THE BERLIN 'RING'

Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden under the baton of Daniel Barenboim. Plus Arabella and La forza del destino at the Deutsche Oper, Missa Solemnis and András Schiff in recital. 5-Star Hotel Regent.

We will return to Berlin in April of 2023 for the Dmitri Tcherniakov production of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen at the revitalized Staatsoper Unter den Linden. Superb casts under the baton of Daniel Barenboim will bring to life Wagner’s timeless opus. The performance slate also features a special concert with Maestro Barenboim and Elena Stikhina, Anna Kissjudit, Saimir Pirgu and René Pape, a recital by renowned pianist András Schiff, and one other performance (TBA).

We will stay in Deluxe rooms at the 5-Star Hotel Regent in the historic Gendarmenmarkt, a short walk from the Staatsoper. Our touring will include the most interesting and important historical sites in the city as well as the finest museums and galleries, and, as always, our included meals (and wines) will be second-to-none.

Please join us for an unrivalled Wagner experience in one of the most vital cultural centres in the world.

CASTS

DAS RHEINGOLD

WOTAN • Michael Volle DONNER • Lauri Vasar FROH • Siyabonga Maqungo

LOGE • Rolando Villazón FRICKA • Claudia Mahnke FREIA • Anett Fritsch

ERDA • Anna Kissjudit ALBERICH • Johannes Martin Kränzle

MIME • Stephan Rügamer FASOLT • Mika Kares FAFNER • Peter Rose

WOGLINDE • Evelin Novak WELLGUNDE • Natalia Skrycka

FLOSSHILDE • Anna Lapkovskaja

DIE WALKÜRE

SIEGMUND • Robert Watson SIEGLINDE • Vida Miknevičiūtė

HUNDING • Mika Kares WOTAN • Michael Volle BRÜNNHILDE • Anja Kampe

FRICKA • Claudia Mahnke GERHILDE • Clara Nadeshdin

HELMWIGE • Christiane Kohl WALTRAUTE • Michal Doron

SCHWERTLEITE • Alexandra Ionis ORTLINDE • Anett Fritsch

SIEGRUNE • Natalia Skrycka GRIMGERDE • Anna Lapkovskaja

ROSSWEISSE • Kristina Stanek

SIEGFRIED

SIEGFRIED • Andreas Schager MIME • Stephan Rügamer

THE WANDERER • Michael Volle ALBERICH • Johannes Martin Kränzle

FAFNER • Peter Rose ERDA • Anna Kissjudit BRÜNNHILDE • Anja Kampe

THE WOODBIRD • Victoria Randem

GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG

SIEGFRIED • Andreas Schager GUNTHER • Lauri Vasar

ALBERICH • Johannes Martin Kränzle HAGEN • Mika Kares

BRÜNNHILDE • Anja Kampe GUTRUNE • Mandy Fredrich

WALTRAUTE • Ekaterina Semenchuk WOGLINDE • Natalia Skrycka

THREE NORNS • Noa Beinart, Kristina Stanek, Anna Samuil

WELLGUNDE • Natalia Skrycka FLOSSHILDE • Anna Lapkovskaja

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ITINERARY

Friday, March 31

Independent departures from North America.

Saturday, April 1

Upon arrival in Berlin, you are met and transferred to the elegant Hotel Regent in the historic Gendarmenmarkt. Tonight we gather in the lobby for introductions and cocktails prior to our Welcome Dinner.

Sunday, April 2

Following breakfast (included each day), we gather in the hotel lobby and depart for a guided coach/walking tour of the city’s most significant points of interest (Brandenburg Gate, Pariser Platz, Unter den Linden, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church). Tonight we include an early dinner prior to a performance of Beethoven’s Missa solemnis at the famous Philharmonie. Missa solemnis is rightly regarded as one of the pinnacles in music history. The Classical Viennese school, the period during the height of the composer’s skill and artistic development, created a huge opus for vocal solos, choir and orchestra. Beethoven struggled to compose this work, incorporating numerous suggestions from traditions of church music and his contemporaries. For everyone involved in its performance, the Missa solemnis is a challenge of a special kind, a monolith in the history of Classical Romantic music.

CONDUCTOR Daniel Barenboim CHORUS MASTER Martin Wright

SOPRANO Elena Stikhina ALTO Anna Kissjudit TENOR Saimir Pirgu BASS René Pape

Monday, April 3

Today we tour to Potsdam to visit Sanssouci, Frederick the Great’s vast Rococo complex of gardens, palaces and pavilions. A special lunch is included. Upon return to Berlin, the evening is at leisure.

Tuesday, April 4

Today we select one of the superb museums on Museum Island for a guided tour, and then we explore the Gendarmenmarkt. Lunch is included afterward. This evening we make the short walk to the Staatsoper Unter den Linden for Das Rheingold. 18.00 curtain. Runs 2 h. 30 m.

Wednesday, April 5

This morning we tour the Jewish Museum in the Kreuzberg section of the city. Designed by Daniel Libeskind, the museum is one of the outstanding institutions on the European museum landscape. Late afternoon we walk once again to the Staatsoper and the 16.00 curtain for Die Walküre. Dinner is included at the opera house during the interval.

Thursday, April 6

Today’s touring focuses on Berlin’s varied and influential architecture, concluding at the famous Reichstag where we enjoy lunch at the rooftop restaurant Käfer. This evening we meet and depart for Richard Strauss’s Arabella (Rachel Willis-Sørensen, Russell Braun, Robert Watson) at the Deutsche Oper under the baton of Sir Donald Runnicles. 19.30 curtain.

Friday, April 7

This morning we tour the incredible Pergamon Museum.  Lunch is included. Late afternoon we return to the Deutsche Oper for an early performance (17.00 curtain) of Verdi’s La forza del destino under the baton of Sir Paolo Carignani.

Saturday, April 8

Today we embark on a fun (and delicious) food and beer tour of Berlin. Mid-afternoon we depart for Siegfried at the Staatsoper. 16.00 curtain. Dinner is included at the opera house.

Sunday, April 9

This morning we hear renowned pianist Sir András Schiff in recital (11am). This evening we enjoy a special dinner cruise on the River Spree.

Monday, April 10

Enjoy the morning at leisure. Lunch is included prior to the 16.00 curtain of Götterdämmerung. A Farewell Reception is included following the performance.

Tuesday, April 11

Transfers to your departure airport are included.

TOUR INCLUDES

• Top Category seats for all performances as listed

• 10 nights in Deluxe rooms at the Hotel Regent (5-star)

• Full breakfast daily, 5 lunches and 5 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 Berlin for arrival on April 1, departure on April 11.

TRANSFERS

We provide airport/rail station—hotel transfers for arrivals and departures within within 3 days of the start/end of our tour from the cities listed above. 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.