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Hamburg: Opera & 'Elphi' - Music, art & architecture in Germany’s second city
5
days
from
A$7,220
Book today with a deposit from
A$1,083
28th February 2027 - 5th March 2027
Tour highlights
- The Hamburg Philharmonic performs Mahler’s ‘Resurrection Symphony’ at the spectacular Elbphilharmonie.
- Also included are Carmen (Bizet), Eugen Onegin (Tchaikovsky) and Guillaume Tell (Rossini) at the Staatsoper Hamburg.
- Excursion to Lübeck, another Hanseatic city.
- Based at a historic hotel, beautifully situated on the Außenalster lake.
Hamburg is a city of industry, of exchange, a Hanseatic powerhouse. Yet its position as a gateway between Germany and the rest of the world, alongside its financial success and prestige throughout much of German history, has made it a creative city, home to a rich musical and artistic heritage.
The first public opera house in Germany, the Oper am Gänsemarkt, was established in Hamburg in 1678. While the current theatre of the Staatsoper Hamburg reopened in 1955 after its destruction in 1943, the sense of continuing a long-standing tradition still remains.
Enter, then, the Elbphilharmonie – or ‘Elphi’ – an architectural, cultural and civic masterpiece by Herzog & de Meuron that dominates, and lifts, the city’s harbour and its image. Yes, it ran over budget and over schedule, but the fact remains that Hamburg believed in it and built it. The acoustic is almost ‘digital’ in its clarity and tickets are hard to come by.
There are just a few cities in the world where a musical venue – concert hall or opera house – has become an internationally recognized symbol of that place. Sydney, of course, is one such example, but Hamburg became another ten years ago with the opening of its magnificent Elbphilharmonie. Rising like an iceberg on top of an old brick warehouse adjacent to the Speicherstadt district, the Elphi – as it is locally known – it is the latest attraction in a musical landscape whose distinguished history stretches back several centuries.
One of Hamburg’s most glorious musical chapters was Gustav Mahler’s music directorship of the Stadttheater there. It was at a funeral in city’s historic St Michael’s Church that the inspiration came to him for his ‘Resurrection Symphony’, among the loftiest expressions of human spirituality in music: the chance to hear it in Hamburg should not be missed. Mahler’s operatic achievements there included conducting the German premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, another big draw on our itinerary and one of this season’s new productions at the Staatsoper.
Also receiving a new production, by the Staatsoper’s Intendant Tobias Kratzer, is a starrily-cast Guillaume Tell, Rossini’s last and grandest opera. Completing our trio of operatic masterpieces is a colourful production of Bizet’s Carmen.
Our tour also includes a daily session of talks and discussions about the evening’s performance. There are guided walks and visits to a further selection of Hamburg’s architecture and sites of musical heritage, and an all-day excursion to Lübeck, but also plenty of free time for rest and preparation for the next event.
Itinerary
Fly at c. 9.30am from London Heathrow to Hamburg (British Airways). Arrive at the hotel in time for lunch. Some time to settle in before the first opera at the Staatsoper: Carmen (Bizet): N.N. (conductor), Eve-Maud Hubeaux (Carmen), Stephen Costello (Don José), Erwin Schrott (Escamillo), Eliza Boom (Micaëla), Ilia Kazakov (Zuniga), Nicholas Mogg (Dancaïro), Peter Galliard (Remendado), Aebh Kelly (Mercédès), Mariana Poltorak (Frasquita), Nicholas Mogg (Moralès). Performed in French with German and English surtitles.
The morning talk is followed by a walk through the Speicherstadt, the old warehouse district and centre of Hamburg’s industrial past. Continue to HafenCity, the commercial and cultural development surrounding the harbour by the river Elbe. Lunch, then some free time. Concert at the Elbphilharmonie with Anja Bihlmaier (conductor), Sarah Wegener (soprano), Jess Dandy (alto) and the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra: Mahler, Symphony No. 2 in C minor, ‘Resurrection Symphony’.
Drive northeast to Lübeck, the first and most powerful of all Hansa cities. Tremendous prosperity in the 13th and 14th centuries led to the construction on a grand scale of civic and charitable buildings, churches and monasteries, mansions and fortifications. A walk takes in massive city gates and walls, the town hall, market place and picturesque backstreets. Of the brick-built churches, the Romanesque cathedral was founded by Henry the Lion, but the greatest is St Mary, a soaring Gothic construction. Return to Hamburg for an independent dinner.
Visit the Komponistenquartier, a charming row of small museums commemorating composers including Brahms, Mendelssohn, and Mahler. There is some free time before a late-afternoon talk and early dinner. Opera at the Staatsoper: Eugen Onegin (Tchaikovsky): Omer Meir Wellber (conductor), N.N. (Eugene Onegin), Katja Pieweck (Larina), Elena Tsallagova (Tatyana), Aleksandra Meteleva (Olga), Margarita Nekrasova (Filipyevna), N.N. (Vladimir Lensky),Alexander Roslavets (Prince Gremin), Jürgen Sacher (Triquet), Ferdinand Muradyan (Zaretsky). Performed in Russian with German and English surtitles.
Visit the Kunsthalle, Hamburg’s largest art museum, established in 1869 with an excellent collection of Old Masters and 19th-century paintings. The afternoon is free for independent exploration; a visit to the Museum of Applied Arts is recommended. Afternoon talk and early dinner. Opera at the Staatsoper: Guillaume Tell (Rossini): Susanna Mälkki (conductor), Tobias Kratzer (director), Jacques Imbrailo (Guillaume Tell), Annika Schlicht (Hedwige), Narea Son (Jemmy), Lisette Oropesa (Mathilde), Lawrence Brownlee (Arnold Melchtal), Willard White (Melchtal), Alexander Roslavets (Gesler), Tigran Martirossian (Walter Furst), Jonah Hoskins (Ruodi), Chao Deng (Leuthold), Colin Aikins (Rodolphe). Performed in French with German and English surtitles.
Morning flight to Heathrow, arriving at c. 12.30pm.
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: A$7,640 or A$7,220 without flights. Single occupancy: A$8,810 or A$8,390 without flights.
Travel by private coach throughout; breakfasts, 2 lunches, 3 dinners and interval refreshments at 2 performances with wine; all admissions to museums and sites visited with the group; all gratuities for restaurant staff, drivers, guides; all state taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager.
First category tickets for 4 performances.
Hotel Atlantic Hamburg: 5-star hotel in a beautiful location on the Außenalster lake. Traditionally furnished and decorated, with a long nautical history. Single rooms are doubles for sole use.
There is quite a lot of walking on this tour, and a reasonable amount of standing around in museums. Average distance by coach per day: 8 miles.
Between 10 and 22 participants.
Before booking, please refer to Smartraveller to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting. As a British company we follow the advice of the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.
Dates & prices
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2027
Date
Speaker
Price
Date:
28th February - 5th March 2027
Speaker:
Dr John Allison
Price:
from A$7,220
(Based on two sharing)Testimonials
“Loved our scheduled activities, the lecturer and the tour guide.
”
“John was an excellent speaker and his lectures were fascinating.
”
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