BAYREUTH FESTIVAL 2

Der Ring des Nibelungen, plus Tannhäuser, Parsifal, Der fliegende Holländer and Tristan und Isolde. Day trips to Bamberg and Nürnberg. Hotel Arvena Kongress.

There are many Rings, but only one Bayreuth. It is the ultimate Wagner experience, to hear the Maestro’s music, in his city, in his opera house.

The Bayreuth Festival has it all: pomp and pageantry, fanfare and feuding, musical epiphanies, production-related outrages, political clashes, foot-stamping approval and the occasional chorus of boos. It is evocative, exhilarating, all-consuming and unlike any other musical experience anywhere. You have likely heard tell of the bottom breaking wooden benches, of the lack of air-conditioning, of the hour-long intervals that make for seven-hour marathons at the Festspielhaus… but unless you have experienced it, you have not heard this music played live with such sublime perfection.

2023 is once again a “Ring Year” in Bayreuth, and the production will be staged by Austrian director Valentin Schwarz and conducted by Pietari Inkinen from Finland. Schwarz won the Ring Award in 2017, an international stage directors’ competition. He has staged Mozart’s Così fan tutte at the Theater an der Wien and Maurizio Kagel’s Mare Nostrum at the Cologne Opera. Inkinen was the principal conductor of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Prague Symphony, the Orchestra of the Ludwigsburg Castle Concerts and the German Radio Philharmonic of Saarbrücken and Kaiserslautern.

Our seats will be excellent, all in the orchestra stalls, and accommodation will be at the simple but spacious (and air-conditioned!) Arvena Kongress. We will take only 18 participants.

CASTS

Das Rheingold

Okka von der Damerau, Raimund Nolte, Attilio Glaser, Daniel Kirch, Christa Mayer, Olafur Sigurdarson, Arnold Bezuyen, Tomasz Konieczny, Stephanie Houtzeel, Tobias Kehrer, Simone Schröder, Jens-Erik Aasbø

Die Walküre

Klaus Florian Vogt, Georg Zeppenfeld, Daniela Köhler, Stéphanie Müther, Marie Henriette Reinhold, Simone Schröder Christa Mayer, Tomasz Konieczny, Stephanie Houtzeel, Emily Magee, Catherine Foster, Kelly God

Siegfried

Okka von der Damerau, Daniela Köhler, Andreas Schager, Arnold Bezuyen, Tobias Kehrer Olafur Sigurdarson, Tomasz Konieczny

Götterdämmerung

Okka von der Damerau, Stephen Gould, Olafur Sigurdarson, Kelly God, Christa Mayer, Simone Schröder, Emily Magee, Daniela Köhler, Michael Kupfer-Radecky, Dmitry Belosselskiy, Catherine Foster

Parsifal

Conductor: Pablo Heras-Casado – Director: Jay ScheibJoseph Calleja, Ekaterina Semecchuk, Siyabonga Magugno, Jorge Rodrifuez-Norton, Jens-Erik Aasbø

Tannhäuser

Conductor: Nathalie Stutzmann – Director: Tobias KratzerStephen Gould, Markus Eiche, Olafur Sigurdarson, Jorge Rodríguez-Norton, Jens-Erik Aasbø, Ekaterina Gubanova, Dmitry Belosselskiy, Sivabonga, Elisabeth Teige

Der Fliegende Holländer

Conductor: Oksana Lyniv – Director: Dmitri TcherniakovGeorg Zeppenfeld, Elisabeth Teige, Andreas Schager, Nadine Weissmann, John Lundgren, Attilio Glaser

Tristan und Isolde

Conductor: Markus Poschner – Director: Roland SchwabGeorg Zeppenfeld, Christa Mayer, Raimund Nolte, Stephen Gould, Markus Eiche, Olafur Sigurdarson, Catherine Foster, Jorge Rodríguez Norton, Siyabonga Magungo

ITINERARY

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3

Independent overnight flights to Germany (Frankfurt, Munich or Nuremberg).

