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Verona Opera
Newly-launched
Lyric spectacle in the Veneto Verona arena, engraving c. 1760.
4–8 July 2013 (mz 632) 5 days • £1,950 La Traviata, Il Trovatore, Aida Lecturer: Dr Joachim Strupp 29 August–2 September 2013 (mz 668) 5 days • £2,050 Rigoletto, Romeo & Juliette, Aida 1913 Lecturer: Dr Luca Leoncini Newly-launched since the publication of our 2013 brochure. In the setting of a Roman amphitheatre, the most famous of open-air festivals. Each tour is accompanied by an expert art historian who lead walks and visits during the day. A choice of hotels. In July, a friendly 4-star a short walk from the Arena. In August, a luxurious 5-star, still in the centre but with a shuttle to the operas. A threefold celebration: 2013 is the hundredth anniversary of the Verona Opera Festival, of the first performance there of Aida, and is also Verdi’s bicentenary. The first magic moment comes well before the conductor raises his baton. Unless you have led a team on to the pitch at Wembley, or won the New Hampshire primaries, you are unlikely to have experienced anything quite like the wall of heady high spirits which hits you as you emerge from the entrance tunnel into the arena. Filling the vast ellipse of the 1900-yearold Roman amphitheatre are fourteen thousand happy people, bubbling with joyous expectation of the spectacle which is to follow. Even the most dour of dusty-hearted opera purists cannot help but be uplifted. Then the floodlights go down, the chaotic chatter quietens to a reverential whisper,
and the enveloping dusk is pierced only by flickering candle flames as uncountable as the stars above. Magic again; for these special moments the Verona Festival remains without rival. The list of unique assets continues. There is the inestimable advantage of the stage and auditorium, one of the largest of ancient amphitheatres which, though built for rather less refined spectacles (‘arena’ is Latin for sand, used in quantity after the slaughter of animals and gladiators) provides miraculously sympathetic acoustics. The elliptical form also seems to instil a sense which can best be described as resembling an embrace, bonding the audience however distant or disparate the individual members might be. Then there is the benefit of being at the heart of one of the most beautiful of Italian cities. Verona is crammed with magnificent architecture and dazzlingly picturesque streets and squares. Surprisingly, the city seems scarcely deflected from a typically Italian dedication to living well and stylishly by the annual influx of festival visitors.
Enough of the spectacle, what of the music? Most performances reach high standards, with patches of stunning singing. For the (largely Italian) casts, to perform at Verona is still a special event, and there remains as an incentive to excellence the typically Italian expression of audience disapproval, instant and merciless. Besides, the younger singers know that they will be judged by more agents, casting directors and peers in one performance than usually would see them in a season. Opinions vary concerning the best place to sit. All the seats we have booked are numbered and reserved (no queuing for hours and elbowing to seize the best of what remains), and a proportion are poltronissime, cushioned stalls seats, which we offer for a supplement. The rest are on the lowest tiers, the gradinate numerate, with clear sight lines, while plastic seating is mercifully interposed between you and the marble. Continued overleaf...
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The Schubertiade with hill walking
Itinerary
as its periodic peregrinations demonstrate. Having started in the village of Hohenems, it migrated a few years later up the valley to the little town of Feldkirch, which in 2001 it abandoned in favour of mountain villages amidst the beautiful scenery of the Bregenzerwald. The hill village setting recently has been further refined by confining all the concerts to Schwarzenberg, described by Herder as the prettiest village in Europe. Our tour is based in the neighbouring village of Mellau, seven miles away. It is an excellent base for hill walking, and guided walks are an integral part of the June tour. Always there is plenty of time for relaxation between the concerts and the walks.
Day 1. Fly at c. 4.00pm from London Gatwick to Verona. Overnight Verona where all four nights are spent. Day 2. Introductory walk in Verona, passing through the beautiful streets and squares at the heart of the city. Visit the church of Sant’Anastasia with its Pisanello frescoes, and the spectacular mediaeval tombs of the ruling della Scala family. In the afternoon, visit the lush Giardino Giusti, a sculpted garden with sweeping views across the city. Some free time; evening opera in the Arena. Day 3. A walk leads to the Romanesque cathedral, across the River Adige to the well-preserved Roman theatre. Alternatively, there are bus and train services offering the opportunity to see more of the region, perhaps Lake Garda or Venice. The afternoon is free or take an optional visit to the church of S. Zeno, a major Romanesque church with sculpted portal and a Mantegna altarpiece; evening opera in the Arena. Day 4. The morning walk includes the Castelvecchio, a graceful mediaeval castle and fortified bridge, now housing an art museum. Lunch is at a privately owned villa in the countryside (by special arrangement). There is some free time; evening opera in the Arena. Day 5. Fly from Verona, arriving London Gatwick at about 1.00pm.
