Music along the Rhine, 15–22 June 2021

Thank you for expressing an interest in this festival. You can book immediately. Please contact us directly or book online through our website.

Please note that due to the Covid-19 emergency, we will not be producing hard copies of our brochures this year.

Therefore this document is the only brochure for this festival that will be published.

Music along the

Rhine

CELEBRATING MUSIC AND PLACE 15–22 JUNE 2021

Outstanding music, beautiful countryside and historic towns along Germany’s principal river

MARTIN RANDALL FESTIVALS

Martin Randall Festivals bring together world-class musicians for a sequence of private concerts in Europe’s glorious historic buildings, many of which are not normally accessible. We take care of all logistics, from flights and hotels, to pre-concert talks.

MUSIC IN VENICE 2–7 NOVEMBER 2020 POLYPHONY IN PORTUGAL 16–21 MAY 2021 MUSIC ALONG THE RHINE 15–22 JUNE 2021 MUSIC ALONG THE DANUBE 20–27 AUGUST 2021

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CONTENTS

4.

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE FESTIVAL Outstanding music and historic towns along Germany’s principal river

10.

DISCOVER THE PLACE

15.

ACCOMMODATION & PRICES Information about the ship, and hotels for the walking party.

The Rhine Valley: vineclad hills, castles and beautiful countryside.

6.

THE FESTIVAL PROGRAMME The day-by-day itinerary including details of concerts.

12.

MEET THE MUSICIANS

16.

TRAVEL OPTIONS

A range of ways to travel to and from the festival.

International musicians of the highest calibre.

17.

BOOKING

Photograph: Opposite: ©Benjamin Ealovega 2018.

This page: Taschenphilharmonie ©Astrid-Ackermann.

Top centre, and right: ©Bill Knight.

The booking form, details of our booking process, and terms and conditions.

Published: 9 June 2020

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INTRODUCTION

MUSIC ALONG THE RHINE

By ship through the heart of Europe, world-class concerts in historic buildings, Bach to Beethoven and Hildegard of Bingen to Hugo Wolf: pleasures for the senses and balm for the soul, few better weeks for music lovers can be imagined.

Welcome to a private festival First launched in 1997, there have been eleven previous editions of Music Along the Rhine. Every one has been different, but all are characterised by high quality performances in beautiful and appropriate historic buildings.

The concerts are effectively private, being exclusive to participants (maximum 140) who book a package which also includes accommodation, meals, interval drinks, travel by river and road, lectures and a range of other services.

The finest musicians and halls As with all Martin Randall Festivals, the musicians are among the finest in their fields. They include the Freiburg Baroque Consort, pianist Freddy Kempf, exceptional early music ensemble Cantus Cölln and star soprano Dorothea Röschmann with Malcolm Martineau.

Alongside established names there are some lesser-known but critically-acclaimed ensembles: Die Taschenphilharmonie (Pocket Philharmonic) and the early-music consort Per Sonat. In line with our policy of reducing musician-miles, most of the festival’s artists are based in the countries through which we pass.

Illustration.

Basel, copper engraving c. 1750.

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Most of the concert venues are historic buildings, all have beauty or charm and many are of the same period as the music performed in them. All are relatively small,

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leading to an informality and intimacy of musical communication which engenders a heightened artistic experience.

Comfortable cruiser To this cultural richness is added a further pleasure, the comfort and convenience of a first-class river cruiser, chartered exclusively for the festival audience. MS Amadeus Brilliant, launched in 2011 and fully renovated in 2020, is one of the more comfortable passenger ships on European waters.

Acting as both hotel and principal means of transport, it sails from Basel to Amsterdam, enabling passengers to attend all the concerts and see some of the finest sights in the region without having to change hotel or drive long distances.

The experience differs significantly from conventional cruising in many ways. There is little regimentation, no obligatory seating plan, no on-board entertainment, announcements are kept to a minimum – and there is absolutely no piped music.

The walking alternative The walking alternative (Walking the Rhine Valley) mixes the concerts with country walks. Seven of the concerts are included, and there are six walks of around two hours beside or close to the Rhine.

Participants stay in hotels rather than on the ship. The group is limited to twentytwo participants.

INTRODUCTION

' Beyond words! Combined with the wonderful locations, the musical experience was better than anything I have ever experienced before.'

Participant on a Martin Randall Festival in 2018.

THE FESTIVAL PACKAGE

THE SPEAKERS

The price includes: — — Nine private concert (seven for the Walking Party), and daily talks.

— — Accommodation on a first-class river cruiser for seven nights.

— — All meals, from dinner on the first day to breakfast on the last, with wine.

On board the ship

Stephen Johnson.

Writer, broadcaster and composer, Stephen Johnson has taken part in several hundred radio and TV programmes. For fourteen years he presented BBC Radio — — All tips, taxes and admission charges.

3’s Discovering Music, and he appears regularly as a speaker in concert halls and — — A book with full details of the festivals. He is the author of books on programme, the places and the music. Beethoven, Bruckner, Wagner and Mahler.

His book about music and mental health, — — The assistance of an experienced team How Shostakovich Changed My Mind, was of festival staff. published in 2018 and The Eighth: Mahler and the World in 1910 in 2020.

—— Coach travel for airport transfers and to concerts when not accessible on foot.

For the walking party Richard Wigmore.

Music writer, lecturer and broadcaster for BBC Radio 3. He writes for BBC Music and Gramophone and has taught classes in Lieder history and interpretation at Guildhall, Trinity Laban and Birkbeck College. His publications include Schubert: The Complete Song Texts and Pocket Guide to Haydn.

Annika Mombauer.

