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Music along the Seine - Superb music in elegant châteaux and churches along France’s greatest river
Festival highlights
- Eight private concerts in beautiful historic buildings along the Seine Valley.
- Repertoire ranges from medieval to modern, weighted towards the greatest eras of French music, including Renaissance song, Baroque (Couperin, Rameau) and Late-Romantic (Debussy, Ravel, Fauré).
- International stars Quatuor Modigliani, soprano Justina Gringytė and pianist Clare Hammond all perform.
- The Sixteen, one of the world’s most renowned choral ensembles, close the festival with Fauré’s Requiem, in Sainte Chapelle (Paris).
- Daily talks by leading French music expert Professor Katharine Ellis.
- Visits with an architectural historian include the abbey of Jumièges and the remains of St Wandrille.
There is little to match the pleasure of a curated sequence of concerts in beautiful historic buildings. This event combines the two to produce an experience which is quite exceptional and unique.
A rare opportunity to experience a range of French repertoire performed by world-class musicians – the first iteration of this festival in almost a decade. Performances take place in elegant châteaux, outstanding churches, and the Théâtre le Ranelagh, where we hear Rameau on the site of ‘his’ theatre. All venues are beside the River Seine or a short drive away.
Musicians of the highest calibre
The eight private concerts include repertoire from the medieval to the 20th century, weighted towards the greatest eras of French music. The Renaissance is represented by song (Ensemble Près de votre oreille), and the Baroque by Rameau, Couperin and Charpentier – some performed on the harpsichord (Kenneth Weiss) and others during a lively and engaging evening of 18th-century cantatas (Saraband, ft. Hilary Cronin, Emily Gray, Samuel Boden).
Captivating Late-Romantic works are taken on by international stars Quatuor Modigliani (Debussy and Ravel string quartets), leading soprano Justina Gringytė presents Bizet songs, accompanied by Joseph Middleton, and stellar pianist Clare Hammond performs several astonishing works of French pianism from the Classical and Romantic eras.
The Sixteen, one of the world’s most renowned choral ensembles, close the festival with Fauré’s sublime and serene Requiem (for choir and organ), in the intimate yet stunning Sainte-Chappelle, Paris, with its spectacular stained glass.
Exclusive concerts
The performances are private, being exclusive to the 100 or so participants who take the festival package. The small size of the audience and venues leads to an intimacy that engenders a rare intensity of musical communication. Musicians love playing for this festival. Not only are the venues an inspiring change from conventional concert halls, but the audiences are attentive and appreciative.
Expert enlightenment
There are daily talks on the music by Professor Katharine Ellis, 1684 Professor of Music at Cambridge and leading specialist on French music, and architectural visits led by John McNeill, renowned art historian and the author of a book on Normandy. Visits include the peerless ruined abbey of Jumièges and the striking remains of St Wandrille, among others.
Accommodation on a first-class river cruiser
Acting as both hotel and principal means of transport, MS Amadeus Diamond sails downstream from Paris as far as Caudebec-en-Caux, and then returns to Paris, enabling passengers to attend all the concerts and see some of the finest art and architecture in the region without having to change hotel or drive long distances.
The experience differs significantly from conventional cruising in many ways: little regimentation, no obligatory seating plan, no on-board entertainment, minimal announcements – and absolutely no piped music!
Musicians
Practicalities
The price includes:
– Eight private concerts.
– Daily talks on the music.
– Cultural visits led by an architectural historian (on board Days 1–6).
– Accommodation on a first-class river cruiser for seven nights.
– Return rail travel between London and Paris – reduced price if you make your own arrangements. See page 19.
– All meals, with wine and other drinks, and interval drinks.
– Coach travel for transfers between the ship and the Gare du Nord, and to the concert venues when not within walking distance of the mooring.
– Tips, taxes and admission charges.
– Programme booklet with full details of the event.
– Assistance of an experienced team of French-speaking festival staff.
Haydn deck – lowest
Two sharing: £3,930 per person
Single occupancy: £4,500
Strauss deck – middle
Two sharing: £4,810 per person
Single occupancy: £5,710
Mozart deck – top
Two sharing: £5,390 per person
Single occupancy: £6,340
Suites – Mozart deck
Two sharing: £6,240 per person
Not available for single occupancy.
Option 1
Wednesday 16 July
Depart London St Pancras at 10.31am. After arriving at Paris Gare du Nord at 1.48pm, you are collected by coach and set down near the Louvre for just under two hours of independent time. After rejoining the coach, you board the ship at c. 5.15pm.
Wednesday 23 July
Disembark by c. 9.00am to board a coach to Paris Gare du Nord. Depart by Eurostar at 11.12am and arrive at London St Pancras at 12.30pm.