Practicalities Price: £1,950 (Jul.), £2,050 (Aug.) (deposit £200). This includes: 3 opera tickets costing c. £215; scheduled flights (economy class) with British Airways (aircraft: Boeing 737); accommodation in either a 4-star or 5-star hotel, as described; breakfasts, 1 lunch and 3 dinners with wine, water, coffee; all admissions; all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturer. Supplement for poltronissime seats £300. Single supplement £320 (Jul.), £160 (Aug.) (double room for sole use). Price without flights £1,830 (Jul.), £1,930 (Aug.). Hotels: (July) a friendly 4-star a short walk from the Arena in a quiet street. Rooms are recently renovated and of a decent size. All have air-conditioning and some have baths. (August) a luxurious 5-star, a longer walk from the Arena (c. 20 minutes). A shuttle is provided to and from operas. Rooms are opulent and have baths and air-conditioning. How strenuous? To participate fully, a fair amount of walking is involved. The average distance by coach per day is 18 miles. Small group: between 10 and 22 participants.
Itinerary Schubert, German engraving c. 1870.
14–21 June 2013 (mz 606) 8 days • £3,140 (including 9 performances) Lecturer: Richard Wigmore Newly-launched since the publication of our 2013 brochure. Four Lieder recitals with Werner Güra, Andreas Schmidt, Bernarda Fink and Maximilian Schmitt. Three chamber concerts including the Minetti and Pavel Haas Quartets. Two piano recitals with Piotr Anderszweski and Paul Lewis. Four country walks in the surrounding hills of 3–4 hours, led by a guide and programmed in the morning. (Only for those with stamina.) Led by music critic and Lieder expert, Richard Wigmore. The combination of music-making of the highest quality with a pre-Alpine mountain setting is a heady mix. Devotees of the Schubertiade return year after year; addiction is a distinct possibility. Add two great art collections, guided walks in the hills and top up with relaxation among ravishing upland scenery and this begins to sound like the recipe for the perfect holiday. The annual Schubertiade in the Vorarlberg, the westernmost province of Austria, is one of the most prestigious and enjoyable music festivals in Europe. It attracts artists of the highest calibre, while the rural setting and the predominance of Schubertian music create an endearing informality and intimacy. But the festival’s success has not stifled a constant desire for change and experiment,
Day 1. Fly at c. 10.00am from London Heathrow to Zurich. Stop at Winterthur to see the Old Master and Impressionist paintings of the Oskar Reinhart Collection, beautifully displayed in the collector’s home in woods outside the city. Drive through Switzerland and into Austria, arriving early-evening at Mellau in the lovely upland landscape of the Bregenzerwald. Introductory lecture, followed by dinner. Day 2. An experienced local walking guide leads the walk of c. 4 hours through the hills, including a picnic lunch. Afternoon lecture, then drive to Schwarzenberg for dinner before the performance. Recital in the AngelikaKaufmann-Saal (where all the concerts are held) with Werner Güra (tenor) and Christoph Berner (piano): Lieder by Schubert. Day 3. Concert with the Minetti Quartet and Martin Fröst: Mozart, String Quartet in B flat, K458 ‘The Hunt’; Schubert, String Quartet in E flat, D87; Mozart, Clarinet Quintet in A, K581. Lunch in Schwarzenberg followed by a free afternoon. Recital with Andreas Schmidt (baritone) and Helmut Deutsch (piano): Schubert, ‘Winterreise’. Day 4. Morning walk followed by a free afternoon. Evening lecture and concert with Hanna Weinmeister (violin), Isabel Charisius (viola), Valentin Erben (cello), Alois Posch (double bass), Norbert Täubl (clarinet), Radovan Vlatkovic (horn), Milan Turkovic (bassoon): Mozart, Horn Quintet in E flat, K407; Beethoven, Septet in E flat, Op.20. Day 5. Morning walk. Afternoon lecture and piano recital with Piotr Anderszewski: programme details to be confirmed. Dinner between the two concerts. Recital with Bernarda Fink (mezzo-soprano), Marcos Fink (bass-baritone) and Anthony Spiri (piano): Lieder by Brahms, Schumann, Schubert, Mahler, Piazzolla, Carlos Guastavino.