Professor of Modern European History at The Open University. She studied history at the Westfälische-Wilhelms-Universität in Münster, Germany, and at the University of Sussex. Her research interests are 19th and 20th-century European history, in particular Imperial Germany and the origins of the First World War as well as its history and historiography. She has published widely on German military planning and diplomacy.

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THE PROGRAMME

THE FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

Day 1

Day 2

Tuesday 15 June Basel

Wednesday 16 June Breisach, Freiburg im Breisgau Alternatively, you can join coaches to Freiburg immediately after the morning lecture for free time and an independent lunch there before the afternoon concert. Around Freiburg’s magnificent Gothic minster, which has Germany’s tallest medieval spire, there is a rich mix of historic buildings, and the Augustinermuseum has one of Germany’s best collections of medieval and Renaissance arts.

For information on travelling to Basel see page 16.

Our ship, MS Amadeus Brilliant, is moored in Basel. You can board any time from 4.00pm onwards.

Straddling the Rhine at the uppermost point for shipping, the Swiss city of Basel (Bâle) abuts the borders of France and Germany. It retains much of its centuriesold streetscape and architecture, which includes a fine medieval cathedral. There are many excellent art museums here, chief among which is the Kunstmuseum, Switzerland’s finest gallery of historic art. Do consider arriving a day or two (or three) before the start of the festival because there is plenty to enjoy here.

Concert, 5.30pm Church of St Peter, Basel A song sleeps in all things Basler Madrigalisten The first concert is a perfect opener, a choral exploration of Romantic sentiment as expressed in poetry and part song.

There is a single writer, the poet Joseph von Eichendorff, a key figure in the history of Romanticism, but several composers – Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn, Johannes Brahms, Hugo Wolf and Richard Strauss.

Afterwards, a drinks reception is followed by dinner in the ship’s restaurant, The ship remains moored in Basel overnight and sails at 6.00am to Breisach.

Walking Party: fly in the afternoon to Basel airport. Coach to Freiburg where two nights are spent.

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This afternoon’s venue – the Historisches Kaufhaus (Merchants’ Hall) – has a striking Late Gothic façade with an interior that has been adapted over several centuries.

Concert, 4.00pm: Historisches Kaufhaus, Freiburg Lieder by Mendelssohn, Schumann & Wolf Dorothea Röschmann soprano Malcolm Martineau piano The theme of Romantic song is picked up again, featuring Mendelssohn, Schumann and Wolf, but this time for piano and soprano solo. Exquisite, intimate and Sail from Basel at 6.00am for the four-hour subtle, these songs explore the images voyage to Breisach, with breakfast and and emotions evoked by the poetry as if the first of the morning lectures with the eavesdropping on a remarkable private alluring scenery of the Upper Rhine passing confession. The second half consists of by. Moor at Breisach, where there is a Frauenliebe und Leben, the cycle by choice of morning activity and lunch place. Robert Schumann which is as unsettling as it is beautiful, and as controversial now You can spend the rest of the morning in as in 1839. the attractive town of Breisach, which is built on a hill rising from the water’s edge Return to the ship after the concert and with a Gothic church at its summit; the sail to Speyer. climb is rewarded by fine views and an exquisite carved altarpiece. Lunch is on the Walking Party: there is a morning walk ship before setting off for the afternoon in the foothills of the Vosges followed by concert in Freiburg-im-Breisgau. free time in Freiburg before the afternoon concert. Final night in Freiburg.

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THE PROGRAMME

Day 3

Day 4

Thursday 17 June Speyer, Schwetzingen

Friday 18 June Bingen

Moor at Speyer towards dawn. Separated from the river by wooded parkland, the little city is dominated by the largest Romanesque cathedral in Germany, burial place of the Salian emperors. You have most of the morning here, time enough to visit the cathedral and maybe the cathedral museum, or just to enjoy wandering the picturesque streets.

An alternative is to join the coach after the lecture for a guided tour of the gardens at Schloss Schwetzingen (see below).

There is plenty of time for an independent lunch here and maybe to visit the mansion attached to the garden.

The rest have lunch on board before driving to Schloss Schwetzingen, summer residence in the 18th century of the Electors Palatine. The historic gardens are among the most beautiful and extensive in Europe – Baroque, Rococo, Romantic, embellished with statuary, waterworks and pavilions.

Concert, 3.15pm: Mozartsaal, Schloss Schwetzingen Freiburg Baroque Consort The Freiburg Baroque Consort is a chamber ensemble formed from members of the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, among the most brilliant and celebrated periodinstrument orchestras in the world today.

Programme to be confirmed.

Concert, 8.45pm: Speyer, Church of The Holy Trinity Bach motets Cantus Cölln Konrad Junghänel director The interior of Holy Trinity retains its early 18th-century appearance in its entirety, with tiers of galleries and an abundance of carvings, making it the perfect place in which to hear motets by Johann Sebastian Bach. In the words of Nicholas Kenyon, among the various bodies of Bach’s music few are so perfect and so gem-like as his motets. He may well have conceived them for training his boys, enabling them to grasp the main techniques such as fugues, chorale settings and concerto-type writing.

Despite this didactic origin, they remain unqualified masterpieces.

This will be one of the last opportunities to hear Cantus Cölln, who will disperse in 2021 after a highly distinguished career of 35 years.

Moor overnight at Speyer.

Walking Party: drive north for a morning walk in the Palatinate Forest. Continue to Schwetzingen and attend the afternoon concert. Return to Speyer for dinner and the evening concert. Overnight in Speyer.

Having set sail at 6.00am, the morning is spent sailing through the Middle Rhine, some of the loveliest scenery along the route. Moor at Bingen at the end of the morning.

