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Music & Opera in Dresden - Five superb performances in the Saxon capital of culture
7
days
from
US$5,240
Book today with a deposit of
US$786
26th May 2027 - 1st June 2027
Tour highlights
- Five outstanding performances in seven days: two operas at the Semperoper – Puccini’s La bohème and Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro – and three concerts at the Kulturpalast, including Mahler’s Ninth Symphony under Donald Runnicles and Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony under Tarmo Peltokoski.
- The Semperoper is one of the great opera houses of Europe, and Dresden one of the great music cities – a tradition rooted in the extraordinary patronage of Augustus the Strong and his son, whose cultural legacy transformed the city into a destination of the Grand Tour.
- The musical programme is complemented by daily talks from Barry Millington, chief music critic of the Evening Standard, and guided exploration of Dresden’s Baroque architecture and outstanding art collections – among them the Old Masters Gallery and the Green Vault – with art historian Dr Jarl Kremeier.
- Excursions to Meissen – birthplace of European porcelain – and the Chinese Rococo summer palace at Pillnitz, returning to Dresden by boat along the Elbe.
Dresden’s greatness as a city of the arts was the creation, above all, of two electors in the eighteenth century. Augustus the Strong and his son Frederick Augustus II were reckless with the state treasury – and magnificent with it. Their achievements as builders, patrons and collectors rank them among the most munificent rulers in European history. Great architecture, a picture collection of legendary richness, unequalled accumulations of precious metalwork and ceramics – porcelain was manufactured here for the first time in Europe – and a glorious musical life transformed Dresden into one of the most admired cities on the Grand Tour.
That inheritance endures. The great dome of the Frauenkirche still dominates the skyline; the Green Vault in the royal palace displays the full magnificence of the electoral treasury; and the Semperoper remains one of the finest opera houses in Europe, its repertoire and performers consistently among the best in the world.
This tour is built around five performances across seven days – three concerts at the Kulturpalast, two of them part of the prestigious Dresden Musikfestspiele, and two operas at the Semperoper. The Kulturpalast recently reopened after an award-winning renovation, it now houses a modern vineyard-style concert hall with superb acoustics. The programme includes Mahler’s valedictory Ninth Symphony under Donald Runnicles, principal guest conductor of the Dresden Philharmonic; the Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse, led by the rising star Tarmo Peltokoski, in Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony; and superstar violinist Joshua Bell directing the Verbier Festival Orchestra. In the more traditional surroundings of the Semperoper, two very different visions of operatic classics: Christine Mielitz’s production of Puccini’s La bohème offers a classy invocation of Paris, while Johannes Erath meditates on the history of theatre through Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. Both feature exciting young singers – look out in particular for René Barbera as Rodolfo and Rosalia Cid as Susanna.
Itinerary
Fly in the morning from London City Airport (British Airways) to Berlin Brandenburg Airport. An evening lecture is followed by dinner.
In the morning visit the Zwinger, a unique Baroque confection, a pleasure palace, arena for festivities and museum for cherished collections. See the Old Masters Gallery, one of the finest collections in Europe, particularly strong on Italian and Netherlandish painting. There is a free afternoon followed by an evening concert at the Kulturpalast with Jan Vogler (cello), Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse, Tarmo Peltokoski (conductor): Esa-Pekka Salonen, Cello Concerto; Rachmaninoff, Symphony No. 2 in E minor Op. 27.
Morning visit to the Albertinum, home to the New Masters Gallery. Some free time before an evening opera at the Semperoper: La bohème (Puccini): Adam Hickox (conductor), Christine Mielitz (director), Mariangela Sicilia (Mimì), Natasha Gesto (Musetta), René Barbera (Rodolfo), Danylo Matviienko (Marcello), Anton Beliaev (Schaunard), Vladyslav Buialskyi (Colline), Matthias Henneberg (Benoît), Andreas Scheibner (Alcindoro), Frank Blümel, Jun-Seok Bang (Parpignol).