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Newly-launched
Day 6. Morning walk. Afternoon lecture and piano recital with Paul Lewis: Schubert Sonata in C minor, D958; Sonata in A, D959; Sonata in B, D960. Free evening. Day 7. Free morning. Afternoon lecture and concert with the Pavel Haas Quartet: Schubert, Movement for String Quartet in C minor, D703; Dvořák, String Quartet in F, Op.96, ‘American’; Brahms, String Quartet in A minor, Op. 51/2. Dinner between the two concerts. Lieder recital with Maximillian Schmidt (tenor) and Gerold Huber (piano): Schubert, Die schöne Müllerin. Day 8. Drive into Zurich for lunch followed by a visit to the Kunsthaus, Switzerland’s largest art gallery. The gallery houses Swiss and international art from the Middle Ages to the present day, including a notable collection of twelve works by Edward Munch, the largest outside Norway. Fly from Zurich and arrive at London Heathrow c. 6pm.
Practicalities Price: £3,140 (deposit £300); this includes 9 concert tickets costing c. £580; air travel (economy class) on British Airways flights (Airbus 319); private coach throughout; accommodation as described below; breakfasts, 1 picnic, 3 lunches, and 4 dinners with wine, water and coffee; all admissions; all tips for restaurant staff, drivers, guides; all taxes; the services of the lecturer and a local walking guide. Single supplement £120. Price without flights £2,990. Hotel: a 4-star hotel in Mellau, a village 7 miles from Schwarzenberg in good hillwalking country with cable cars to higher ground. A modern and functional hotel with a pleasant atmosphere, all rooms are doubles. There is a swimming pool and restaurant. Very helpful staff. Music tickets: these will be confirmed in September 2012. How strenuous? For the walks it is essential to be in good physical condition and to be used to regular country walking which includes going up and down hills. The terrain is often fairly steep and the ground uneven. Average distance by coach per day: 35 miles.
Autumn availability The following autumn 2012 tours and festivals still have spaces available, in some cases just one or two. Please contact us for more information.
October 2012 14–21 Dark Age Brilliance (mz 400) John McNeill 15–22 Walking in Tuscany (mz 402) Dr Joachim Strupp 15–22 Gastronomic Spain (mz 398) Gijs van Hensbergen 15–22 Walking in Sicily (mz 413) Christopher Newall 15–20 Pompeii & Herculaneum (mz 421) Dr Ffiona Gilmore Eaves 16–23 Modern Art on the Côte d’Azur (mz 401) Monica Bohm-Duchen
16–25 Israel & Palestine (mz 411) Dr Garth Gilmore
17–21 Leonardo da Vinci (mz 404) Charles Nicholl Details on page 7
21–28 Villas of the Veneto (mz 408) Dr Michael Douglas-Scott 22–28 Genoa & Turin (mz 412) Dr Luca Leoncini Details on page 8 24–28 Art in Madrid (mz 409) Gail Turner
24–28 Writers’ Venice (mz 410) Professor Gregory Dowling
Small group: this tour will operate with between 10 and 22 participants. Possible linking tours. Combine this tour with Connoisseur’s Vienna, 4–10 June 2013 (mz 588) or Brittany, 5–11 June 2013 (mz 589). Contact us for the full details for any of these tours, or visit www.martinrandall.com
Right: from The Foreign Tour of Brown, Jones & Robinson, 1904.
November 2012 4– 9 A Festival of Music in Rome (mz 422)
6–11 Venice Revisited (mz 423) Dr Luca Leoncini 6–10 Valencia (mz 426) Adam Hopkins Details on page 6
12–18 Florence: Cradle of the Renaissance (mz 427) Dr Roberto Cobianchi
14–26 Sicily (mz 437) Dr Ffiona Gilmore Eaves
16–18 Travellers & Explorers: a symposia weekend at The Castle Hotel, Taunton (mz 429)
19–25 Florence Revisited (mz 430) Dr Joachim Strupp
23–25 The Schubert Ensemble: a music weekend at The Castle Hotel, Taunton (mz 433)
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Edinburgh
Christmas 2012
at Christmas Day 3. Recent renovation has transformed the National Portrait Gallery, revealing its late Victorian magnificence while creating an exciting introduction to Scottish history. Housed in a classical masterpiece by William Playfair (1828), the collection of Old Master paintings in the Scottish National Gallery is among the finest in the world, spanning from 15th-century Flemish to Post-Impressionist. Day 4, Christmas Day. The morning is free. There are several services to choose from, and many walking possibilities. After lunch, walk up Calton Hill and see an assembly of monuments including the National Monument, a reproduction of the Parthenon (Edinburgh: ‘the Athens of the North’.)