Concert, 2.45pm: Rochuskapelle, Bingen-am-Rhein Hildegard von Bingen: A feather on the breath of God Per Sonat Ensemble The town of Bingen, at the southern entry to the spectacular Rhine Gorge, is now world-famous as the birthplace of Hildegard von Bingen, the 12th-century nun, mystical thinker, composer and saint. This concert, performed by the Per Sonat ensemble, will reveal that her music, though some of the earliest to have survived in the West, is of a beauty and serenity which transcends time – in her words, ‘a feather on the breath of God.’ The venue is the Chapel of St Rochus, an exceptionally lovely Gothic Revival pilgrimage church of the 1890s perched on a hill overlooking the Rhine.

Returning to the ship, sail during the late afternoon and evening through the most dramatically picturesque stretch of the river. See vine-clad hills with castles on many of the peaks, and charming little towns and villages at the water’s edge.

Moor before midnight at Bonn.

Walking Party: some free time in Speyer.

Drive to Bingen for lunch before a walk in the vicinity of this afternoon’s concert venue. After the concert drive to Bonn where two nights are spent.

Return to the ship for early dinner before walking to the evening concert in Speyer.

Illustration: Freiburg Cathedral, watercolour.

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THE PROGRAMME

THE FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

Day 5

Day 6

Saturday 19 June Bonn

Sunday 20 June Schloss Raesfeld

Famously disparaged as a village by the diplomatic corps when it was capital of the Federal Republic, Bonn had in fact been a significant centre of culture while seat of the Elector Archbishops of Cologne in the early modern period. In the 18th century a second-rate tenor inclined to drink, named Johann van Beethoven, was employed at the archiepiscopal court. His son turned out to be a better musician.

The family home survives as one of the best of all composer museums with a remarkable collection of memorabilia.

Adjacent is the Kammermusiksaal, a handsome modern recital hall where the morning concert takes place.

Concert, 11.00am: Bonn, Beethoven Haus, Kammermusiksaal Beethoven Piano Sonatas Freddy Kempf In Freddy Kempf ’s piano recital we hear Beethoven, titanic tragedian and inspired comedian. It used to be claimed that he had no sense of humour: the last two movements of his Piano Sonata Op 2 No 3 are the perfect riposte to that.

But then comes the thrilling drama of the Appassionata Sonata – turbulent, anguished, brilliant, one could say that the Romantic image of the piano virtuoso as tortured genius was born here. The transcendental Sonata in C minor Op.111, composed when he was completely deaf, was his last; it is a farewell to the piano.

Gothic, or to visit the art museum or history museum in the new quarter to the south.

The early evening concert takes place in what was the chapel of the Electoral Palace, one of the few spaces in the vast 18th-century edifice which survived the War. Concert, 5.30pm: Bonn, Electoral Palace, Schlosskirche Beethoven Symphonies Taschenphilharmonie (Pocket Philharmonic Orchestra) The Electoral Palace at Bonn was where the teenage Beethoven had his first professional post under an enlightened and encouraging employer. So it’s fitting that the palace chapel should be the venue for the work in which Beethoven made his debut in the form indelibly associated with his name, the symphony. His Symphony No 1 is followed by Symphony No 6 Pastoral.

The fourteen first-class musicians of the Pocket Philharmonic perform as a chamber ensemble, bringing clarity and precision to the works and continuing a tradition that can be traced back to Beethoven himself.

Overnight in Bonn.

Walking Party: drive south for a walk in the hills around Bonn. Free afternoon before the early-evening concert. Final night in Bonn.

Lunch is provided on the ship as usual.

Free time in Bonn perhaps to visit the Beethovenhaus museum, the Minster, built on the cusp between Romanesque and

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Sail from Bonn before dawn and sail along the Lower Rhine through the rest of the morning. There is a lecture and lunch, but otherwise your time is free until the afternoon.

Moor at Wesel and drive to the Schloss Schloss Raeseld, an impressive brick-built moated Wasserschloss (‘water castle’) dating to the 17th century. Situated in a park close to the Dutch border, part is now a hotel. Our concert takes place in the hall, the Rittersaal. It is not large, so the concert has to be repeated.

Concert, 3.15pm or 4.45pm: Schloss Raesfeld String Quartets: Haydn and Beethoven Mandelring Quartet Schloss Raesfeld offers the peace needed to explore such an inward looking masterpiece as Beethoven’s String Quartet Op 59 No 3, in which the composer reveals in music how he found the strength to triumph over adversity and growing deafness. Before that we hear the first surviving quartet by Haydn, the true father of the medium.

Return to the ship in the evening and sail overnight from Wesel to Amsterdam.

Walking Party: leave Bonn for Schloss Raesfeld for a walk in the surrounding forest before lunch and the early concert. Continue to Utrecht. First of two nights here.

THE PROGRAMME

Day 7

Day 8

Monday 21 June Amsterdam

Tuesday 22 June Amsterdam

Around breakfast time the ship reaches Amsterdam, mooring at a quay near the site of the historic harbour on the River IJ. Amsterdam is as distinctive as it is beautiful. It grew rapidly in the 16th and 17th centuries from a small and precarious inland port to become the greatest trading emporium in Europe. With its concentric canals and close-set red brick houses, soaring churches and picturesque alleys, the inner city has hardly changed since its heyday.

Concert, 4.15pm: Amsterdam, Concertgebouw Dutch Crown Jewels New Dutch Academy

In the 18th century, the Dutch court city of The Hague and the bustling trading centre of Amsterdam were glittering, cosmopolitan centres of international cultural exchange and inspired musical endeavour. This afternoon’s programme is an exploration of sparkling symphonic gems by composers working at the Court of Orange, including concertmaster The day is free until the concert at 4.00pm.