Drive downstream to Meissen, ancient capital of Dukes of Saxony and location of the discovery of hard-paste porcelain. The largely 15th-century hilltop castle overlooking the Elbe, the Albrechtsburg, is one of the first to be more residential than defensive, and within the complex is a fine Gothic cathedral. Evening concert at the Kulturpalast with Sir Donald Runnicles (conductor), Dresden Philharmonic: Mahler, Symphony No. 9 in D major.
Drive to Pillnitz, a summer palace in Chinese Rococo style, with collections of decorative art and a riverside park. After lunch take a boat trip back along the Elbe to Dresden. Evening opera at the Semperoper: Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart): Christoph Koncz (conductor), Johannes Erath (director), Christoph Pohl (Il Conte di Almaviva), Jacquelyn Stucker (La Contessa di Almaviva), Rosalia Cid (Susanna), Neven Crnić (Figaro), Valerie Eickhoff (Cherubino), Christa Mayer (Marcellina), Omar Montanari (Bartolo), n.n. (Don Basilio), Dalia Medovnikov (Barbarina), Gerald Hupach (Don Curzio), Martin-Jan Nijhof (Antonio), Katharina Flade, Barbara Leo (Contadine).
Morning visit to the Residenzschloss to see the wonderful Green Vault and its content, one of the world’s finest princely treasuries, once again displayed in their original venue. Final dinner is followed by an evening concert at the Kulturpalast with Joshua Bell (violin, direction), Verbier Festival Orchestra: Beethoven, Violin Concerto in D major Op. 61; Mozart, Symphony No. 41 in C major KV. 551 Jupiter.
Fly from Berlin Brandenburg to London Heathrow airport, arriving in the afternoon.
Expert speakers
Mr Barry Millington
Writer, lecturer and broadcaster specialising in Wagner. He is founder/editor of The Wagner Journal and author of eight books on Wagner including The Wagner Compendium and Richard Wagner: The Sorcerer of Bayreuth. He is Chief Critic for the Evening Standard. He has also acted as dramaturgical adviser at opera houses internationally.
More tours led by Mr Barry Millington
Dr Jarl Kremeier
Art historian specialising in 17th- to 19th-century architecture and decorative arts; teaches Art History at the Berlin College of Acting and the Senior Student’s Department of Berlin’s Freie Universität. He studied at the Universities of Würzburg, Berlin and the Courtauld, is a contributor to the Macmillan Dictionary of Art, author of a book on the Würzburg Residenz, and of articles on Continental Baroque architecture and architectural theory.
More tours led by Dr Jarl Kremeier
Practicalities
Two sharing: US$5,570 or US$5,240 without flights. Single occupancy: US$6,120 or US$5,790 without flights.
Travel by private coach; hotel accommodation as described below; breakfasts; 2 lunches and 3 dinners with wine, water, coffee and interval food at 2 performances; all admissions; all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager.
Steigenberger Hotel de Saxe, Dresden: 4-star hotel in the heart of the Old Town, 10 minutes’ walk from the Semperoper and the Zwinger. Single rooms are doubles for sole use.
Vehicular access is restricted in the city centre. Participants are expected to walk to the concert venues and there is a substantial amount of walking and standing around in art galleries and museums. Average distance by coach per day: 45 miles (predominantly on the first and last days of the tour).
Between 10 and 22 participants.
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.
Dates & prices
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2027
Date
Speaker
Price
Date:
26th May - 1st June 2027
Speaker:
Mr Barry Millington & Dr Jarl Kremeier
Price:
from US$5,240
(Based on two sharing)Testimonials
“MRT at its best: splendid hotel, excellent food and wine – all most enjoyable!
”
“The lecturer was an absolute goldmine of well considered information and analysis. I felt privileged to join him.
”
“Loved all aspects of the itinerary – music to suit everyone and very good standard.
”
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