Edinburgh Castle, from Greyfriar’s churchyard, wood engraving after a drawing by Samuel Read, from Leaves from a sketchbook, 1875.
22–27 December 2012 (mz 447) 5 nights • £1,980 Lecturer: Gail Bent Architecturally one of the best-stocked cities in Britain, Edinburgh also has museums and collections of international significance. A selective programme of walks and visits and talks by an architectural historian. Stay at the 5-star Balmoral on Princes Street. Led by Gail Bent, an expert on British architectural history and historical interiors. There are few cities with a more dramatic topography than Edinburgh, the volcanic crags of Castle Rock and Arthur’s Seat forming the famous skyline above an equally famous plateau. And few cities have a centre comprising two such very different parts, side by side, and each among the finest of its kind. Architecturally, Edinburgh is one of the most diverse and rewarding cities in Europe. The higgledy-piggledy Old Town, tumbling down the hill below the mighty Castle, remains essentially mediaeval in layout and fabric, a dense accumulation of variegated buildings without peer in the British Isles. The contrast with the New Town is total: a consistently Neo-Classical, stringently planned eighteenth-century enclave laid out with regularity, symmetry and spatial generosity. Busy Princes Street is the interface, a largely Victorian boulevard. The wealth of historic buildings, museums
and art galleries exceeds that of all but a few capitals of a country of its size. Edinburgh is enjoying something of a renaissance, and most of the museums, major and minor, have benefitted hugely from renovation and extension in the last couple of decades. The tour is enhanced by special arrangements to see places which are not generally accessible, or out of usual visiting hours. The hotel is the Balmoral, belonging to the elite Rocco Forte group and perhaps the best in Edinburgh. Formerly the North British, it is built over Waverley Station, has a frontage on Princes Street and enjoys views of Edinburgh Castle.
Day 5. A morning exploration of the Old Town, a dense mass of narrow streets and alleys spreading either side of the Royal Mile which leads down from the Castle to Holyroodhouse. National Museums Scotland is an amalgamation of two institutions, one a presentation of the history of Scotland through many objects and pictures in a 1990s architectural masterpiece, the other an eclectic mix of items both local and exotic in a renovated Victorian building. Day 6. The Palace of Holyroodhouse, still a royal residence, dates largely to the reign of Charles II and has fine interiors and works of art. Adjacent is the Queen’s Gallery, which displays items from the royal collection. The tour ends at the hotel by 12.30pm.
Practicalities
Itinerary
Price: £1,980 (deposit £200). This includes: accommodation as described; breakfasts, 2 lunches and 4 dinners with wine, water, coffee; all admissions; all tips; the services of the lecturer. Single supplement £250 (double room for single occupancy).
Day 1. Assemble at the hotel and leave on foot at 2.30pm for a visit to Edinburgh Castle. Scotland’s premier ancient monument, though the army still has a presence there, it incorporates building from the 12th century to the 20th and has a range of displays including the Crown Jewels (‘the Honours of Scotland’). Return to the hotel for dinner.
Hotel: the historic 5-star Balmoral, a Rocco Forte hotel, enjoys prime location at the corner of North Bridge and Princes Street. Elegant and comfortable with welcoming public areas, excellent service and spacious rooms with restrained décor. There are two restaurants.
Day 2. In lovely countryside an hour south of Edinburgh, close to the River Tweed, Traquair House is an excellent example of 16th- and 17th-century architecture, and Scotland’s oldest inhabited house. Opened specially for us, there is a tour and lunch in the dining room. Back in Edinburgh, a short walk includes the High Kirk of St Giles, a 15th-century Gothic church, where there is a concert at 6.00pm.
Weather: temperatures will be low and snow is possible. Music: we hope to be able to offer the opportunity to book music tickets once programmes are published. Details to be sent approximately two months before departure. How strenuous? Most visits are on foot and there is quite a lot of standing. To participate in the walks you will need to be able to walk at about 3 mph for at least half an hour at a time. Small group: between 10 and 22 participants.
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Modern Art on the Côte d’Azur 21–28 December 2012 (mz 446) 8 days • £2,820 Lecturer: Monica Bohm Duchen Europe’s greatest concentration of classic modern art, in a setting of idyllic scenery and pretty towns. Bonnard, Braque, Léger, Miró, Giacometti, Cocteau, Chagall, Matisse, Picasso, Renoir. The lecturer is Monica Bohm-Duchen, writor and curator specialising in 20th-century art. Stay in Nice throughout, in a comfortable 4-star hotel on the Promenade des Anglais; all rooms have a sea view.