Friedrich Schwindl and virtuoso cellist Coaches take those who want to the Francesco Zappa. From Amsterdam, quarter where are gathered three of the we hear music by ‘The Dutch Haydn’, finest art museums in the Netherlands – Joseph Schmitt. the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art. Nearby Overnight Amsterdam. also is the Concertgebouw, venue for the concert. Coaches return you to the ship Walking Party: there is a morning for lunch – again, if you want; you may wish walk in Dutch countryside. After lunch to stay in and around the museums, or continue to Amsterdam. Guided tour of explore some of the old centre. the Rijksmuseum before attending the afternoon concert. Final night in Utrecht.

Opened in 1888, the Concertgebouw needs no introduction as one of the finest concert halls in the world, Our concert takes place in the smaller of the two spaces, the Recital Hall, which is particularly suitable for this afternoon’s programme because its design is based on the 18th-century concert hall built on this site.

Coaches leave the ship between 9.00 and 9.30am. For information on transport options available for returning to London see page 16.

Walking Party: Free morning in Utrecht.

Afternoon Eurostar from Rotterdam to London St Pancras.

Illustration: Amsterdam, watercolour by Nico Jungman published 1904.

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THE PLACE

DISCOVER THE PLACE

Of the world’s great rivers, the Rhine is nevertheless one of the shortest. But probably no other has served such a prominent role in shaping the history and culture of a continent.

On its way from its source in the Swiss Alps to the North Sea Basin in the Netherlands, the waters of the River Rhine travel more than a thousand kilometres.

The Rhine has always been an important trading route, a catalyst for bringing people together and for transmitting cultural as well as material goods. Yet the river has also been a barrier. It once constituted the Roman Empire’s most definitive natural land frontier, and today it marks the borders of five countries.

As you sail from Basel, the highest point accessible to modern shipping, to Amsterdam, you pass through a range of exceptional landscapes – the rolling hills of the Black Forest and the Upper Rhine, the astonishing gorge between Bingen and Koblenz, the dairy farms and pollarded willows of the Lower Rhine. These scenes are much evoked in German folklore and Romantic poetry and music.

Vineyards are spread across many of the slopes for the first half of the journey, castle ruins cap nearly every peak in the Middle Rhine and villages, picturesque towns and ancient cities punctuate the rural scene the whole way. This is still an economically essential river, alive with laden barges and intermittently flanked by impressive industrial installations.

Travelling the length of this fascinating river traverses thousands of years of history through regions famous for their wine, music, literature, architecture and beautiful countryside.

Illustration: The Rhine, oliograph c. 1870

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THE PLACE

‘ We enjoyed every minute.

No detail left to chance.

Good to find so many like-minded music-loving fellow travellers from all over the world.’

Participant on Music Along the Rhine in 2018.

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THE MUSICIANS

MEET THE MUSICIANS

DOROTHEA RÖSCHMANN

MALCOLM MARTINEAU

Born in Flensburg, Dorothea Röschmann was awarded the title of Kammersängerin at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin in 2016. She has been a frequent guest at the Salzburg Festival since 1995 and works regularly at the Wiener Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, Semperoper Dresden and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. A renowned recitalist, she was awarded a Grammy in 2017 for her solo recital CD with Mitsuko Uchida.

One of the world’s greatest accompanists, Malcolm Martineau performs throughout the world with many of the leading singers of our time. He was awarded an OBE in the 2016 New Year’s Honours.

CANTUS CÖLLN Cantus Cölln was formed in 1987 by lutenist Konrad Junghänel. All the singers in the group have successful solo careers and it is recognised as one of the most accomplished Early Music ensembles in the world. Core repertoire includes German and Italian vocal repertoire of the Renaissance and the Baroque and their numerous CDs include highly-acclaimed recordings of Bach motets and cantatas. In 2000, they received the Buxtehude Prize for extraordinary achievement in the field of sacred music.

2021 marks Cantus Cölln’s thirty-fifth and final year as an ensemble.

Konrad Junghänel is one of the leading conductors in the field of Early Music. He began his career as internationally renowned lutenist and interpreter of J.S. Bach. He is a professor at the State Conservatoire of Music in Cologne.

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FREIBURG BAROQUE CONSORT A chamber ensemble formed from members of the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, among the most brilliant and celebrated period-instrument orchestras in the world today. Formed by students at the Freiburg music school in 1985, from the outset they were devoted to careful research into historical performance practice and, in the absence of a conductor, lively discussions about interpretation. Scholarship never dampens their artistic instincts, and they play with unsurpassed verve and virtuosity and breath-taking synchronicity – a by-product of being one of the busiest of chamber orchestras.

THE MUSICIANS

Photographs Left: Dorothea Röschmann ©Harald Hoffman; Malcolm Martineau ©Alessandro Moggi; Freiburg Baroque Consort ©Valentin Behringer. t.

Right: Mandelring Quartet ©Uwe Arens; Per Sonat ©Daniel Blaser; Taschenphilharmonie ©Astrid-Ackermann; Basler Madrigalisten ©Benno Hunziker.

TASCHENPHILHARMONIE MANDELRING (POCKET QUARTET PHILHARMONIC) Founded in 2005 by conductor Peter Stangel, the Munichbased Pocket Philharmonic have built on a principle famously developed in 1918 in Vienna by Arnold Schönberg, in which large-scale orchestral works were performed by small but gifted ensembles.

The Pocket Philharmonic’s twelve to nineteen first-rate musicians aim to bring the music closer to the listener, providing an opportunity to hear each instrument clearly; each note becomes important, and listeners hear things that can be drowned out in a large orchestra. In 2018 they released the first-ever recording of the complete Beethoven symphonies in chamber symphony form.

