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Paris Opera Celebration September
20th – 28th, 2002 (plus
2 optional additional performances). |
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458
West 52nd Street #1D
New York, NY 10019 (800) 916-0312 |
Friday September 20th
Independent evening flights to Paris.
Saturday September 21st
A driver will meet you upon your arrival at Charles de Gaulle Airport. Transfer
to the four star Hotel Victoria Palace, located in the heart of St. Germain
des Pres, a well-known neighborhood of bookstores, publishing houses, museums,
art galleries, restaurants and cafes where the likes of Sartre, Picasso, Hemingway,
and de Beauvoir spent their days and nights. In the evening, enjoy a welcome
dinner cruise which will allow you to taste delicious French cuisine in an
elegant and romantic setting, and to admire Paris, its monuments and bridges
under their most beautiful colors.
Sunday September
22nd
In the morning we will enjoy a private guided discovery tour with an emphasis
on the art, culture and history of Paris. See Notre Dame,
La Bastille, Le Louvre, l’Academie Francaise, Place Vendome, the Opera,
Madeleine Church, Concorde and the Champs-Élysées. We
continue on to Trocadero, the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides.
This afternoon,
our private coach transfers us to Opera Bastille for our first performance
together, Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. Based on Beaumarchais’ play,
da Ponte’s libretto is among the best that Mozart ever set to music.
Stéphane Denève conducts: Bo Skovhus, Ildebrando d’Arcangelo,
Brigitte Hahn, Isabel Bayrakdarian, and Ruxandra Donose.
In the evening,
we discover Montmartre, “a village in Paris”, which inspired Picasso,
Modigliani, Toulouse-Lautrec and Renoir. Place du Tertre is still the meeting
place for painters, sculptors, and poets. Following our tour, enjoy dinner
independently and further explore this fascinating area of the city. Return
transfer to our hotel.
Monday September
23rd
This morning we begin the day with a guided tour of the Louvre Museum. One
of the largest and most stunning museums in the world,
the collections encompass paintings, drawings, antiquities, sculpture, furniture,
coins, and jewelry – the quality and variety of which are overwhelming.
After viewing the Mona Lisa and other highlights of the collection on our
tour, we have left the balance of the day free for
your own personal exploration of the Louvre.
This evening, we present the option to attend a Gala evening of Dance at the
Theatre des Champs-Élysées. The 'Gala des Etoiles du XXIe Siecle'
will feature performances by leading dancers from around the world, including
Alexandra Ansanelli (ABT), Maximiliano Guerra (La Scala), Dmitri Goudanov
(Bolshoi), Cyril Pierre (Munich), and Rolando Sarabia (Cuba). Program TBA
(Supplemental Ticket Price TBA).
Tuesday September
24th
In the morning, our expert guide will take through the Orsay Museum, Victor
Laloux's superb turn-of-the century building which was originally a train
station and reopened in 1986 as the Musée d'Orsay. During the conversion,
much of the original architecture was retained. Enjoy the treasures of Impressionist
and Post Impressionist art including works by Renoir, Sisley, Pissarro, van
Gogh, Gauguin and Toulouse-Lautrec. After lunch at the Museum, visit the Musée
de l’Orangerie to discover Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies”,
and the
collections of Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume including works by Cezanne,
Renoir, and Matisse.
This evening we
are delighted to attend a performance of Handel’s best known opera, Giulio
Cesare, at the Opera Garnier in Nicholas Hytner’s riveting production.
An all star cast has been assembled under the baton of baroque specialist
Marc Minkowski: David Daniels, Anne Sofie von Otter, Danielle De Niese, Bejun
Mehta, and Stephanie Blythe.
Wednesday September
25th
This morning, we visit the Marmottan Museum to discover works by Monet, Gauguin,
Sisley, Caillebotte, and Renoir. After our guided tour, you will have further
time for personal exploration.
Afternoon at leisure.
This evening, we return to the Opera Bastille for a performance of Offenbach’s
Les Contes d’Hoffmann. The critically acclaimed production is by Robert
Carsen. Jesus Lopez-Cobos conducts: Neil Shicoff, Bryn Terfel, Susanne Mentzer,
Désirée Rancatore, Ruth Ann Swenson, Béatrice Uria-Monzon,
and Michel Sénéchal.
Thursday September
26th
This morning, we depart for Giverny, a charming country village located on
the banks of the Seine River. It was in Giverny that painter Claude Monet
chose to settle, and where he indulged in his love of nature, his art, his
garden and his photography. You will see his home, garden and workshop, all
authentically restored. Stroll in the exquisitely colored gardens, near the
pond and the famous Japanese Bridge. You will have the opportunity to stop
at the American Art Museum and to explore the village. Enjoy lunch at “La
Fournaise” in Chatou, before returning to Paris.
We present another
optional dance performance this evening, at the Opera Bastille. This evening’s
program includes Passacaille (Webern) created by Roland Petit for the Paris
Opera Ballet in 1994, The Cage (Stravinsky) choreographed by Jerome Robbins,
Other Dances (Chopin) choreographed by Robbins, and L'Arlésienne (Bizet)
by Petit. (Supplemental Ticket Price $125 including transfers)
Friday September
27th
This morning, discover Versailles, the majestic palace of King Louis the XIV
also called the “Sun King”. A guided visit of the King and Queen’s
Apartments and of the Hall of Mirrors will demonstrate the richness of the
palace. Following our guided tour, you will have time to stroll in the Royal
Gardens and further explore the château. We return to Paris in the late
afternoon.We finish our week together with a
performance by the world renowned Paris Opera Ballet in Tchaikovsky’s
Swan Lake, choreographed by Rudolph Nureyev after the original by Marius Petipa
and Lev Ivanov. Paris Opera is one of the few opera companies in the world
that have a resident ballet company of a caliber equal to their musical ensemble.
We are delighted to be able to attend this sumptuous production featuring
the world renowned Étoiles, Premiers Danseurs, and the Corps de Ballet.
Following the performance, we will enjoy a farewell dinner in a typical Parisian
Brasserie in La Bastille area.
Saturday September
28th
Independent departures from Paris. Transfers from the hotel are included for
all tour members.
TOUR PRICE
Land Arrangements
US $ 2995 (Based On Double Occupancy)
Single Supplement US $900
$1000 Deposit due by July 15th, 2002 to secure your space on tour.
Balance due August 15th, 2002.
INCLUDED MEALS
Breakfast Daily,
2 Lunches, 2 Dinners as per itinerary.
TRANSPORTATION
Lowest Airfare at time of booking is available directly through Pro Musica,
at cost, for your
convenience. A Saturday night stay is included to assure you the lowest airfare
possible.