I Fagiolini La Nuova Musica Elizabeth Kenny & Theatre of the Ayre Sollazzo Ensemble Modo Antiquo Gabriele Giacomelli
Martin Randall Travel Ltd Voysey House, Barley Mow Passage, London W4 4GF, United Kingdom Tel +44 (0)20 8742 3355 Fax +44 (0)20 8742 7766 info@martinrandall.co.uk www.martinrandall.com ATOL 3622 | ABTA Y6050 | AITO 5085
Eight private concerts of music associated with the city of Florence, performed in beautiful and appropriate historic buildings. Two operas, by Jacopo Peri/Giulio Caccini and George Frideric Handel: Euridice, the earliest surviving opera, and Rodrigo, Handel’s first opera written for performance in Italy. Musicians of the highest calibre, from Britain, Italy and Switzerland. Professor John Bryan gives daily talks on the music, and art historians give lectures on the artistic culture of Florence. Choose from a list of six 4-star and 5-star hotels in the centre of the city. Free time to explore Florence, the most important city in the history of western art. Suits independent-minded travellers as well as those who like the social aspect of these events.
Contents The festival package.......................................................5 The concerts............................................................ 6–10 Travelling to Florence.................................................11 Hotels & prices...................................................... 12–13 Walks & visits...............................................................14 Fitness for the festival.................................................14 Pre-festival tour: Florence: Cradle of the Renaissance 6–12 March 2017.........................................................15 Post-festival tour: Florence & Venice 19–26 March 2017.......................................................16 Martin Randall Australasia PO Box 1024 Indooroopilly QLD 4068 Australia Tel 1300 55 95 95 New Zealand 0800 877 622 anz@martinrandall.com.au
Canada Tel (647) 382 1644 canada@martinrandall.ca USA Tel 1 800 988 6168 Connects with London office
Booking form........................................................ 17–18 Booking details & conditions.....................................19 Front cover illustration: Florence, watercolour by Edwin Glasgow, 1904. Left: Florence, Uffizi and Palazzo Vecchio, aquatint c. 1830. Back cover: Florence, Orsanmichele, wood engraving 1874 by Gustav Bauernfeind (1848–1904).
A Festival of Music in Florence, 13–18 March 2017
Universally known as the crucible of change in the field of the visual arts, Florence also occupies a pivotal place in the history of music. From the late Middle Ages to the end of the Age of Baroque, Florence’s cultural and political prestige attracted first-rate musical talent from all over Europe, and the connoisseurship of the Tuscan aristocracy and intelligentsia spurred singers, players and composers to adventurous new heights. The music in this festival ranges from 14th-century devotional songs to the world’s earliest surviving opera, from Renaissance madrigals to the first opera that G.F. Handel wrote in Italy. Medici patronage accounts for much of the programme, among which are the extraordinary 60-part mass written in 1566 by Alessandro Striggio, the most ambitious piece of music of its time. The musicians we have selected are among the leading specialists in their genre. They come from Britain, Italy and Switzerland. Venues range from Brunelleschi’s Basilica of San Lorenzo to a Baroque private palace, from Santi Apostoli (the ‘Old Cathedral’) to the Villa Artimino. The performances are private, being exclusive to the approximately 200 participants who take a package which includes accommodation (from a choice of six hotels), flights from/to London (you can opt out of these), airport transfers, daily lectures, one lunch and three dinners, interval drinks and much else besides. There is also the opportunity of joining a pre-festival tour, Florence: Cradle of the Renaissance (see page 15) or a postfestival tour, Florence & Venice (see page 16).
About us Martin Randall Travel aims to provide the best planned, best led and altogether the most fulfilling and enjoyable cultural tours and events available. They focus on art, music, history and archaeology in Britain, continental Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, India, China, Japan and the Americas. Each year there are about 250 expert-led tours for small groups (usually 10 to 20 participants), five to six all-inclusive music festivals, a dozen music and literary weekends and about 80 study days in London. For nearly 30 years the company has led the field through incessant innovation and refinement, and set the benchmarks for itinerary planning, operational systems and service standards. MRT is Britain’s leading specialist in cultural travel and one of the most respected tour operators in the world.
The Speaker John Bryan is Professor of Music at the University of Huddersfield, and a member of the Rose Consort of Viols and of Musica Antiqua, with whom he has toured and recorded extensively. He is artistic adviser to York Early Music Festival and a regular contributor on BBC Radio 3. His articles on Renaissance and early Baroque music have been published in journals such as Early Music and The Journal of Musicology, and he is in demand as a tutor on courses such as Dartington International Summer School.
