Moscow   ::   New York :: Buxton Festival :: Seattle Ring Cycle
Dresden & Leipzig :: Puccini Festival and Tuscany :: Wexford Festival

Dresden and Leipzig
27 June, 4 days

Two of the most illustrious cities in European music tradition; two great opera houses, two great orchestras and two great comic operas, Wagner's Meistersinger at the Dresden Semperoper and Rossini's Il viaggio a Reims at the Leipzig Opernhaus, supported by the Staatskapelle and Gewandhaus orchestras. Highlights of our included touring programme are the restored Frauenkirche in Dresden and, in Leipzig, the Thomaskirche where Johan Sebastian Bach was cantor for 27 years (private organ recital included). During free time we recommend visiting Dresden's Old Masters Gallery and the treasures of the Green Vault (Grünes Gewölbe).

Friday 27 June
Flights from East Midlands or London Stansted airports depart early evening to Berlin Schönfeld from where there is a transfer of about ninety minutes to our hotel in Dresden (BA flights to Dresden from Gatwick and alternative airports may be available at a possible supplement). Four-star Mercure Hotel Newa is situated only a short stroll from the old town and within the city's main shopping district. It was recently fully modernised and restyled and includes internally some discrete designer touches. The compact, contemporary designed bedrooms are air-conditioned and incorporate panorama windows, glass wellness showers, internet access, satellite television and minibar. The hotel provides a restaurant, cocktail and coffee lounge, fitness room, sauna and steam room. Breakfast is reported to be a real treat, copious both in quantity and quality.

Saturday 28 June
Our two hour walking tour of Old Dresden introduces us to the restored 'Florence of the Elbe'. The city developed probably Europe's finest Baroque architectural ensemble under the Saxon rulers Augustus II and Augustus III. Seventy-five percent destroyed by the Allied bombing raids of the night 13-14 February 1944, the city only slowly regrew from its ashes. The restoration of the Frauenkirche, completed in 2006, marked the culmination of this process.

Our walk starts along the modern shopping centre of Pragerstrasse to the Kreuzkirche (Holy Cross Church), around the Renaissance-style Schloss, decorated with a colossal mosaic 'The Procession of the Dukes' in Meissen porcelain, to the Brühl Terrace with magnificent views over the Elbe. The Court Cathedral (katholische Hofkirche) was built between 1738 and 1755 as evidence of the Saxon rulers' conversion to catholicism enabling them to obtain the throne of Poland. The Zwinger developed from the concept of a simple orangery to a series of pavilions, galleries, pathways and fountains of baroque grandiosity, of which the most famous element is the Nymphenbad, Bath of the Nymphs.

After a break for lunch, our coach takes us seventy kilometres to Leipzig for a city tour by coach and on foot. The city combines medieval with baroque and more modern elements. We visit Bach's Thomaskirche, famous also for a sermon by Martin Luther and where we enjoy a short organ recital. Our special included evening meal is in Auerbach's Tavern, where Goethe set scenes from Faust.

Il viaggio a Reims is considered one of Rossini's finest operas, but is seldom performed today because of the large cast of soloists required. In this combination of opera-buffa and lyricism, Rossini's group of sharply characterised international travellers are en-route to the coronation of Charles X in 1825. They depart in high spirits, but life is never so straightforward!

After the opera our coach returns us to Dresden. (Instead of travelling to Leipzig clients may alternatively remain in Dresden for this evening's performance of Tannhäuser at the Semperoper at a supplement of £25pp. Robert Gambill stars as Tannhäuser).

Sunday 29 June
Day at leisure to explore the many sights and museums of Dresden. The Old Masters Gallery is one of Europe's finest with paintings from all the Italian masters and substantial Dutch and German collections. The Albertinum houses 19th and 20th century masterpieces, with emphasis on German painters such as Caspar David Friedrich, the Brücke group and the Expressionists. Other museums include the Sculpture gallery, the Porcelain collection and the Salon of Mathematics and Physics. There are a total of eleven museums in the Dresden State Art Collection.

Alternatively relax on an Elbe cruise, or make the short trip to the porcelain capital and beautiful old town of Meissen, or explore the rugged Elbe scenery south of Dresden in the area known as Swiss Saxony.

Our early evening performance at the Semperoper is Wagner's Meistersinger. The role of Hans Sachs is undertaken by the eminent Wagnerian Alan Titus, who sang Wotan in the Bayreuth 2000 'Millennium Ring Cycle'. There will be a coach transfer to the hotel after the performance.

Monday 30 June
For over 200 years the magnificent bell-shaped dome of the Frauenkirche stood monumentally and gracefully on the skyline of old Dresden, dominating the city. The reconstruction has been a miraculous story, including the reassembly of 2,000 pieces of the original altar. The finished church is a work of pristine beauty. Demand to visit the church is still immense and visitor numbers restricted, but we have been able to confirm a morning tour with audio-guides included.

Following the Frauenkirche visit there is an optional guided tour of the Semperoper building, subject to rehearsals. This tour can operate with a minimum of 15 Friends bookings and should cost between 13 and 10 Euros perperson subject to numbers (cost payable locally).

Fortunately museums in Dresden close by rotation and several will be open on Monday. We especially recommend one of the world's most splendid treasure vaults. Demand for tickets for the Historical Green Vault is almost greater than for the Frauenkirche. It only reopened in September 2006 and presents an unrivalled collection of works in gold, silver, precious stones, ivory, bronze and enamel in a unique setting originally created by Augustus the Strong and now restored. Timed tickets must be booked many months ahead, and request should be indicated on the booking form. Further fine pieces are on display in the New Green Vault for which timed tickets are not required.

There is the opportunity for an early evening meal in Dresden before our return coach to Berlin Schönfeld and our flight back to the UK.

The price of this holiday is £695pp sharing a twin bedded room. This includes return flights from East Midlands or London Stansted airports to Berlin Schönfeld, three nights in the Mercure Hotel Newa on a bed and breakfast basis, excursions, transfers, one evening meal and entrance fees as described above, top price opera seats for Il viaggo a Reims and Meistersinger and on-site services of a Grosvenor Travel representative. Alternative ticket for Tannhäuser is £25 extra. Single supplement is £180. Historical Green Vault tickets are £10pp. Alternative departure airports may be available as indicated above, probably with a supplement. Deposit £280pp.

All clients should ensure they have adequate travel insurance cover. We can provide travel insurance at £13pp per holiday for clients aged up to 65 at time of booking. (Certain medical conditions may require a premium to be paid). Premium of 2 x adult rate applies for adults aged 66 to 75, premium of 2.5 aged 76 to 79, and 3.5 aged 80 to 86. There is an excess on most policy categories which can be waived for payment of an additional £10pp (no age-related supplement). Annual insurance is also available.

Clients may extend this holiday to a number of European cities, of which the most accessible are Berlin and Prague, where we maybe able to arrange additional opera performances if required.