In a career spanning over 30 years the Mandelring Quartet has established a reputation as one of the world’s leading string quartets. Famed for their expressivity and remarkable homogeneity of sound and phrasing they have won numerous prizes for their recordings as well as prestigious competitions such as Munich International Music Competition, Evian and Reggio Emilia. Their busy concert schedule has taken them to major venues and festivals worldwide, including their own festival, the Hambacher Musikfest and an annual concert series at the Berliner Philharmonie.

PER SONAT Per Sonat was formed in 2008 by soprano Sabine Lutzenberger, a renowned pioneer of medieval singing, and since then the ensemble has been dedicated to the task of researching medieval and renaissance music and bringing it closer to their audiences through their performances.

The ensemble has performed at major festivals in Germany and across Europe including Oude Muziek in Utrecht and Stockholm Early Music Festival.

Conductor and composer Peter Stangel has guest conducted of a number of operas in Europe, including St. Gallen, Innsbruck and the State Opera House in Munich. From 1999 to 2002, he was the musical director and chief conductor of the Max Bruch Philharmonic Orchestra and the Nordhausen Theatre.

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BASLER MADRIGALISTEN Basler Madrigalisten are Switzerland’s oldest and first professional chamber choir. They specialise in the interpretation of old and new music and regularly premiere commissions by contemporary composers. The choir has performed at the most prestigious of European cultural institutions and festivals including the Berliner Festspiele, Lucerne Festival and Zurich Opera House. Over thirty CD recordings document their varied and unique repertoire, garnering numerous prizes.

Artistic director Raphael Immoos is professor for choral conducting and the conductor of various vocal ensembles at the University of Music in Basel as well as the artistic director of the Summer Academy Thun.

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THE MUSICIANS

Photographs: Freddy Kempf ©Neda Navaee; New Dutch Academy ©Fernando van Teijlingen.

NEW DUTCH ACADEMY Founded in 2002 by conductor and violist Simon Murphy, The New Dutch Academy (NDA) is an award-winning group of highly engaged specialist musicians from around the world. Using authentic instruments, they explore 18th-century music in all its forms, their repertoire embracing music from across Europe, though they also focus on composers who lived and worked in the Netherlands.

They have toured in four continents, winning acclaim for their fresh, vibrant and dynamic performance style.

Simon Murphy was born in Sydney and studied viola there before moving to the Netherlands. Performing at the world’s most prestigious halls and festivals, he has won international recognitions for delivering fresh perspectives on classic symphonic repertoire and for bringing newly rediscovered master-works to life, with enthusiasm, sensitivity and élan.

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FREDDY KEMPF

MORE ABOUT THE CONCERTS

Freddy Kempf is one of today’s most successful pianists performing to sell-out audiences all over the world.

Exceptionally gifted with an unusually broad repertoire, Freddy has built a unique reputation as an explosive and physical performer who is not afraid to take risks as well as a serious, sensitive and profoundly musical artist.

Private events. These concerts are planned and administered by Martin Randall Travel. The audience consists exclusively of those who have booked the full festival package or walking tour.

Born in London in 1977, Freddy made his concerto debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 8 and further came to national prominence in 1992 when he won the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition.

A committed recitalist, Freddy has appeared in many of the world’s most important concert halls. Most recent career highlights include Freddy’s debut at the BBC Proms, an extensive Asian tour including Seoul Arts Centre and PyeongChang Chamber Music Festival in South Korea.

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Acoustics. This festival is more concerned with authenticity and ambience than acoustical perfection. While some of the venues have excellent acoustics, others have idiosyncrasies not found in modern concert halls.

Seating. Specific seats are not reserved. You sit where you want.

Changes. Musicians fall ill, venues require restoration, airlines alter schedules: there are many unforeseeable circumstances which could necessitate changes to the programme. We ask you to be understanding should they occur.

Floods and droughts. We cannot rule out changes to the programme arising from exceptionally high or low water levels on the Rhine, either of which may bring river traffic to a halt. These might necessitate more travel by coach or the loss of a concert, though we would always try to minimise the impact on the programme.

ACCOMMODATION & PRICES

ACCOMMODATION & PRICES THE SHIP

PRICES

THE WALKING PARTY

The Amadeus Brilliant was fully renovated in 2020, and is one of the more comfortable river cruisers in Europe. The multinational crew is dedicated to the highest standards of service.

Haydn deck – lowest Two sharing: £3,340 per person Single occupancy: £3,940

Colombi Hotel, Freiburg (colombi.de): a 5-star hotel on the edge of the Old Town.

Hotel Domhof, Speyer (hoteldomhof.de): small and traditional, in an old building around a courtyard and close to the cathedral­. Königshof, Bonn (ameronhotels. com): modern rooms and a restaurant with views of the Rhine. Grand Hotel Karel V, Utrecht (karelv.nl): 5-star hotel converted from a 19th-century hospital in a quiet location within the city walls.

With a floor area of 15m 2 the cabins are reasonably spacious by the standards of river cruisers. All have windows to the outside and are equipped with the facilities one would expect of a first-class hotel such as adjustable air-conditioning, telephone, TV and safe. Bathrooms have showers only. Special attention has been paid to noise insulation.

In layout and furnishings the cabins are identical, the significant differences being the size of windows and height above water level (higher cabins enjoy better views and fewer stairs).

Strauss deck – middle Two sharing: £4,030 per person Single occupancy: £4,760 Mozart deck – top Two sharing: £4,490 per person Single occupancy: £5,310 Suites – Mozart deck Two sharing: £5,290 per person Not available for single occupancy No flights: if you choose not to take one of the flight/train options on page 16, there is a price reduction of £200 per person.