Illustrations. Above: Florence, reproduction of a 19th-century engraving. Opposite page: Illustration from ‘On the Road Through France to Florence’, 1904.
4
+44 (0)20 8742 3355 | info@martinrandall.co.uk
The Festival Package Access to the concerts is exclusive to those who take the festival package, the price for which includes: Eight concerts, including two operas (unstaged). Tickets to individual events will not be available. Accommodation for five nights in one of six carefully selected 4-star or 5-star hotels within the historic centre of Florence. Flights between the UK and Italy (Pisa and Florence), from London Heathrow, Gatwick and City airports. There is a price reduction if you choose to make your own arrangements. Coach transfers between the selected Italian airports and the hotels. If you book your own flights, you can join these transfers if your flights coincide with one of the festival flight options.
In addition, there are extra services which can be booked: The option of arriving a day early. See pages 12–13 for prices. A package of two extra dinners, which means each evening is spent in the company of other festival participants (price: £140). This option can be selected on the booking form. A range of visits and short walks led by art historians and appropriate experts (details and prices available at a later stage). The opportunity of joining a pre-festival tour, Florence, or a post-festival tour, Florence & Venice (see pages 15–16).
Meals: breakfasts, one lunch and three dinners with wine, water, coffee. Drinks are provided during concert intervals. Lectures on the music by Professor John Bryan. Lectures on the art history of Florence by Dr Michael DouglasScott and Dr Antonia Whitley. All tips for restaurant staff, drivers, porters etc. All taxes and obligatory charges. Festival staff who will be present to facilitate the smooth running of the event. All speak Italian. Programme booklet: every participant is issued with a booklet which contains information about the itinerary, the concerts and operas and all the practical arrangements. See pages 12–13 for prices.
This brochure was produced in house. The text was written and edited chiefly by Martin Randall and Hannah King, and it was designed by Jo Murray. It was sent to print on 20 April 2016.
book online at www.martinrandall.com
5
A Festival of Music in Florence, 13–18 March 2017
The Concerts
Palazzo Davanzati Everyday Life in 14th-Century Music
Chiesa di Santi Apostoli Godi Firenze
Modo Antiquo | Bettina Hoffmann director Nicki Kennedy soprano Elena Cecchi Fedi soprano
Sollazzo Ensemble | Anna Danilevskaia director
Not all mediaeval music was sacred or civic. Composers also wrote about daily life – about deer hunting, swimming in the river, lasagne recipes. The authors of these popular songs eschewed poetic language in favour of simple tales told in the first person – a woman singing at a well, a trader in the market, a girl picking flowers. The mood sounds as cheerful today as when these works were first heard. The only Baroque ensemble with two Grammy nominations, Modo Antiquo is one of the finest early music groups on the international scene. It was founded by conductor, composer, flautist and musicologist Federico Maria Sardelli. The ensemble is directed for this concert by Bettina Hoffmann, violist, cellist and musicologist specialising in the performance of early music. She has also edited the critical editions of the sonatas for cello by Vivaldi and Gabrieli. The Palazzo Davanzati was built in the second half of the 14th century and was owned by a succession of wealthy wool merchant families. From the end of the 19th century it housed the collection of an antique dealer; house and contents were purchased by the state in 1951. Beautifully restored, it uniquely preserves the appearance of a fully furnished and lavishly decorated mediaeval town house. Illustrations. Above: Florence, Piazza della Santissima Annunziata, copper engraving c. 1750. Opposite page: Orpheus & Eurydice, engraving c. 1880 after the painting by G.F. Watts (1817–1904). Photographs, from top: Sollazzo Ensemble ©Martin Chiang; Modo Antiquo.