Day 1: Nice. Fly at c. 12.20pm from London Heathrow to Nice. There is an afternoon visit to the Musée des Beaux Arts Jules Cheret, concentrating on their 19th- and early 20thcentury holdings (Monet, Renoir, Dufy, etc.). All seven nights are spent in Nice. Day 2: Nice, Vence. Marc Chagall Museum has the largest collection of the artist’s works, notably the seventeen canvases of the Biblical Message, set in a peaceful garden in a salubrious Nice suburb.Vence, an artists’ colony, has the Chapel of the Rosary, designed and decorated by Matisse. Day 3: Antibes, Vallauris. Most of the paintings Picasso produced in his studio in the Château Grimaldi in 1946 have been donated to the town of Antibes. Vallauris is a centre of contemporary pottery revived by Picasso, whose masterpiece War and Peace is here. Day 4: St-Tropez, Biot. Drive west to StTropez, which has been popular with artists since Paul Signac settled here in 1892. The Musée de l’Annonciade is one of France’s finest collections of modern art (Signac, Maillol, Matisse, Bonnard, Vlaminck, Braque). Continue to Biot and visit the renovated Musée National Fernand Léger, built to house the artist’s works bequeathed to his wife. Day 5: Cap Ferrat, St-Paul-de-Vence. Drive east to St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat to see the paintings, sculpture and furniture of the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, a mansion set in attractive gardens. The Maeght Foundation
at St-Paul-de-Vence is renowned for its collections (Picasso, Hepworth, Miró, Arp, Giacometti, but not all works are shown at once) and for its architecture and setting. Day 6: Nice. The Musée Matisse unites a wide range of the artist’s work; sculpture, ceramics, stained glass as well as painting. The afternoon is free in Nice; suggestions include the Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain with its excellent collection of post-war art. Day 7: Villefranche, Menton. In Villefranche is the small Chapelle St-Pierre, decorated by Cocteau. Along the coast to Menton, the last French town before Italy, is a new Cocteau museum (opened in 2011) and the Salle des Mariages, also painted by Cocteau. Day 8: Le Cannet. The first museum dedicated to the works of Bonnard opened in Le Cannet in 2011. Fly from Nice arriving at London Heathrow c. 5.20pm.
Practicalities – in brief Price: £2,820 (deposit £300). Single supplement £340 (all with a sea view). Price without flights £2,630. Hotel: 4-star, partially built into the cliff and overlooking the Promenade des Anglais. How strenuous? A fair amount of walking. Average distance by coach per day: 44 miles. Small group: between 10 and 22 participants. Weather: usually mild, but low temperatures and rain cannot be ruled out. Full details at www.martinrandall.com Menton, engraving from Picturesque Europe Vol.III.
Natural resources and climate have drawn invaders and visitors to Nice and its surroundings from the Greek colonists of classical times to the jet-set of today. But from the late nineteenth century a special category of visitor – and settler – has transformed the Côte d’Azur into the greatest concentration of modern art in Europe. Monet first visited Antibes in 1883; Signac bought a house in the fishing village of StTropez in 1892. Matisse’s first visit to the Midi in 1904 transformed his art, and from 1918 he spent more time on the Côte d’Azur than in Paris. Matisse, Chagall and Picasso are merely among the most illustrious of the artists who chose to live in the South of France. Many of their fellow modernisers followed suit: Braque, Bonnard, Dufy, Picabia. This tour is an extraordinary opportunity to see how modernity relates to the past as well as the present, and how gallery displays can be centred on the art, the location or the patron/collector. In Matisse’s Chapelle du Rosaire at Vence, traditional arts and crafts have been revived by a modern genius, as in the monumental mosaic and glass designs of Léger which can be seen at Biot. There are also echoes of collecting habits of earlier eras in the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild. The mixture of past and present and the juxtaposition of the Goût Rothschild with the beauty of its location are breathtaking. (Graham Sutherland drew exotic flowers and plants in the extraordinary gardens.) At Antibes the Picasso Museum is housed in the Château Grimaldi, lent to Picasso as studio space in 1946 where he produced lifeaffirming paintings. Old and new galleries abound, such as the Fondation Maeght, St-Paul-de-Vence, whose building (designed by José Luis Sert, 1963) makes it a work of outstanding sympathy to its natural surroundings, in gardens enlivened by Miró’s Labyrinthe and other sculptures.