Option 2
Wednesday 16 July
Depart London St Pancras at 12.31pm and arrive at Paris Gare du Nord at 3.48pm. You are then taken by coach directly to the ship, which you board at c. 5.00pm.
Wednesday 23 July
Disembark at c. 9.30am and transfer by coach to the Louvre area for some free time in Paris. Coaches leave for the Gare du Nord at c. 2.00pm for the Eurostar at 4.12pm and arrive at London St Pancras at 5.35pm.
If you would like to take Option 1 on the outbound journey and Option 2 inbound or vice versa, you would have to make your own arrangements. Unfortunately Eurostar’s group booking conditions do not allow us to make such arrangements.
No trains
You can choose to make your own way to and from the festival. You are welcome to join our transfers from the Gare du Nord, to meet in the centre of Paris or to go directly to the ship. We will confirm the ship’s mooring point closer to the festival. Boarding is permitted from 4.00pm but you can deposit your bags before this time.
Price reduction: £250 per person.
The ship
The MS Amadeus Diamond, fully renovated in 2019, is one of the more comfortable cruisers on the waterways of Europe. The multi-national crew is dedicated to the highest standards of service.
With a minimum floor area of 15m2, the cabins are reasonably spacious by the standards of river cruisers. All have windows to the outside and are equipped with the facilities one would expect of a first-class hotel including shower, WC, toiletries, individually adjustable air-conditioning, telephone, TV and safe.
In layout and furnishings the cabins are identical, the significant differences being the size of windows and height above water level (higher cabins enjoy better views and fewer stairs).
Cabins on the top two decks (Mozart and Strauss) are the most desirable, with floor to ceiling windows which slide open. Also on the Mozart deck are 12 suites measuring c. 22m2 which have a sofa, table and armchair, a bath, minibar and safe. Those on the lowest (Haydn) deck have smaller windows which do not open. There are no single cabins as such but we are allocating some cabins for single occupancy (these have double beds).
The public areas include the lounge and bar, a library, gym, and restaurant which can seat everyone at a single sitting. Free WiFi is available but can be variable according to location.
Prices
Haydn deck – lowest
Two sharing: £3,930 per person
Single occupancy: £4,500
Strauss deck – middle
Two sharing: £4,810 per person
Single occupancy: £5,710
Mozart deck – top
Two sharing: £5,390 per person
Single occupancy: £6,340
Suites – Mozart deck
Two sharing: £6,240 per person
Not available for single occupancy
No trains: if you choose not to take one of the train options on page 19, there is a price reduction of £250 per person.
Quite a lot of walking is necessary to reach the concert venues and to get around the towns visited. Most of the concert venues do not have a lift. Participants need to be averagely fit, sure-footed and able to manage everyday walking and stairclimbing without difficulty.
We ask that you take the simple fitness tests before booking.
If you have a medical condition or a disability which may affect your holiday or necessitate special arrangements being made for you, please discuss these with us before booking – or, if the condition develops or changes subsequently, as soon as possible before departure.
Private. All the performances are planned and administered by us, and the audience consists exclusively of those who have taken the festival package.
Seating. Specific seats are not reserved. You sit where you want.
Audience size. There will be up to c. 110 participants on the festival. Three of our venues cannot hold this number, so at these, the performance will be repeated.
Acoustics. This festival is more concerned with locale and authenticity than with acoustic perfection. The venues may have idiosyncrasies or reverberations of the sort not found in modern concert halls.
Changes. Musicians fall ill, venues may close for repairs, airlines alter schedules: there are many circumstances which could necessitate changes to the programme. We ask you to be understanding should they occur.
Floods and droughts. We cannot rule out changes to the programme arising from exceptionally high or low water levels on the Seine, either of which may bring river traffic to a halt. These might necessitate more travel by coach or the loss of a concert, though we would always try to minimise the impact on the itinerary.
Before booking, please refer to Travel.State.Gov 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.
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Testimonials
“What a fabulous week.
”
“First class musicians, lecturers, MRT staff, ship and travel arrangements. Nobody does it as well as MRT!
”
“There are three particular characteristics of Martin Randall tours. The first is the choice of programme and the high quality of the performers. The second is meticulous attention to detail, every aspect of the tour being worked out to ensure that it ran smoothly. The third is the calibre of the Martin Randall staff, who are both efficient and delightful.
”
“The venues, performers and concert programmes as well as the various excursions through the Normandy countryside and within Paris all contributed to a richly layered experience. The festival components were so well planned and so superbly executed that it ranks as the most absorbing an rewarding tour that I have had the pleasure of undertaking with MRT.
”
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