6
+44 (0)20 8742 3355 | info@martinrandall.co.uk
Florence in the late Middle Ages was a hotbed of artistic innovation: while Boccaccio was creating his poetry, musicians known to us only by their first names (Paolo, Lorenzo and Andrea all proudly designated themselves simply as ‘da Firenze’) were writing colourful songs celebrating their city, recounting scenes of daily life and portraying love in all its many manifestations. The programme also features songs by Francesco Landini, the blind Florentine organist and composer whose softly lyrical music was said to charm even the birds. Florence attracted some of the greatest of European musicians. Guillaume Dufay was one, who created the motet Nuper rosarum flores for the dedication of Santa Maria del Fiore in 1436; the piece has the same mathematical proportions as the cathedral’s architecture. Sollazzo Ensemble was founded in 2014 in Basel, where its members were studying at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. At the York Early Music International Young Artists Competition in 2015 they won both the overall prize, awarded by a panel of eminent early music performers, and the Friends of York Early Music Festival Prize, their highly energetic and communicative style of performance winning the hearts of the festival audience. They also won the Cambridge Early Music Prize in 2015. Santi Apostoli, sometimes known as ‘Il Vecchio Duomo’, is one of the most important mediaeval buildings in Florence. Dating to the end of the 11th century, its procession of Corinthian columns epitomises the classical revival of the Romanesque era and the noble simplicity of the architecture creates an appropriately devout atmosphere.
Palazzo Capponi all’Annunziata Euridice – the first opera Jacopo Peri, Giulio Caccini, Lorenzo Allegri
Villa Medicea, Artimino Madrigals for the Medici & Inventing Bel Canto
The concept of ‘drama in music’ was hatched by a group of humanist intellectuals, philosophers, historians and musicians meeting in Florence at the house of Count Bardi in the 1570s. Their plans came to fruition in 1600 when Jacopo Peri’s opera Euridice was performed as part of the wedding celebrations for Maria de’ Medici and Henri IV of France, in the Pitti Palace.
These concerts are intended to evoke some of the joys of villa life from the end of the Middle Ages to recent times. The notion of life in the country as an idyllic retreat from the cares and conflicts of the city was very much an invention of the Italian Renaissance. Agricultural and horticultural activities played a role, hunting and feasting were indispensable in some households, but it was cultural and intellectual pursuits, music above all, which made the villa such an important part of the civilization of the Renaissance. The Medici were in the forefront of the fashion, and the Villa Medicea at Artimino (built 1594–98 by Bernardo Buontalenti) is one of dozens of such establishments owned by the family.
Modo Antiquo aims to recapture the excitement of this first performance of the Orpheus myth in opera, adding some lively dance music by the Medici court lutenist Lorenzo Allegri and pieces by Giulio Caccini, an operatic rival of Peri. Since Caccini’s daughter sang the role of Euridice in the première, her father insisted on writing his own music for her. This is a fascinating opportunity to hear the two composers’ music side by side in a concert programme.
The Villa Medicea ‘La Ferdinanda’ at Artimino was built 1594–98 by Bernardo Buontalenti as a hunting lodge for Grand Duke Ferdinando I. The quintessential Renaissance man, Buontalenti was employed by the Medici throughout his career as a portraitist, stage designer, sculptor, military engineer and garden designer. The forest of chimneys here is a characteristically Mannerist effect, but its essential simplicity, inside and out, is typical of Tuscan rural retreats for nearly 200 years either side of this villa.
Federico Maria Sardelli directs his outstanding Florentine Baroque ensemble Modo Antiquo. In 2009 he was awarded the highest medal of honour for the Region of Tuscany, the Gonfalone d’Argento.
There is also lunch and the opportunity to walk in the grounds.
Modo Antiquo | Federico Maria Sardelli director Roberta Mameli soprano Anicio Zorzi Giustiniani tenor
Built in the early 18th century for one of the most distinguished of Florence’s ancient families, the Palazzo Capponi all’Annunziata was designed by the most fashionable architect of the day, Carlo Fontana (formerly an assistant to Bernini). Inside, a grand stairway leads to the Salone della Festa or della Musica, magnificently embellished with architectural ornament and frescoes.
Part 1: Madrigals for the Medici I Fagiolini | Robert Hollingworth director No great occasion at the Medici court was complete without music. Medici weddings in particular inspired lavish celebrations that usually included madrigals praising the bride and groom. I Fagiolini, expert performers of this repertory, present exquisite madrigals by court composers such as Striggio, Marenzio, Malvezzi and Cavalieri.
book online at www.martinrandall.com
7
A Festival of Music in Florence, 13–18 March 2017
Far from the pastoral idiom admired elsewhere, the Italian madrigal developed into a vehicle for the portrayal of the most intense emotions. No composer captured these more dramatically than Claudio Monteverdi, whose seventh book was dedicated to Caterina de’ Medici, from which I Fagiolini perform some teasing duets and the ballo ‘Tirsi e Clori’. Grounded in the classics of Renaissance and 20th-century vocal repertoire, I Fagiolini is internationally renowned for its innovative and often staged productions of this music. Their most recent immersive theatre project, Betrayal: a polyphonic crime drama, based on the music of Carlo Gesulado, premièred at the Barbican in May 2015. They celebrate Monteverdi’s 2017 anniversary with two new vespers projects, Monteverdi on the Move and 1640 Vespers. I Fagiolini is directed by Robert Hollingworth.
