Age to the present day and a fine collection of European Old Masters. Coach back to the hotel for some free time before dinner and an evening ballet at the Old Stage: Giselle (Adolphe Adam), Nathan Brock (conductor), Silja Schandorff and Nikolaj Hübbe after Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot (choreography), cast to be announced.
Lecture on the evening’s opera. Cross the water by boat for a tour of the beautiful Operaen (Copenhagen Opera House), built 2000–2005 to the designs of Henning Larsen and others. Free afternoon. The National Museum is recommended (artefacts prehistoric to contemporary, Vikings the highlight) or one of the city’s many other museums and galleries (the tour includes a card granting free admission). An evening opera at the Copenhagen Opera House: Don Pasquale (Gaetano Donizetti), Robert Houssart/Vito Cristofaro (conductor), Mariame Clément (director), The Royal Danish Orchestra and Choir, Vito Cristofaro (Dirigent), Kyungil Ko (Don Pasquale), Orhan Yildiz (Malatesta), Santiago Ballerini (Ernesto).
The morning is free. We suggest a visit to the Rosenborg Palace, a fully furnished royal residence from the 17th century. An early afternoon lecture precedes an afternoon opera at the Copenhagen Opera House: Der Rosenkavalier (Richard Strauss), Marie Jacquot (conductor), Elisabeth Linton (director), The Royal Danish Orchestra and Choir, Marie Jacquot (Dirigent), Gisela Stille (Feltmarskalinden), Patrick Zielke (Baron Ochs), Elisabeth Jansson (Octavian), Jens Søndergaard (Hr. von Faninal), Clara Cecilie Thomsen (Sophie), My Johansson (Marianne Leitmetzerin), Jens Christian Tvilum (En vært, Valzacchi. Dinner is after the performance.
A private guided tour of the Old Stage, the oldest of the three buildings that form the Royal Danish Theatre. Fly to London Heathrow, arriving at c. 5.30pm.
Expert speaker
Dr John Allison
Editor of Opera magazine and music critic. He was born in South Africa and completed his PhD degree while playing the piano and working as assistant organist at Cape Town cathedral. Since moving to London in 1989 he has written for publications around the world, authored two books and served on the juries of many international competitions. He co-founded the International Opera Awards in 2013. He reviews for the Daily Telegraph and has previously held positions as music critic on The Sunday Telegraph and The Times.
More tours led by Dr John Allison
Practicalities
Two sharing: £3,190 or £2,820 without flights. Single occupancy: £3,630 or £3,260 without flights.
Flights (economy class) with British Airways (aircraft: Airbus A320); coach or boat for excursions as specified in the itinerary; accommodation as described below; breakfasts, 3 dinners with wine, water and coffee; all admissions (120-hour Copenhagen Card); all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager.
Tickets for 3 performances are included, costing c. £310.
Phoenix Copenhagen: a traditional 4-star hotel close to the Amalienborg Palace.
We reach the opera house by coach and by boat. Participants need to be fit enough to manage this, the city walks and to cope easily with stair climbing. Average distance by coach per day: 5 miles.
Between 10 and 24 participants.
Before booking, please refer to the FCDO website to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting.
Dates & prices
2026
Date
Speaker
Price
Date:
9th - 13th April 2026
Speaker:
Dr John Allison
Price:
£2,820 ex flights
£3,190 inc flights
(Based on two sharing)Testimonials
“The itinerary was excellent. Copenhagen is a wonderful city and I thoroughly enjoyed the opera experience.
”
“I loved the combination of a beautiful city with a very special interest.
”
“This is the fourth trip I have done with Martin Randall and once again the whole experience has been first class.
”
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