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Vienna – City of My Dreams May 22nd – May 30th, 2003 An eight night, nine day escorted tour with 8 performances (plus 2 optional additional performance) Join Pro Musica Director Larry Edelson on an extraordinary journey to discover the rich musical treasures of Vienna. |
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458
West 52nd Street #1D
New York, NY 10019 (800) 916-0312 |
Thursday October 24th
Independent Arrivals at the Empire Hotel, one of New York’s landmark
hotels located conveniently on Broadway at 63rd Street, directly across the
street from Lincoln Center. Coach Arrival from Ottawa Canada. Wine and Cheese
Reception prior to this evening’s performance.
Independent evening flights to Vienna.
Friday May 23rd
Upon arrival in Vienna this morning, transfer to the four-star Hotel Astoria.
Built in 1912, the Astoria has long been associated with traditional Viennese
hospitality and is centrally located on the pedestrian Kärntnerstrasse,
very close to St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the Vienna State Opera, the Imperial
Palace, and the most important historic gardens and museums.
We are delighted to host our welcome dinner this evening at the Café
Mozart. Following dinner, we begin our performances together at the Vienna
Volksoper with one of the most delightful of the Viennese operettas, Carl
Millöcker’s Der Bettelstudent.
Saturday May 24th
This morning, we walk through the Old Town of Vienna, tracing the steps of
Mozart to the Figaro House where he lived with his wife Constanze and composed
Le Nozze di Figaro. We also visit St. Stephen’s Cathedral before arriving
at the Griechenbeisl, Vienna’s oldest tavern for a lunch of traditional
specialties. Our journey continues to the Central and St. Marx cemeteries
to visit the graves of the masters, including the burial sites of Brahms,
Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart and Strauss.
Tonight, we are thrilled to attend a performance in the magnificent concert
hall of the Vienna Musikverein. Under the baton of Nikolaus Harnoncourt, baritone
Thomas Hampson joins the Concentus Musicus Wien in a program of rarely performed
arias by Mozart and Schubert, along with Schubert’s Symphony No.1.
Sunday May 25th
Our day begins with a visit to the Hofburgkapelle to attend mass with the
Vienna Boys’ Choir and members of the State Opera orchestra.
We continue our day with a visit to the famous Spanish Riding School - the
oldest and last Riding School in the world where classic dressage is still
practiced in its purest form. We are in for a different sort of musical treat
as we enjoy a performance by the majestic Lipizzaner stallions.
This afternoon we will enjoy a guided tour of the European masters at the
renowned Kunsthistorisches Museum. After our tour you will have time to independently
explore this wonderful collection. The musical instrument collection in the
Neue Burg is fascinating, or perhaps you would enjoy the upper Belvedere galleries
with works by Klimt, Schiele and other Jugenstil painters of the 20th century.
Evening at leisure.
Monday May 26th
Our full day touring today takes us into the country to areas of the Vienna
woods that Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert knew, including Höldrichsmühle
and Baden. We will also explore the mysteries of the 12th century Heilienkreutz
Monastery. After lunch together, we continue on to Mödling to see the
Beethoven Museum.
We present the option this evening of attending a performance of Tchaikovsky’s
Swan Lake at the Vienna Staatsoper,
with choreography by Rudolf Nureyev. (Supplemental ticket price $ 150)
Tuesday May 27th
We begin our day with an expert guided tour of Schönbrunn Palace, the
huge Habsburg summer palace laid out by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach
in 1696. The splendor of the exquisite gardens is matched by the magisterial
state salons. Not to be missed are the Hall of Mirrors, where the six year
old Mozart performed for the Empress Maria Theresa in 1762, and the Grand
Gallery, where the Congress of Vienna danced the night away after carving
up Napoleon’s collapsed empire in 1815. The Gloriette provides a panoramic
view of both the palace and the city, and the Tiergarten, which has retained
its original Baroque décor, is the oldest zoo in the world. After our
tour, you will have time to further explore the magnificent grounds and sights.
This evening, we will enjoy our first opera together at the Vienna Staatsoper
– Puccini’s heart wrenching drama Tosca. Seiji Ozawa conducts: Ines
Salazar, Neil Schicoff, and Franz Grundheber.
Wednesday May 28th
We have left today at leisure in order for you to visit sights of individual
interest. Your Pro Musica guide and concierge is at your disposal to assist
you with any arrangements you may wish to make.
This evening, we return to the Vienna Staatsoper for a performance of Verdi’s
penultimate opera, and perhaps his most
dramatic – Otello. Marcello Viotti conducts: Miriam Gauci, TBA and Renato
Bruson.
Thursday May 29th
We are delighted to attend a morning concert of the Vienna Philharmonic under
the baton of Christoph Eschenbach at the Konzerthaus. Soprano Renée
Fleming is the soloist in Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs. The program
also includes Bruckner’s Symphony No.7.
Afternoon at leisure.
On our final evening together we will enjoy an elegant dinner at one of Vienna’s
finest restaurants. This evening, soprano Deborah Voigt takes the stage of
the Vienna Staatsoper as Isolde in Wagner’s magical Tristan und Isolde.
Voigt’s assumption of this role for the first time is surely one of the
most highly anticipated operatic events anywhere in the world this season.
Christian Thielemann conducts: Deborah Voigt, Thomas Moser, Robert Holl, Alan
Titus, and Petra Lang.
Friday May 30th
Independent departures from Vienna. If you are interested in extending your
stay in Europe, ask about Pro Musica’s customized extensions in Prague
or Budapest.
TOUR PRICE
Land Arrangements
US $ 3650 (Based On Double Occupancy)
Single Supplement US $ 490
Due to the exceptionally high demand for tickets for this tour, spaces are
extremely limited.
$1000 Deposit due by December 1st, 2002
to secure your space on tour. Balance due
April 1st, 2003.
Included Meals
Breakfast daily, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinners.
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.