Part 2: Inventing Bel Canto Theatre of the Ayre | Elizabeth Kenny director Theatre of the Ayre explore the origins of Bel Canto singing in the works of Giulio Caccini and his daughter Francesca, stars of the Florentine court. Giulio became known for promoting the secrets of ‘passionate singing’ with his ground-breaking Le Nuove Musiche of 1602. Sigismondo d’India produced several books of madrigals and classical legends which are bold, radical and full of harmonic twists and turns. Ottavio Rinuccini was the poetic genius who provided the words for many of these expressions of passion, and Guarini’s Il Pastor Fido captured the collective imagination in the 1580s and resonates through musical settings for decades thereafter. Elizabeth Kenny is one of Europe’s leading lute players, and is in demand equally for solo, chamber and opera house assignments. Theatre of the Ayre is her platform for bringing dramatically minded singers and players together to create inspirational programmes of 17th-century music.
‘The most magnificent performances of Renaissance music one could wish to hear and in most appropriate settings.’
Illustrations. Left: Villa Medicea, Artimino, engraving from ‘Country Walks about Florence’, 1926. Opposite: Basilica of San Lorenzo, engraving c. 1850. Photographs. Above, clockwise from top left: Elizabeth Kenny; La Nuova Musica ©Ben Ealovega; David Bates ©Ben Ealovega. Opposite page: Gabriele Giacomelli.
8
+44 (0)20 8742 3355 | info@martinrandall.co.uk
Basilica of San Lorenzo Four centuries of organ music From the Renaissance to the Risorgimento
Teatro Niccolini Rodrigo, or Vincer se stesso è la maggior vittoria Opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel
Gabriele Giacomelli
La Nuova Musica | David Bates director
The Basilica of San Lorenzo has two organs of historic importance. The earlier one dates from 1773 but contains a significant number of older pipes, including some from the 15th century. The Fratelli Serassi organ, of 1864, has three manuals and over 60 stops, offering a colourful orchestral tonal palette. Its construction was funded by the Savoy government and it was donated to the city of Florence when it became capital of the recently united Kingdom of Italy.
This semi-staged performance of Handel’s Rodrigo constitutes a striking musical event, for it takes place in the very theatre where the opera received its première. This was in 1707, during Handel’s three-year sojourn in Italy, and the venue is the exquisite Teatro Niccolini (then called del Cocomero). The dedicatee was none other than Ferdinando de’ Medici, heir presumptive of the Grand Duke of Tuscany.
In this recital the principal organist of the Basilica puts both historic organs through their paces in music ranging from late Renaissance masters working in Florence, through to romantic works that include a rare organ piece by the opera composer Bellini that survives in manuscript in Florence’s Conservatorio Cherubini. Gabriele Giacomelli is an Italian organist and musicologist and is author of three books about the organs and sacred music of Tuscany. He is supervisor of the Italian Ministry of Culture for the restoration of the ancient organs of Florence. The Basilica of San Lorenzo was the parish church and burial place of the Medici, and their patronage created the most important Renaissance church in Florence, architecturally and artistically. Brunelleschi was the architect, beginning with the Old Sacristy in 1420 and continuing with comprehensive rebuilding from 1440. There are works of art here by many of the finest early Renaissance sculptors and painters.
