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.
Your Tour Director
Richard Koegl
For over three decades, Richard has journeyed to over 140 countries on all seven continents. His world is a daily immersion in cultural and educational realms which he passionately shares with fellow travelers and friends. An expert organizer and always engaging host, Richard has worked with Aria Tours since 2010.
