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Are you a Classical Music Fan ?
We would be pleased to recommend great destinations to hear
world famous artistes and the cream of symphony orchestras
perform, in the great cultural centres where your favourite
composers used to live and work. Whether you are looking for
a concert hall, composer's house, birthplace or grave, we
can tell you how to fit it in your itinerary, tell you how
to book with ticket price advice and more. To find out
what's on when and where, see
BachTrack.
The top destinations include:
Vienna.
Wien, the World Capital of Classical Music.
The UNESCO World
Heritage Austrian capital where
Mozart, Beethoven, Johann Strauss II, Schubert, Haydn and Brahms all lived and worked and
have official memorial graves in the Central Cemetery.
Home to the
Vienna Philharmonic, the
Vienna State Opera, the
Vienna Symphony and the Volksoper. Be warned, there are many other
classical music tourist traps too. There is also the opulently lovely
Musikverein with its magical acoustics
(perhaps the best in the world), a
multitude of other Chamber Orchestras and resident String Quartets.
The
Konzerthaus is the other major venue, and on one
glorious night in summer the
gardens of the Schönbrunn
Palace echo to the sounds of a FREE concert by the Wiener Philharmoniker. Attend a great festival, the Wien Festwöchen
from April to May.
Berlin. The German capital of Berlin is home to five professional symphony
orchestras, three opera houses and a multitude of other
concert halls and fine recording venues. While most music
fans visit to
hear the world famous
Berliner Philharmoniker, you will not be
disappointed by the sheer variety of more affordable (some
free) options available.
Amsterdam. A little city which boasts one of the
finest symphony orchestras in the world, the
Royal
Concertgebouw Orchestra in a beautiful, acoustically excellent hall.
The attached Chamber Music hall attracts some of the best
recitals.
Prague. The City of a Thousand Spires has a multitude of
fine ensembles and venues, including the celebrated
Czech
Philharmonic resident at the Dvořák Hall in the Rudolfinum,
the conductorless
Prague Chamber Orchestra, The State Opera,
and more. Dvořák, Smetana, Janáček and Suk are some
composers who lived and worked here. There are two major festivals,
the Prague Spring and Prague Autumn.
Lucerne Festival. Hear all of the great orchestras of
the world, including some of the American Big 6, all in one place in September,
at the Congress and Culture Centre. No single
destination can match this picturesque setting within
striking distance of the Alps, and the
sheer quality of the artistes, repertoire and orchestras on offer.
Be warned that the ticket prices are equally impressive.
Edinburgh Festival. Spend a memorable August in
Scotland, the centre of the
Edinburgh International
Festival, and all
other festivals which have been created
around it. The great musicians, singers, conductors,
actors, painters, film makers congregate on the Scottish
capital (with its modern parliament) for the largest cultural
event in the world. Scotland the Brave on bagpipes
echoes through the hills. The
Military Tattoo
provides the show of the century - every year!
Salzburg Festival. Whether you arrive in the picture
postcard beautiful Salzburg at Easter or in Summer, you can
be assured of memorable music and opera in the birthplace of
Mozart,
at the location which formed the
backdrop of the movie,
The Sound of Music
(1964).
Herbert von
Karajan was born here, and has a street named after him near
the
Großes Festspielhaus he helped to make a reality.
The Proms. From June to September, who can resist
London's Royal Albert Hall and its offerings of major world
renowned artistes, performing at their before a wildly
enthusiastic audience "in the Round" ? If you are really, really
lucky you may even be able to join in singing Rule
Britannia! on the Last Night.
Verbier Festival. In the centre of the Swiss Alps in
Summer, a stunningly beautiful panoramic village suddenly
becomes a haven and a sanctuary of truly great music making.
This is famous for featuring the legendary, elusive and
reclusive pianist Martha Argerich every year.
Ravinia Music Festival. The USA's finest orchestra,
the Chicago Symphony retires to Ravinia, in summer. Great artistes,
Great Music, Great Venue, just an hour out of the Windy
City.
Savonlinna Opera Festival. Scandinavian (Finland)
centre for great operas in July. You would be hard pressed
to find a more dramatic lakeside setting.
Singapore Arts Festival. Great Music closer to home. A
short three hour hop takes you to the Lion City, and the
Theatres on the Bay.
Hong Kong Arts Festival. Great venues offering both
Western and Chinese classical music, as well as ballet,
theatre, poetry readings and more. The beautiful Victoria
Harbour has added attractions during the festival.
Sydney Festival
The
Sydney Festival
is in January.
The most famous venue in Asia Pacific is the Sydney
Opera House.
New York Central Park
The New York Philharmonic has free concerts every summer
in
Central Park.
We would be pleased to work out itineraries that can
take in one or more of these. You should book about 4
months before to ensure accommodation and seats at
concerts/operas. Please
contact us for
more details.
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Travel
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