Dealing with the historical last king of Visigothic Spain, the opera was the first Handel wrote in Italy and displays his ambition to master the newest styles and to equal or outdo native composers. Built in 1652 and refurbished in 1830, the Teatro Niccolini has just emerged from a 20-year restoration campaign. It is the only surviving theatre associated with a Handelian first night, and it is likely that Rodrigo has not been performed there since the first production. La Nuova Musica was founded by its artistic director David Bates in 2007 with the aim of bringing the highest standards of musical performance of 17th- and 18th-century repertoire to as wide an audience as possible. The energy that the Baroque demands of its performers is LNM’s most potent tool in striving to move audiences. Hailed by BBC Radio 3 as ‘one of the most exciting consorts in the early music field’ they have presented operatic and concert repertoire throughout the UK. This will be their second MRT festival. At the time of publication, the Teatro Noccolini had not been confirmed. There is a chance therefore that this concert may be in another venue.
book online at www.martinrandall.com
9
A Festival of Music in Florence, 13–18 March 2017
Basilica of San Lorenzo The Mass that would be King I Fagiolini & The 24 | Robert Hollingworth director Mantua-born diplomat and composer Alessandro Striggio moved to Florence as a young man to work for the Medici. By 1566 he had written a mass designed to display the Medici Duke Cosimo’s enormous wealth and power to finest effect. The largest work of its time (it includes a 60-voice setting of the Agnus Dei), the Missa Ecco sì beato giorno was intended to persuade the Holy Roman Emperor that the scion of a Florentine banking dynasty warranted the title of king. Lost in the intervening centuries, the mass received its first modern performance at the BBC proms in 2007 and the first recording – with I Fagiolini – was released in 2011. Striggio travelled through the Alps in winter to Vienna to deliver the mass, but while this sumptuous gift failed to convince the Emperor, a performance a few months later in London is thought to have inspired Thomas Tallis’s monumental work, Spem in Alium, which is also performed this evening. I Fagiolini’s name has been misspelt and mispronounced in many countries across the world. Neither fault occurs in Italy, but the opportunity to do so is rare as the name militates against their being taken seriously, ‘beans’ being an ironic dig at the Early Music movement. For this concert I Fagiolini is joined by members of The 24, the University of York’s flagship chamber choir which has been conducted by Robert Hollingworth since 2013. They have appeared on Radio 3 and were also in residence at the Association of British Choral directors. As the Medici church, and as a composite masterwork of the Renaissance, San Lorenzo is the ideal venue for Striggio’s great mass.
10
+44 (0)20 8742 3355 | info@martinrandall.co.uk
More about the concerts Exclusive access. The concerts are private, being planned, promoted and administered by Martin Randall Travel exclusively for an audience consisting of those who have taken the full festival package. Seating. Specific seats are not reserved. You sit where you want. Comfort. Seats in some venues are church pews; consider bringing a cushion. Heating in churches is sometimes inadequate; expect to wear a warm coat during those concerts. Concert times. Three of the six venues are too small to accommodate all 200-odd participants and so these concerts are repeated. Staging. Productions vary from concert versions to animated or semi-staged productions with costumes and props, but for none will there be scenery or sophisticated lighting. Changes. Musicians fall ill, venues close for repair, airlines alter schedules: there are many possible unpredictable circumstances which could necessitate programme changes. We ask you to be understanding should they occur.
‘All the concerts were very good, but the highlight was the performance by I Fagiolini in Basilica of San Lorenzo. It is the nearest that I shall ever be to hearing choirs of heavenly angels.’ Illustration: Florence, Campanile, watercolour by W.W. Collins, publ. 1911. Photograph: I Fagiolini ©Keith Saunders.
Travelling to Florence ‘Virtue Chaining Vice’, from the group in the Bargello by Gian Bologna, engraving c. 1880.
Flights from London to Italy (Pisa or Florence) are included in the price of the festival. You can choose to join one of these or make your own flight arrangements (in which case there is a reduction in the price). Flights from City and Heathrow are with British Airways, and flights from Gatwick are with Vueling.
Regional airports We are happy to quote for connecting flights from regional airports. Please request this on the booking form.
Arrive a day early We offer a package for those wishing to arrive on 12th March (a day early) in the hotel of your choice. See pages 12–13 for prices.
Festival flights Arriving 12th March, leaving 18th: Option 1. 12th March: depart Heathrow 11.05, arrive Pisa Galileo Galilei 14.20 (BA 604). 18th March: depart Pisa 15.10, arrive Heathrow 16.30 (BA 605). Option 2. 12th March: depart Gatwick 16.05, arrive Florence Peretola 19.15 (VY 6205). 18th March: depart Florence 14.00, arrive Gatwick 15.20 (VY 6206). Option 3. 12th March: depart City 16.15, arrive Florence Peretola 19.20 (BA 3279). 18th March: depart Florence 11.00, arrive City 12.10 (BA 3280).