Itinerary
Christmas 2012
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Valencia
Spaces available
art & architecture, Mediaeval to modern The Moors made mediaeval Valencia. Christians from Aragón reconquered it in 1238. The new masters built on Arab civilisation to achieve Mediterranean prominence and their own Gothic splendours. In an exuberant 19th-century city-centre, Artnouveau and art-deco flourished, as Santiago Calatrava does today in the Turia riverbed.
Valencia, Quart Towers, wood engraving 1875 after a drawing by Samuel Read.
Itinerary Day 1. Fly at c. 10.00am from London Heathrow to Madrid and connect on a flight to Valencia. Day 2. The cathedral, a curious mix of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque, has a splendid chapter house and paintings by Goya. Great examples of secular 15th-century Gothic include the Silk Exchange with its magnificent hall of pillars and the Generalitat with a sequence of richly decorated rooms (subject to confirmation).Housed in its exuberantly Churrigueresque palace, the collections of the National Ceramics Museum range from Moorish lustre ware to Picasso.
6–10 November 2012 (mz 426) 5 days • £1,370 Lecturer: Adam Hopkins A handsome, vibrant city on the Mediterranean seaboard, excellent for its variety of art and architecture, good food and wine. Gothic highlights include the Silk Exchange and Royal Chapel at Santo Domingo. Possibility of attending an opera or concert at Calatrava’s striking Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia. One of Spain’s greatest fine arts museums, and its first modern art gallery, Impressionist collections and Arabic ceramics. Valencia, Spain’s third city, is elegant and open-spirited, filled with Mediterranean light – though you only glimpse the sea when you go down to the beach to sample a paella, Valencia’s great contribution to gastronomic pleasure. From Arab times until today, Valencia has meant and still means rice – and oranges. Valencia’s architecture reflects the city’s exuberant success in Gothic days and the newly-thrusting, ultra-modern regionalism has brought the America’s Cup here twice in the past six years. Santiago Calatrava’s vast, fantastical and gleaming showpiece, the City of Arts and Sciences, set in a dried-out river
bed as the culmination of 14 kilometres of park, is undoubtedly its supreme expression. Calatrava, Valencian-born engineerarchitect supreme, has always had his critics: today voices are raised about operating cost and maintenance and the general sense of grandeur. But few could deny the beauty of the cascading glass, the gleaming steel and dazzling concrete, the acrobatic forms of his assemblage of outsize buildings – opera house, science museum, sports stadium, arboretumwalkway along with an oceanarium by the older but also interesting architect Felix Candela. The complex and indeed the whole city should not be missed by anyone who wants an overview of modern Spain. Evidence of the vigour of the city’s culture over the centuries is everywhere. The Fine Arts Museum is one of the most important in Spain, excellent in particular for Gothic and Renaissance painting – Valencia was Spain’s first port of call for many Renaissance ideas. The city’s luminous 19th-century painting, increasingly appreciated today, is also much in evidence. The IVAM was Spain’s first major gallery of modern art with an impressive permanent collection and important temporary exhibitions. The presence of the National Ceramics Museum, in a lush rococo palace, reflects continuous production of topclass ceramics from the 13th century onwards – Moorish in technique and design, its best elements perpetuated in what came after.
Day 3. The complex of the Colegio del Patriarca has a Renaissance courtyard and a museum with Flemish and Spanish paintings. The church of Corpus Cristi has 16th-century frescoes and a Last Supper by Ribalta. Santo Domingo, a Gothic friary, has a Royal Chapel with ribless vault and an outstanding 14th-cent. chapter house (visit by special arrangement). Cross the 16th-century Royal Bridge to the Fine Arts Museum, one of the best in Spain, with works by Valencian, Spanish and Flemish masters. Day 4. Drive via the Quart Towers, a massive 14th-century city gateway, to IVAM (Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno): a collection of international painting, sculpture and photography with good temporary exhibitions. The home and studio of the Benlliure family of Impressionist painters has a large art collection and a romantic garden. Drive to the seafront for a paella lunch overlooking the Mediterranean. Take an optional excursion to Manises, centre of ceramic production since Arab times, with an excellently presented ceramics museum. Day 5. Spanning the dry bed of the diverted River Turia is a Calatrava trademark, the ‘Peineta’ bridge, and, below it, a metro station he designed. Further along is his Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias consisting inter alia of an arboretum, a soaring edifice that houses the science museum and the nearby opera house (exteriors only). Catch the early afternoon flight to Madrid, and then a connection to London Heathrow, arriving at c. 5.45pm.