FRIDAY, AUGUST 4

Upon arrival in Frankfurt, Munich or Nürnberg, you are met by a driver and transferred to Bayreuth and the centrally-located Hotel Arvena Kongress.

19.00 This evening we gather for introductions in the lobby before departing for our Welcome Dinner at Herpichs.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 5

Breakfast and lunch are included each day at our hotel.

10.00 This morning we take a guided walking tour of Bayreuth, featuring Haus Wahnfried, Wagner’s grave site, the tranquil formal gardens of the New Palace and more.

17.00 We gather in the lobby and transfer to the Festspielhaus for Wagner’s Das Rheingold. 18.00 curtain.

20.30 Dinner is included afterward at the Burgerreuth Restaurant.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 6

Today we tour the Eremitage, the Old Palace of the Margraves, with its impressive grounds, Orangery and Sun Temple.

15.00 We gather in the lobby and transfer to the Festspielhaus for a late afternoon curtain (16.00) for Die Walküre. Dinner is included during the interval at the Green Hill Kitchen.

MONDAY, AUGUST 7

10.00 This morning we tour the spectacular Margraves Opera House.

15.00 We gather in the lobby and transfer to the Festspielhaus for a late afternoon curtain (16.00) for Tannhäuser. Dinner is included during the interval at the Green Hill Kitchen.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 8

Enjoy the morning at leisure.

15.00 We depart for Siegfried. 16.00 curtain. Dinner is included during the interval at the Green Hill Kitchen.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9

10.00 This morning we board our private coach for a day trip to Nürnberg, stopping at the Nazi Rally grounds on the way. Once there, we explore the sights associated with the Nuremberg trials, including a tour of the Nazi “art bunker.” Lunch is included.

16.00 We transfer back to Bayreuth, where the rest of the evening is at leisure.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 10

Enjoy the day at leisure.

15.00 We gather in the lobby and transfer to the Festspielhaus for a 16.00 curtain of Götterdämmerung. Dinner is included during the interval at the Green Hill Kitchen.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 11

10.00 This morning we depart for a full-day excursion (with lunch) to Bamberg. We meet our guide, Dr. Elisabeth Skantze, and tour the Cathedral, the Old Court, the New Residence, the Rose Garden, the Old Town Hall and Little Venice. Lunch is included. Return to Bayreuth by 15.00.

17.15 We depart for Der fliegende Holländer. 18.00 curtain. Afterward, the evening (dinner) is at leisure.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 12

10.00 Today we visit several of our favourite museums in the Old Town, including the Museum of Art and the Franz Liszt Museum.

15.00 We gather in the lobby and transfer to the Festspielhaus for Parsifal. 16.00 curtain. Runs 6 h 20 m. Dinner is included during the interval at the Green Hill Kitchen.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 13

The final day is at leisure.

15.00 Depart for Tristan und Isolde at the Festspielhaus. 16.00 curtain. Dinner is included at the long interval at Green Hill Kitchen.

MONDAY, AUGUST 14

Departure transfers are included and will be discussed on-site.

TOUR INCLUDES

• Top Category seats for Der Ring des Nibelungen plus 4 additional operas

• 10 nights half board at the Hotel Arvena Kongress (4-star)

• Full breakfast daily, 2 lunches and 8 dinners 

• Private tours as listed

• Airport-hotel transfers 

• On-site Tour Direction

• Comprehensive Tour Guidebook

FLIGHTS

Flights are not included in tour pricing. Return flights should be booked to Munich, Frankfurt or Nuremberg for arrival on August 4, departure on August 14.

TRANSFERS

We provide airport/rail station—hotel transfers for arrivals and departures within within 3 days of the start/end of our tour. We also provide transfers for group meals and performances that are beyond a 10 minute walk.

MOBILITY

There is minimal walking with some stairs and cobblestones during the guided tours. As for all of our tours, we are happy to accommodate you regardless of your mobility level. Please make clear your mobility concerns at the time of registration. We provide transfers for group meals and performances that are beyond a 10 minute walk.

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. For more information about our travel insurance, click here.