Arriving 13th March, leaving 18th: Option 4. 13th March: depart Heathrow 11.05, arrive Pisa Galileo Galilei 14.20 (BA 604). 18th March: depart Pisa 15.10, arrive Heathrow 16.30 (BA 605). Option 5. 13th March: depart City 11.15, arrive Florence Peretola 14.20 (BA 3279). 18th March: depart Florence 11.00, arrive City 12.10 (BA 3280). Option 6. 13th March: depart Gatwick 16.05, arrive Florence Peretola 19.15 (VY 6205). 18th March: depart Florence 14.00, arrive Gatwick 15.20 (VY 6206). Please note that those taking this flight option will miss the welcome drink on Day 1.
If joining a pre- or post-festival tour These have separate flight arrangements. You do not need to choose a festival option. Please see pages 15 and 16 for details.
The ‘no-flights’ option There is a reduction of £130 per person for the package without flights. Please tick Option 7: No Flights on the booking form. Should you decide to join the festival at either Pisa or Florence airport to coincide with one of our flight arrivals, you are welcome to join a coach transfer to your hotel. Otherwise you would have to make your own way to your hotel.
Independent or group travel? For the independent traveller or a group tour? The answer is both. It’s up to you to choose the degree of independence you want. If you are uneasy about travelling as part of a group, you can avoid the optional extras and participate in the festival merely by turning up to the concerts (we tell you where and when, and how to get there). The rest of the time is your own. But if you prefer to have some guidance and assistance and opportunity for social interaction you can have group dinners every evening, sign up for some art-historical walks and visits and take advantage of any assistance offered for getting to the venues. Though there will be up to 200 participants, you will frequently find yourself in much smaller units. Participants are spread through six hotels, and numbers at each restaurant and on the optional walks and visits are limited. Special attention will be paid by festival staff to participants travelling on their own.
book online at www.martinrandall.com
11
A Festival of Music in Florence, 13–18 March 2017
Hotels & Prices We have selected six hotels for this festival. All are 4- or 5-star. The hotel is the sole determinant of the different prices for the festival package. Quiet? There are traffic restrictions in the historical centre of Florence limiting the sound of wheeled traffic. But busy street life and the occasional permitted vehicle can mean that few hotels can be guaranteed to be absolutely quiet. Luggage. Traffic restrictions also apply to coaches and there is a possibility therefore that you will have to carry your own luggage from a nearby set-down point to the hotel. Suitcases with wheels are advised. Rooms vary. As is inevitable in historic buildings, rooms vary in size and outlook. Suites and rooms with views. Some hotels have suites and one has rooms with views over the River Arno. All are subject to availability at the time of booking. Prices are either given here or are available on request. All prices given are per person. A list of what is included is given on page 5. Arriving a day early. Prices are also given for arriving in your chosen hotel the day before the festival starts – separate flight options are available (see page 11).
Hotel Balestri This peaceful 4-star hotel is situated a few minutes’ walk from the Ponte Vecchio away from the city centre, with the Arno embankment on one side and a narrow road barred to nearly all traffic on the other. The hotel re-opened in January 2015 after extensive refurbishment, but has been a hotel since the 17th century. It is comfortably furnished in attractive, contemporary style. There is no restaurant. Some rooms have views over the River Arno. www.hotel-balestri.it Arriving 12th March: Superior double £3,060 or for single use £3,330
Arriving 13th March: Superior double £2,930 or for single use £3,150
There is a reduction of £130 if you choose not to take one of the festival flight options.
Hotel Bernini Palace An elegant 5-star hotel in a 15th-century palace, behind Piazza della Signoria and overlooking the Palazzo Vecchio. Rooms are elegantly and individually furnished in Florentine style with period furniture and unique touches; most were refurbished in 2015. Most rooms have a bath with a shower fitment. Public areas are welcoming and service is excellent. There is a good restaurant. hotelbernini.duetorrihotels.com/en Arriving 12th March: Classic double £3,720 or for single use £4,240
Arriving 13th March: Classic double £3,530 or for single use £3,950
Illustration, left: Ponte Vecchio, by Joseph Pennell from ‘The Road in Tuscany’, 1904.
12
+44 (0)20 8742 3355 | info@martinrandall.co.uk
Hotel L’Orologio
Hotel Santa Maria Novella
A comfortable 4-star hotel excellently located in Piazza Santa Maria Novella. The owner is a collector of vintage watches and the hotel is subtly decorated with this theme. Décor is tasteful and stylish, a mixture of contemporary and classic. The level of care is excellent. Some rooms have a bath with a shower fitment; some have only a shower. There is no restaurant but plenty of good dining opportunities nearby. The breakfast room is in the former loggia on the top floor with fantastic views over Santa Maria Novella.
