THE TOUR INCLUDES: - Top category seats for all performances as listed - 13 nights Deluxe accommodations at a 4-star hotel in the heart of Berlin - Full breakfast daily, 3 lunches and 3 dinners - 4 custom (private) city tours, including the most important historical and architectural sites, galleries and museums - private Airport-Hotel transfers - tour direction by an Aria Tours director - a comprehensive tour handbook containing travel & performance info and a detailed daily itinerary Cost: $7145 US Single Supplement: $1800 US Deposit: $2500 Balance due: January 30, 2007

OPTIONS FLIGHTS We will be happy to make any flight arrangements, including reward travel with your preferred carrier, for $75 per person. TOUR ADDITIONS The itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and desires. Please call us to discuss any changes or amendments you wish to make. INSURANCE We strongly recommend that all tour members purchase cancellation insurance upon registration. We can assist you with this, though you are welcome to purchase a policy at your own discretion. If you would like information on the policies offered by our supplier, please contact us for details, or click HERE for an insurance brochure and application.

Like giants, Gustav Mahler’s symphonies straddle the transition from the 19th to the 20th century, from Late Romanticism to Modernism. On the one hand Mahler’s symphonic work marks the end of a tradition that reaches from Beethoven through Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann to Brahms and Bruckner, on the other hand his work points far into the future. Thus, for example, the music of Schönberg and that of his pupils can hardly be imagined without Mahler’s impressive influence. The peculiar transitional position of Mahler’s work as well as the immense richness and variety of artistic ideas that found their way into his work have led to his symphonies being acknowledged as unique events in the history of Western music. A completely new musical cosmos was opening up then – one which initially did not seem to be adequately recognized by either audience or musical establishment.

In his lifetime Mahler was widely acclaimed as a conductor, but not as a composer, as his works received only little recognition. It was not until the Mahler renaissance of the 1960s that his work experienced a real breakthrough. Since then, Mahler’s symphonies have been part of the repertoire of all major orchestras. Performances of the complete cycle of symphonies, however, are still a rare occurrence, as they place immense demands on conductor, soloists and orchestra alike. Having successfully performed individual works by Mahler in recent years, the Staatskapelle Belin under the batons of Daniel Barenboim and Pierre Boulez will be adventurous enough to perform the complete cycle of Mahler’s symphonies – a uniquely challenging project. You will therefore be able to enjoy all nine of Mahler’s symphonies as well as his ‘Song of the Earth’ and a cycle of Mahler‘s songs for voice and orchestra in ten concerts in early April 2007.

Berlin has regarded itself as a city of knowledge and culture since the days of Friedrich the Great in the 18th century. The political and cultural developments of the 19th and 20th century are visible throughout Berlin’s cityscape, reflecting both the history of architecture and various approaches to dealing with the consequences of war and destruction. Berlin, the capital of Germany and its largest city, is dynamic, cosmopolitan and creative, allowing for every kind of lifestyle. Here you get the feeling of opportunities just waiting to be seized in all areas, like entertainment, recreation, economy, science and academic life. East meets West in the metropolis at the heart of a changing Europe.

THE ITINERARY

Friday, March 30
Individual departures for Berlin.

Saturday, March 31
Arrival in Berlin and transfer (included) to our deluxe hotel in the heart of the city, walking distance from the Museum Quarter. Afternoon at leisure. This evening we gather for introductions and a Welcome Dinner (included).

Sunday, April 1
Day at leisure. Evening: attend the Berlin Philharmonie (venue for all performances) as Daniel Barenboim conducts the Staatskapelle Berlin in Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in D Major (The Titan). Thomas Quastoff also performs the Kindertotenlieder.

Monday, April 2
Morning: Guided city orientation tour (coach and walking) of many of the city's most significant monuments and points of interest, including Potsdamer Platz, Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Philharmonic, Friedrichstrasse, the National Opera, Tiergarten, Gendarmenmarkt, the Reichstag, the Berlin Cathedral, Kurfürstendamm, the New National Gallery, the National Library, and the remains of the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburg Gate, the City Palace Square, and the historic promenade "Unter den Linden", one of Berlin's most architecturally significant boulevards. Lunch included in the Reichstag's Roofgarden Restaurant. This evening Pierre Boulez conducts Symphony No. 2 in C minor (The Resurrection), with Dorothea Röschmann, Petra Lang and the Staatsopern Chorus.

Tuesday, April 3
Day at leisure. This evening Pierre Boulez conducts Symphony No. 3 in D minor, with Michelle DeYoung, the Staatsopern Chorus and the Aurelius Sängerknaben.

Wednesday, April 4
Morning: Guided walking tour of the Museum Island, an official UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. This tour focuses on the history, present, and future of this interesting and unique cultural landscape. A tour of the Pergamon Museum, one of the world’s finest collections of Middle Eastern antiquities, is included, as is post-tour lunch. Afternoon at leisure.

Thursday, April 5
Day at leisure. This evening Pierre Boulez conducts Symphony No. 4 in G Major. Christine Schäfer also performs lieder from Des Knaben Wunderhorn.

Friday, April 6
Morning: Guided tours through several of Berlin's essential museums--the Old National Gallery, with its 19th century masterworks, the superb Museum of Byzantine Art, and Daniel Libeskind's Jewish Museum. Afternoon at leisure. This evening Daniel Barenboim conducts Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor. Thomas Quastoff also performs the Rückert Lieder.

Saturday, April 7
Day at leisure. This evening Pierre Boulez conducts Symphony No. 6 in a minor.

Sunday, April 8
Day at leisure. This evening Daniel Barenboim conducts Symphony No. 7 in E minor. Thomas Quastoff also performs Leider eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Travelling Journeyman).

Monday, April 9
Day at leisure. This evening Pierre Boulez conducts Symphony No. 8 in Eb Major (Symphony of a Thousand). Soloists include Twyla Robinson, Soile Isokoski, Adriane Querioz, Michelle DeYoung, Simone Schröder, Johan Botha, Hanno Muller-Brachmann and Robert Holl, in addition to the Staatsopern Chorus and the Aurelius Sängerknaben.

Tuesday, April 10
Full day at leisure. We are happy to arrange any custom excursions you may desire.

Wednesday, April 11
Excursion to Potsdam, including a guided tour of Schloss Cecilienhof and the Russian colony of Alexandrowka. Lunch is included. This evening Daniel Barenboim conducts Das Lied von der Erde, with Michelle DeYoung and Burkhard Fritz.

Thursday, April 12
Day at leisure. Following an early Farewell Dinner, we attend our final performance--Daniel Barenboim conducting Mahler's Symphony No. 9 in D Major at the Philharmonie.

Friday, April 13
Group departures (included).