PRICES Two sharing, per person: £3,120 or £2,920 without flight/Eurostar Single occupancy: £3,540 or £3,340 without flight/Eurostar

Cabins on the top decks (Mozart and Strauss) are the most desirable, with floor-to-ceiling windows which slide open.

There are eight suites (Mozart) measuring 22m 2 with floor-to-ceiling windows and a mini-bar. Cabins on the lowest (Haydn) deck have smaller windows which do not open. There are no single cabins as such but we are allocating some twin-bed cabins for single occupancy.

The public areas include the lounge and bar, a library area and a restaurant which can seat everyone at a single sitting. The sun deck has a tented area for shade. www.lueftner-cruises.com

Suite: 22m 2 WWW.MARTINRANDALL.COM

Cabin (Mozart): 15m 2 15

TRAVEL OPTIONS

TRAVEL OPTIONS JOINING & LEAVING THE FESTIVAL FESTIVAL FLIGHT & RAIL OPTIONS

BY RAIL It is possible to reach Basel in time for the first concert, departing London St Pancras at 7.57am, changing in Paris and arriving in Basel at 3.26pm. Trains cannot usually be booked further in advance than six months before departure. Alternatively, you may wish to travel the day before and stay overnight in Basel. Please contact us if you would like us to book this for you.

Option 1 15 June: London Heathrow to Basel (BA 434) departing at 08.30 and arriving at 11.05. 22 June: Amsterdam to London St Pancras via Brussels (Thalys/Eurostar) departing at 09.15 and arriving at 14.05.

Lunch is included in Basel on 15 June. This is followed by free time for independent exploration before the concert at 5.30pm.

NO FLIGHTS OR RAIL

The inbound rail journey is currently indirect.

We expect several direct Eurostar trains from Amsterdam to be available by June 2021.

Timetables are published six months ahead of departure and we will book a direct Eurostar at a similar time if possible.

You can choose not to take any of our flight/rail options and to make your own arrangements for joining and leaving the ship. You are welcome to join our coach transfers.

Price reduction for ‘no flights/rail’: £200.

Option 2 15 June: London Heathrow to Zurich (BA 712) departing at 09.35 and arriving at 12.30. 22 June: Amsterdam to London St Pancras (Eurostar, direct) departing at 13.46 and arriving at 16.57. There is time for independent exploration of Amsterdam before departing for London.

THE WALKING PARTY 15 June: fly at c. 2.30pm from London Heathrow to Basel. 22 June: Eurostar from Rottterdam to London St Pancras (direct), arriving at c. 5.00pm.

Lunch is included at a restaurant en route to Basel on 15 June.

CONNECTING FLIGHTS

Please note that each outbound f light is tied to a particular inbound train. You cannot mix f lights/trains from different options.

It may be possible to arrange connecting flights with British Airways from Edinburgh, Manchester, Glasgow, Aberdeen or Belfast.

There is a price reduction of £200 should you decide to join and leave the group independently.

FITNESS FOR THE FESTIVAL Quite a lot of walking is necessary to reach some concert venues and to get around the towns we visit. Most of the concert venues do not have a lift. You need to be averagely fit, sure-footed and able to manage everyday walking and stair-climbing without difficulty. We ask that you take the simple fitness tests on page 18 before booking.

A higher fitness level is required for the Walking Party. You will need to be in good physical condition, and used to country walking over hilly terrain. There is not always the opportunity to return to the hotel to freshen up before every concert or dinner.

If you have a medical condition or a disability which may affect your holiday or necessitate special arrangements being made for you, please discuss these with us before booking – or, if the condition develops or changes subsequently, as soon as possible before departure.

Illustration: Speyer Cathedral, wood engraving c. 1880

16

CONTACT US: +44 (0)20 8742 3355

BOOKING FORM

MUSIC ALONG THE RHINE 15-22 JUNE 2021 NAME(S) – We do not use titles on documents issued to festival and tour participants unless you want us to by including them here: Participant 1:

Participant 2:

Contact details for all correspondence: Address

Postcode/Zip

Country

Telephone (home) Mobile E-mail T ick if you are happy to receive your festival and booking documents online, where possible – and confirm your e-mail address above.

Please complete this section, even if you have told us your preferences before: How would you like to be kept informed about our future tours and events?:

Brochures sent by post Yes

No

E-newsletter Yes

No

What prompted this booking? Please be as specific as possible – e.g. did you see an advertisement in a particular publication? Was this brochure the f irst time you heard about the festival? Or did you come across it on our website?: DECK, CABIN & FLIGHT – complete this section to stay on the ship. See pages 15–16 for details.

Deck

Cabin type Single occupancy cabin

Haydn – lowest

Twin cabin with beds separate

Strauss – middle

Twin cabin with beds together

Mozart – top

Suite with beds separate – Mozart only Suite with beds together – Mozart only

Travel option

If you are joining a pre-festival tour, please leave this blank.

Option 1: Heathrow to Basel, Amsterdam to London Option 2: Heathrow to Zurich, Amsterdam to London No flights: making your own way to and from the ship.

FURTHER INFORMATION & SPECIAL REQUESTS, including dietary needs:

WALKING PARTY – complete this section to stay on land and take country walks.

Room type Double for sole use Double – two sharing Twin – two sharing

Flights

Group flights: taking the flight arrangements (page 16).

No flights: making your own way to and from the festival.

Please note that due to the Covid–19 emergency we are working remotely, and therefore are unable to accept cheques as a form of payment.

