MUNICH

With Hamlet (Clayton, Wettergreen, Gilfry), Anja Harteros and Igor Levit recitals, Salome, (Siegel, Nylund), Semele (Rae, Sly), Lohengrin (Vogt, Petersen, Kampe) and Così fan tutte (Alder, Krimmel). Superb meals and guided tours; Day trip to Regensburg. 5-star Bayerischer Hof Hotel.

Our Munich Festival tour always sells out, and with good reason. This is one of the finest opera festivals in the world, and we will see and hear the best singers in the world perform with one of the finest orchestras on the planet in 2023. As always, we will present a tour in a way that no one else can–with best seats in all venues, the finest guide in the city, Deluxe rooms at the 5-star Bayerischer Hof Hotel, and superb meals and daytime events.

We have secured our usual Deluxe rooms at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel, and we will enjoy superb cuisine (full breakfast daily plus 8 additional meals) in a mix of elegant and traditional restaurants. Our touring will include unparalleled visual art experiences to be had in Munich, as well as a day trip to the UNECO World Heritage city of Regensburg.

This tour is limited to 18 guests and sells out quickly each year. To register now, click here.

ITINERARY

MONDAY, JULY 10

Departures from your country of residence (for overnight flights).

TUESDAY, JULY 11

Upon arrival at Munich Airport, you are met and transferred to the 5-star Hotel Bayerischer Hof in the city centre.

19.00 Gather in the hotel’s Garden Restaurant for a Welcome Dinner.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 12

10.00 Following breakfast, included at the hotel each morning, we embark on a private walking tour of the city’s historic centre.

13.00 Lunch is included afterward at the Spatenhaus an der Oper.

18.15 In the evening we walk to our first performance at the Nationaltheater: Brett Dean’s Hamlet.

Conductor: Vladimir Jurowski

Production: Neil Armfield

Set Design: Ralph Myers

Hamlet: Allan Clayton

Ophelia: Caroline Wettergreen

Claudius: Rod Gilfry

Gertrude: Sophie Koch

Polonius: Charles WorkmanHoratio: Jacques Imbrailo

Geist/Totengräber/Spieler 4: John Tomlinson

Laertes: Sean Panikkar

Rosenkranz: Patrick Terry

Marcellus / Spieler 3: Andrew Hamilton

Akkordeonist: James Crabb

Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Chorus of the Bayerische Staatsoper

THURSDAY, JULY 13

11.00 Meet in the lobby and tour through the Englischer Garten by rickshaw, ending with lunch at the Seehaus Beer Garden (13.00).

15.00 Coach return the hotel after lunch.

19.15 Gather and walk to the Nationaltheater for a recital by Festival favourite–the incomparable Anja Harteros. 20.00 start.

FRIDAY, JULY 14

10.00 Gather in lobby and depart for a tour at the Alte Pinakothek (Old Picture Gallery), one of the finest visual art experiences in the world.

13.15 Lunch is included at Zum Franziskaner.

19.15 Gather in the lobby and depart once again for the Nationaltheater for Richard Strauss’s Salome.

Conductor: Mikko Franck

Production: Krzysztof Warlikowski

Set Design: Małgorzata Szczęśniak

Herodes: Gerhard Siegel

Herodias: Waltraud Meier

Salome: Camilla Nylund

Jochanaan: Wolfgang Koch

Narraboth: Evan LeRoy Johnson

Ein Page der Herodias: Christina Bock

Erster Jude: Ya-Chung Huang

Zweiter Jude: Brenton Ryan

Dritter Jude: Dean Power

Vierter Jude: Kevin Conners

Fünfter Jude: Daniel Noyola

Erster Nazarener: Tilmann Rönnebeck

Zweiter Nazarener: Jonas Hacker

Erster Soldat: Martin Snell

Zweiter Soldat: Bálint Szabó

Ein Cappadocier: Gabriel Rollinson

Eine Sklavin: Elmira Karakhanova

Bayerisches Staatsorchester

SATURDAY, JULY 15

10.00 We gather in the lobby and board our coach for a private tour of the Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst (Egyptian Museum), a small collection of the highest quality, deserving of its international renown.

13.15 Lunch is included at Cafe Luitpold.

17.30 Depart for the Nationaltheater and a performance of Händel’s Semele.

Conductor: Stefano Montanari

Production: Claus Guth

Set Design: Michael Levine

Semele: Brenda Rae

Jupiter: Michael Spyres

Apollo: Jonas Hacker

Athamas: Jakub Józef Orlinski

Juno: Emily D’Angelo

Somnus: Philippe Sly

Ino: Delphine Galou

Iris: Jessica Niles

Cadmus/Hohepriester/Somnus: Philippe Sly

PERSONAL NOTE: My brother, John, was Philippe Sly’s high school music teacher (DM).

Bayerisches Staatsorchester

SUNDAY, JULY 16

Enjoy the full day at leisure in Munich.

16.30 Meet and depart for Wagner’s Lohengrin at the Nationaltheater (17.00).

Conductor: François-Xavier Roth

Production: Kornél Mundruczo

Set Design: Monika Pormale

Heinrich der Vogler: Mika Kares

Lohengrin: Klaus Florian Vogt

Elsa von Brabant: Marlis Petersen

Friedrich von Telramund: Johan Reuter

Ortrud: Anja Kampe

Heerrufer des Königs: Egils Silins

Brabantische Edle: Liam Bonthrone/Granit Musliu/ Gabriel Rollinson/ Roman Chabaranok

MONDAY, JULY 17

09.00 Today we embark by private coach for a tour to the Medieval town of Regensburg, with it’s stunning Gothic cathedral.

13.00 Lunch is included at the Ratskeller.

16.00 Back at the hotel.

18.30 Depart for the Nationaltheater for Mozart’s Così fan tutte (19.00 curtain).

Conductor: Vladimir Jurowski

Production: Benedict Andrews

Set Design: Magda Willi

Fiordiligi: Louise Alder

Dorabella: Avery Amereau

Guillelmo: Konstantin Krimmel

Ferrando: Sebastian Kohlhepp

Despina: Sandrine Piau

Don Alfonso: Johannes Martin Kränzle

TUESDAY, JULY 18

10.00 Gather in the lobby and depart for a tour the stunning Residenz, the largest city palace in Germany and today the home of room decorations and displays from former royal collections. We will also visit the rococo Cuvilliés-Theater.

18.00 A Farewell Dinner is included at the Brenner Grill.

20.00 We conclude our Munich Festival experience with a recital by captivating pianist Igor Levit (read the terrific profile of him by Alex Ross in The New Yorker, May 11, 2020). 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 19

Transfers are included to Munich Airport for departure flights.

TOUR INCLUDES

• Top Category seats for 5 operas and 2 recitals

• 8 nights in Deluxe rooms at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof (5-star)

• Full breakfast daily, 5 lunches and 2 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 for arrival on July 11, departure on July 19.

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 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.