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Leonardo da Vinci Practicalities Price: £1,370 (deposit £150) This includes: air travel (economy class) on scheduled British Airways and Iberia Airlines flights (Airbus A320); private coach throughout; hotel accommodation as described below; breakfasts, 1 lunch and 3 dinners, with wine, water, coffee; all admissions; all tips for restaurant staff, guides, drivers; all taxes; the services of the lecturer, tour manager and local guide. Single supplement £130 (double room for sole occupancy). Price without flights £1,160. Hotel: A 4-star hotel installed in an 18thcentury palace in a very central location next to the National Ceramics Museum. Rooms are small but well-equipped and tastefully decorated. How strenuous? Coach access is restricted in the historic centre and there is a lot of walking and standing around in museums.Average distance by coach per day: 9 miles. Small group: between 8 and 22 participants.
Festivals 2013 Seville: a Festival of Spanish Music 10–15 May 2013 • book now The Johann Sebastian Bach Journey 7–13 July 2013 • book now The Danube Music Festival 16–23 August 2013 Details available November 2012. Contact us to register interest. English Music in Yorkshire 22–27 September 2013 Details available January 2013. Contact us to register interest. The Rhône Music Festival 17–24 October 2013 Details available November 2012. Contact us to register interest.
17–21 October 2012 (mz 404) 5 days • £1,840 Lecturer: Charles Nicholl Works by the artist and places associated with his life in Milan and Florence. A morning in Vinci, to see his birthplace and the museum dedicated to his scientific achievements. Led by the most renowned biographer of Leonardo. Regard for Leonardo’s work has, if you will excuse the pun, seen a renaissance in 2011. The National Gallery’s major exhibition of works from collections outside Italy has seen an unprecedented response from the public. It seems only right, then, that we run a tour for 2012 which focuses on his most important works within Italy. Florence was the cradle of the Renaissance and home to an unrivalled quantity of firstrate, locally-produced works of art. At the age of fourteen, Leonardo moved here to become an apprentice to Verrocchio, in whose studio his technical training began. The tour begins here to explore areas of the city in which the artist lived and worked, as well as seeing important works by Verrocchio in the Bargello and by Leonardo in the Uffizi. To the west of Florence is Vinci, Leonardo’s childhood town in the Tuscan countryside, a charming place with a fine museum displaying many of his designs for machines and tools. The remote hamlet of Anchiano in which he was born is also visited. In the fifteenth century Milan was capital of the most powerful territory in Italy and, when Leonardo was employed there, probably the largest city in Europe. It is here that he received some of his most important commissions, notably The Last Supper for the wall of the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Two nights are spent in Milan, with two visits to The Last Supper and also to the Pinacoteca Brera, one of the world’s great galleries, for a study of works influenced by Leonardo. An exploration of sites around the city where the artist left his mark completes the tour.
Itinerary Day 1: Florence. Fly at c. 8.45am from London Heathrow to Pisa. There is an afternoon walk to see the sites of Leonardo’s father’s office and his master Verrocchio’s workshop. First of two nights in Florence. Day 2: Florence. A morning lecture is followed by the great sculpture museum in
Spaces available
the Bargello, which possesses a collection by Leonardo’s master Verrocchio, including his David, thought to be the likeness of a young Leonardo. The Palazzo Vecchio was the fortified civic centre of the republic and has several rooms designed by Vasari. In the afternoon visit the Uffizi (by appointment) for several major works by Leonardo, including the Annunciation and Adoration of the Magi. Day 3: Vinci, Milan. Drive to Vinci in the Tuscan hills where the artist was born. The Museo Leonardiano has one of the largest collections of Leonardo’s technological designs and models constructed from them, housed in a 12th-century castle. Continue through olive groves to the reconstructed farmhouse where Leonardo was born, which now houses some of his early drawings of the Tuscan countryside. Lunch is at a typical Tuscan restaurant in the hilltown of Artimino. In the afternoon, travel by first class rail to Milan for the first of two nights. Day 4: Milan. The first of two visits to Leonardo’s Last Supper. The Dominican friary of S. Maria delle Grazie was lavishly endowed by Duke Ludovico Sforza in the 1490s, the consequences including Bramante’s monumental eastern extension of the church and the Last Supper on the wall of the refectory. The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana has works by Raphael, Bramantino, Luini and other contemporaries and followers of Leonardo. Visit the Brera, one of Italy’s major art collections. Day 5: Milan. The Castello Sforzesco, the vast fortified palace of Leonardo’s ducal patrons, has room decorations attributed to him and houses works of art and artefacts including Michelangelo’s Rondandini Pietà. Return to the Cenacolo Vinciano for a second viewing of Leonardo’s Last Supper (there is a time limit for each visit). Return to London Heathrow arriving at c. 4.45pm.