Please contact us to discuss other ways to make a payment. Where possible, we would ask you to complete a PDF booking form. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

BOOKING FORM

PASSPORT DETAILS & NEXT OF KIN Essential for airlines and the ship/hotels, and in case of emergency. Please use capital letters for your passport details.

Title

Surname

Date of birth (dd/mm/yy)

Forename(s)

Place of birth

1.

2.

Passport number

Place of issue

Next of kin name

Relation to you

Issue date (dd/mm/yy)

Expiry date (dd/mm/yy)

1.

2.

Telephone number(s)

1.

2.

PAYMENT. We prefer payments by bank transfer, cheque or debit card. We can also accept payment by credit card. All money paid to us is fully protected regardless of payment method.

Please tick one option: BANK TRANSFER. Please use your surname and the festival code (mh 800) as a reference and ask your bank to allow for all charges.

Account name: Martin Randall Travel Ltd. Bank: Handelsbanken, 2 Chiswick High Road, London W4 1TH. Account number: 8663 3438. Sort code: 40-51-62.

Transfers from non-UK bank accounts: please instruct your bank to send payment in pound sterling (GBP). IBAN: GB98 HAND 4051 6286 6334 38. Swift/BIC code: HAND GB22.

CHEQUE. We apologise, but at this time we cannot accept payment by cheque, as we are working remotely.

DEBIT OR CREDIT CARD. I authorise Martin Randall Travel to contact me by telephone to take payment from my Visa credit/Visa debit/Mastercard/AMEX. Please tick payment amount: EITHER Deposit 10% of total booking cost.

OR Full balance Required if you are booking within 10 weeks of departure.

Carbon offset donation: tick to add £5 per person. We support the India Solar Water Heating project (visit www.martinrandall.com/sustainable-tourism for details).

TOTAL: £ I have read and agree to the Booking Conditions and Privacy Policy (www.martinrandall.com/privacy) on behalf of all listed on this form.

Signature: Date:

FITNESS TESTS Please also read ‘fitness for the festival’ on page 16. By signing this form, you conf irm that you have taken these tests.

1. C hair stands. Sit in a dining chair, with arms folded and hands on opposite shoulders. Stand up and sit down at least eight times in 30 seconds.

2. S tep test. Mark a wall at a height that is halfway between your knee and your hip bone. Raise each knee in turn to the mark at least 60 times in two minutes.

3. A gility test. Place an object three yards from the edge of a chair, sit, and record the time it takes to stand up, walk to the object and sit back down. You should be able to do this in under seven seconds.

An additional indication of the f itness required, though we are not asking you to measure this, is that you should be able to walk unaided at a pace of three miles per hour for at least half an hour at a time, and to stand for at least 15 minutes.

Martin Randall Travel Ltd Voysey House Barley Mow Passage London W4 4GF, United Kingdom

Martin Randall Australasia PO Box 1024 Indooroopilly QLD 4068, Australia

North America 1155 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20036 USA

Tel +44 (0)20 8742 3355 Fax +44 (0)20 8742 7766 info@martinrandall.co.uk www.martinrandall.com

Tel 1300 55 95 95 New Zealand 0800 877 622 Fax +61 (0)7 3371 8288 anz@martinrandall.com.au

Tel 1 800 988 6168 usa@martinrandall.com ATOL 3622 | ABTA Y6050 | AITO 5085

BOOKING CONDITIONS

Making a booking 1. Provisional booking. We recommend that you contact us first to make a booking option which we will hold for seven days. To confirm it please send the booking form and deposit within this period – the deposit is 10% of your total booking price.

Alternatively, make a definite booking straight away through our website.

2. Definite booking. Fill in the booking form and send it to us with the deposit. It is important that you read the Booking Conditions at this stage, and that you sign the booking form. Full payment is required if you are booking within ten weeks of departure.

3. Our confirmation. Upon receipt of the booking form and deposit we shall send you confirmation of your booking. After this your deposit is nonreturnable except in the special circumstances mentioned in the Booking Conditions. Further details about the festival may also be sent at this stage, or will follow shortly afterwards.

Booking conditions Please read these. You need to sign your assent to these booking conditions on the booking form.

Our promises to you.

•

We aim to be fair, reasonable and sympathetic in all our dealings with clients, and to act always with integrity.

•

We will meet all our legal and regulatory responsibilities, usually going far beyond the minimum obligations.

•

We aim to provide full and accurate information about our holidays. If there are changes, we will tell you promptly.

•

If something does go wrong, we will try to put it right. Our overriding aim is to ensure that every client is satisfied with our services.

What we ask of you. That you read the information we send to you.

Specific terms Our contract with you. From the time we receive your signed booking form and initial payment, a contract exists between you and Martin Randall Travel Ltd. Eligibility. You must be in good health and have a level of fitness that would not impair other participants’ enjoyment by slowing them down or by absorbing disproportionate attention from the festival leaders. Please read ‘Fitness’ (on page 16) and take the self-assessment tests described there; by signing the booking form you are stating that you have passed these tests. If during the festival it transpires, in the judgement of the festival leaders, that you are not able to cope, you may be asked to opt out of certain visits or to leave the festival altogether. This would be at your own expense.

We reserve the right to refuse to accept a booking without necessarily giving a reason.

Foreign Office advice. Before booking, please refer to the FCO website – www.fco.gov. uk – to ensure you understand the travel advice for the places to which the tour goes. Non-UK citizens should look at the advice issued by their governments, which may differ significantly.

Insurance. It is a requirement of booking that you have adequate holiday insurance cover.

The insurance must cover, at minimum, medical treatment, repatriation, loss of property and loss

of payments to us in the event that you cancel the tour. If you are making your own arrangements for international travel, please ensure you have insurance that protects you in the rare event of Martin Randall Travel cancelling the tour.

