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THE NORWEGIAN FJORDS IN SPRING an eleven night cruise from liverpool | 12 may 2020 Liverpool – Kristiansand – Oslo – Stavanger – Bergen – Shetland Islands
We chose this itinerary for our cruise to Norway because of its variety – it is divided equally between time to enjoy the country’s beautiful fjords and coastline as well as spending time exploring four major cities – Oslo, Kristiansand, Stavanger and Bergen. Appropriately, the cruise ends in Lerwick, just over two hundred miles west of Bergen as the Shetland Islands have long and ancient links with Norway.
the Itinerary Sailing from Liverpool, the cruise begins with two full days at sea with our first port of call at Kristiansand, Norway’s fifth largest city.The picturesque historic neighbourhood has many well preserved white wooden houses in the area close to the city’s neo-Gothic cathedral. We continue along the country’s lovely southern coastline and then along the Oslofjord before reaching the capital where we stay overnight. Our visit coincides with Norwegian National Day on 17 May when the Norwegians still celebrate the beginning of the country’s independence in 1814. Retracing our route along the southern shores, Black Watch will cruise past the Langfoss Waterfall before reaching Stavanger. Here there will be an optional excursion to Utstein Monastery with a concert.The next day we will be in Bergen, birthplace of Edvard Grieg.There will be an opportunity to visit the composer’s house as well as the flamboyant villa of the virtuoso violinist, Ole Bull, another distinguished Bergen resident. Our optional tour here will include a concert in the villa. Our final port will be Lerwick in the Shetland Islands before a day spent cruising around the coast of Scotland en route back to Liverpool.
music & MUSICIANS We welcome four distinguished Danish musicians on board Black Watch for the first time – Thomas Lonquich, clarinet, Jonathan Slaatto, cello, Martin Qvist Hansen, piano collectively known as The Danish Clarinet Trio. When the cellist and the pianist, common to both ensembles, are joined by the violinist Erike Heide, they metamorphose in to a piano trio, the Trio Ondine! In either or both guises, the musicians have won an impressive number of competitions and awards. Effectively then, we have two trios with four musicians! In Oslo, the Marmen Quartet will board.They are made up of musicians from Sweden, New Zealand,Wales and Japan and are now firmly established as one of the leading new wave of young quartets. Needing very little introduction is the pianist Tim Horton who has taken part in so many Kirker Music Festivals.Tim will join the cruise in Stavanger. Our music programme will include fifteen concerts including one dedicated to the works of Beethoven in his 250th anniversary year. Kirker’s Director of Music, Simon Rowland-Jones, viola, will perform with the Trios and give several musically illustrated talks. In addition to a number of trios and quartets, the musicians will also include sonatas, songs by Brahms transcribed for cello and piano, works for clarinet, viola and piano, Nordic folk tunes arranged for string quartet, works by Grieg and Niels Gade (1817-1890) and four ballades by Chopin played by Tim Horton in his solo recital.The Beethoven Anniversary celebration will include his Violin Sonata in G Op.30 No. 3 and his cello sonata in D Op.102. No.2.
Prices range from £2,845 per person for an inside cabin to £5,695 per person for a Marquee Suite. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner are all included as well as two drinks parties hosted by Kirker. Concerts and talks in the Marina Theatre are private and only open to Kirker clients. portugal & the AZORES A THIRTEEN NIGHT CRUISE FROM LIVERPOOL 12 September 2020
Liverpool – Three Azorean Islands – Terceira – Faial – Sao Miguel – Lisbon – Porto – Liverpool The remote Azorean archipelago has a special charm. Its beautiful and striking natural volcanic landscape contrasts sharply with the rural and bucolic way of life on these unspoilt islands which makes for an unforgettable visit. Back on the mainland we will visit the beautiful capital, Lisbon, on the banks of the Tagus and Porto, dramatically sited overlooking the River Douro. Details of the musicians taking part in this cruise will be available on our website in May.
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