Practicalities – in brief Price: £1,840 (deposit £200). Single supplement £260 (double for sole use). Price without flights £1,660. Hotels. In Florence (2 nights): a 4-star hotel in a very central location on Piazza Santa Maria Novella. In Milan (2 nights): a smart, traditionally-furnished 4-star hotel close to the Duomo. How strenuous? A lot of walking. This tour is not suitable for anyone who has difficulties with everyday walking or stair-climbing. Historic centres are generally closed to traffic. Average distance by coach per day: 26 miles. Small group: between 10 and 22 participants.
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Genoa & Turin
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Palaces & Galleries 22–28 October 2012 (mz 412) 7 days • £1,880 Lecturer: Dr Luca Leoncini Two grand cities in north-western Italy, unaccountably neglected by tourists. Great art and architecture from mediaeval to Baroque, particularly rich in palaces.
Itinerary Day 1: Genoa. Fly at c. 10.30am from London Gatwick to Genoa. In the afternoon see palaces in the Via Balbi, one of the grandest streets in Europe, including the Palazzo Reale which has a magnificent stairway, splendidly furnished rooms and a fine collection of pictures. First of three nights in Genoa. Day 2: Genoa. Visit some of the main monuments of mediaeval Genoa. The Cathedral of S. Lorenzo, built 12th–16th centuries, possesses many works of art and a fine treasury. Palazzo Spinola has good pictures, Van Dycks in particular. Visit the church of S. Luca with its beautifully decorated interior and the churches of Il Gesù and San Donato. Day 3: Genoa. See the Via Garibaldi, lined with magnificent palazzi, most from the 16th century and retaining sumptuous interiors of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Palazzo Rosso has fine furnishings and excellent pictures. See also the adjacent church of the Annunciation, the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj with Perin del Vaga frescoes and the Piazza S. Matteo, formed by the imposing palaces of the Doria family, which overshadow the small family church of S. Matteo. Free time in the afternoon. Possible visits include the refashioned dock area (architect: Renzo Piano) and further churches and galleries. Day 4: Genoa, Cherasco, Turin. Leave Genoa
Turin, engraving from The Illustrated London News, 1861.
and take a cross-country route through the beautiful countryside and wine-producing area of Le Langhe. Stop in Cherasco which has a 14th-century Visconti castle for a typical Piedmontese lunch. See the magnificent royal hunting lodge of Stupinigi (Filippo Juvarra, 1730) en route to Turin. First of three nights in Turin. Day 5: Turin. A morning walk through beautiful Piazza S. Carlo, with arcades and 18th-century churches. Visit the little church of S. Lorenzo, a Guarini masterpiece, and the cathedral, with Guarini’s Chapel of the Holy Shroud and the sumptuous Consolata church. Afternoon visit to the Palazzo Madama in the centre of Piazza Castello, now housing the City Art Museum, and the Royal Palace, built 1660, with wonderful interiors from the 17th–19th centuries. Walk via the metal dome and spire of the 19th-cent. Mole Antonelliana and the Palazzo Carignano by Guarini. Day 6: Turin. Morning visit to the Galleria Sabauda, an excellent picture collection housed inside the Guarini’s Palazzo Dell’Accademia. Visit the votive church of Superga, a magnificent hilltop structure
by Juvarra. Free time to visit the Egyptian Museum, one of the best in Europe, or the Gallery of Modern Art. Day 7: Turin, Venaria. Visit the Pinacoteca Giovanni and Marella Agnelli at Lingotto which has a small but excellent quality collection in a building designed by Renzo Piano. Outside Turin is the magnificent royal palace of Venaria (Amedeo Castellamonte, 1659) reopened in 2007 following extensive renovation work. Fly from Milan Malpensa returning to London Heathrow c. 6.30pm.
Practicalities – in brief Price: £1,880 (deposit £200). Single supplement £310 (double room for sole use). Price without flights £1,720. Hotel: in Genoa (3 nights): a 5-star hotel close to the Palazzo Reale. In Turin (3 nights): a 4-star hotel, very central. How strenuous? Quite a lot of walking and standing around. Average distance by coach per day: 26 miles. Small group: between 10 and 22 participants.
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