Experience indicates that free travel insurance offered by some credit card companies is not to be relied upon.

Passports and visas. British citizens must have valid passports for all tours outside the United Kingdom.

The passport needs to be valid for six months beyond the date of the tour. In the event of a ‘nodeal’ Brexit, additional validity may be required. If visas are required we will advise UK citizens about obtaining them; nationals of other countries should ascertain whether visas are required in their case.

If you cancel. If you have to withdraw from a tour on which you had booked, there would be a charge which varies according to the period of notice you give. Up to 57 days before the tour the deposit would be forfeited. Thereafter a percentage of the total cost of the tour will be due: up to 57 days: between 56 and 29 days: between 28 and 15 days: between 14 days and 3 days: within 48 hours:

deposit only 40% 60% 80% 100%

If you cancel your booking in a double or twin room but are travelling with a companion who chooses to continue to participate in the tour, the companion would have to pay the single-occupancy price.

If you cancel a non-residential event (normally a London Day) we will return the full amount if you notify us 22 or more days before the event. We will retain 50% if cancellation is made within three weeks and 100% if within 3 days.

We take as the day of cancellation that on which we receive written confirmation of cancellation.

If we cancel the festival. We may decide to cancel a tour if there were insufficient bookings for it to be viable (though this would always be more than eight weeks before departure). We would refund you with everything you had paid us.

Safety and security. Cancellation may also occur if civil unrest, war, natural disaster or other circumstances amounting to force majeure arise in the region to which the tour was due to go. If the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against travel, we would either cancel or adjust the itinerary to avoid risky areas.

Health and safety. We have a safety auditing process in place and, as a minimum, request that all of our suppliers comply with local health and safety regulations. However, we operate tours in parts of the world where standards are lower than those you are used to at home, particularly in the areas of accessibility, handrails and seatbelts. We ask that you take note of the safety information we provide.

The limits of our liabilities. As principal, we accept responsibility for all ingredients of a tour, except those in which the principle of force majeure prevails. Our obligations and responsibilities are also limited where international conventions apply in respect of air, sea or rail carriers, including the Warsaw Convention and its various updates.

If we make changes. Circumstances might arise which prevent us from operating a tour or event exactly as advertised. We would try to devise a satisfactory alternative, but if the change represents a significant loss to the tour we would

offer compensation. If you decide to cancel because the alternative we offer is not in your view an adequate substitute, we would give a full refund.

Financial protection. Any money you have paid to us for a tour which includes an international flight is protected by our Air Travel Organiser’s Licence (ATOL, number 3622). Payments for tours which do not include a flight from/to the UK are protected by ABTA –The Travel Association. So, in the (highly unlikely) event of our insolvency in advance of the tour, you would get your money back, or if we failed after the tour had begun, the tour would be able to continue and you would be returned to the UK at its conclusion. Clients living elsewhere who have arranged their own flights should ensure their personal travel insurance covers repatriation in the event of holiday supplier failure.

Financial protection: the official text. We are required to publish the following. We provide full financial protection for our package holidays which include international flights, by way of our Air Travel Organiser’s Licence number 3622. When you buy an ATOL protected flight inclusive holiday from us you receive an ATOL Certificate. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong.

Most of our flights and flight-inclusive holidays on our website and in our brochure are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking.

If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected.

In order to be protected under the ATOL scheme you need to be in the UK when you make your booking and/or one of the flights you take must originate or terminate in the UK with the group.

We provide full financial protection for our package holidays that do not include a flight, by way of a bond held by ABTA The Travel Association.

We will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative). In some cases, where we aren’t able do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder.

However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable). If we, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise) for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us (or your credit card issuer where applicable). You also agree that any such claims maybe re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme.

English Law. These conditions form part of your contract with Martin Randall Travel Ltd and are governed by English law. All proceedings shall be within the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

Privacy. By signing the booking form you are stating that you have read and agree to our Privacy Policy, which can be found online at www.martinrandall.com/privacy.

19

MARTIN RANDALL TRAVEL

MUSIC IN VENICE 2–7 NOVEMBER 2020

Britain’s leading specialist in cultural travel and one of the most respected tour operators in the world.

POLYPHONY IN PORTUGAL 16–21 MAY 2021

MRT aims to produce the best planned, best led and altogether the most fulfilling and enjoyable cultural tours and events available. They focus on art, architecture, archaeology, history, music and gastronomy, and are spread across Britain, continental Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, India, China, Japan and the Americas.

MUSIC ALONG THE RHINE 15–22 JUNE 2021 MUSIC ALONG THE DANUBE 20–27 AUGUST 2021 Please contact us for more information.

Each year there are about 250 expert-led tours for small groups (usually 10 –20 participants), six or seven music festivals (such as this festival, Music Along the Rhine), a dozen music and history weekends in the UK and over 100 single-day events in London.

For 30 years the company has led the field through incessant innovation and improvement, setting the benchmarks for itinerary planning, operational systems and service standards.

To see our full range of cultural tours and events, please visit www.martinrandall.com

Martin Randall Travel Ltd Voysey House Barley Mow Passage London W4 4GF, United Kingdom

Martin Randall Australasia PO Box 1024 Indooroopilly QLD 4068, Australia

North America 1155 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20036 USA

Tel +44 (0)20 8742 3355 Fax +44 (0)20 8742 7766 info@martinrandall.co.uk www.martinrandall.com

Tel 1300 55 95 95 New Zealand 0800 877 622 Fax +61 (0)7 3371 8288 anz@martinrandall.com.au

Tel 1 800 988 6168 usa@martinrandall.com ATOL 3622 | ABTA Y6050 | AITO 5085