A delightful 4-star hotel overlooking the piazza and basilica by the same name. Rooms are light and colourful and stylishly decorated with the traditional colours of the city. Some have views of the piazza. Most rooms have a bath with a shower fitment; others have only a shower. There is no restaurant but plenty of good dining opportunities nearby. There is a rooftop terrace bar with wonderful views over the city.
www.hotelorologioflorence.com Arriving 12th March: Superior double £3,270 or for single use £3,550
Arriving 13th March: Superior double £3,120 or for single use £3,350
www.hotelsantamarianovella.it Arriving 12th March: Superior double £3,330 or for single use £3,610
Arriving 13th March: Superior double £3,180 or for single use £3,410
Hotel Brunelleschi
Hotel Savoy
Neatly tucked in a narrow street moments away from Brunelleschi’s dome, this luxurious boutique hotel inhabits a 6th-century tower and mediaeval church. Renovations have sensitively incorporated elements of the historical architecture while rooms are fully modernised with a contemporary and elegant décor. Some rooms only have showers, but the higher categories also have baths. The hotel has two well reputed restaurants. Although the standard is higher than that of most 4-stars, for regulatory reasons it has chosen not to accept a fifth. More suites are available on request.
A member of the Rocco-Forte collection, the 5-star Hotel Savoy is located centrally in the prestigious Piazza della Repubblica, a short walk from the Uffizi and the Duomo. Stylish contemporary décor in neutral tones is enhanced with the distinctly personal touches of its designer, Olga Polizzi. There is a small but sophisticated restaurant and a gym. Some rooms overlook the piazza and most have baths with shower fitments. More suites are available on request.
www.brunelleschihotelflorence.com Arriving 12th March: Classic double £3,870 or for single use £4,460 Junior Suite (2 sharing) £4,660
Arriving 13th March: Classic double £3,680 or for single use £4,170 Junior Suite (two sharing) £4,320
www.roccofortehotels.com/hotels-and-resorts/hotel-savoy Arriving 12th March: Classic double £4,340 or for single use £5,020 Classic Suite (2 sharing) £5,040
Arriving 13th March: Classic double £4,130 or for single use £4,690 Classic Suite (2 sharing) £4,710
book online at www.martinrandall.com
13
A Festival of Music in Florence, 13–18 March 2017
Walks & visits Participants will be able to choose from a small selection of walks and visits, all of which are led by one of our lecturers with a deep knowledge of the city – full information about these and prices will be sent to all those booked at a later stage. There will also be optional lectures on the art history of Florence, which do not need to be booked in advance.
Lecturers Dr Michael Douglas-Scott Associate Lecturer in History of Art at Birkbeck College, specialising in 16th-century Italian art and architecture. He studied at the Courtauld and lived in Rome for several years. He has written articles for Arte Veneta, Burlington Magazine and the Journal of the Warburg & Courtauld Institutes. Dr Antonia Whitley Art historian and lecturer specialising in the Italian Renaissance, though her interests also include paintings of World War One. She obtained her PhD from the Warburg Institute, University of London, on Sienese society in the 15th century, and has published articles on related topics. She has lectured for the National Gallery and has taught in the War Studies department of King’s College, London. She organises adult education study sessions and has led many tours in Italy.
14
+44 (0)20 8742 3355 | info@martinrandall.co.uk
Fitness for the festival We must stress that it is essential to cope with the walking and stair-climbing required to get to the concerts and other events. You should be able to walk unaided for at least 30 minutes. Florence streets are often roughly paved and sometimes narrow. Festival staff will not have the resources to assist individuals with walking difficulties. There is no age limit for this festival or for the pre-festival tours but we do ask that prospective participants assess their fitness by trying some simple exercises described here:
Self-assessment tests 1. Chair stands. Sit in a dining chair, with arms folded and hands on opposite shoulders. Stand up and sit down at least 8 times in 30 seconds. 2. Step 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 2 minutes. 3. Agility test. Place an object 3 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 7 seconds. Illustrations. Above: Florence, copper engraving c. 1750. Opposite page: The Campanile, illustration by Joseph Pennell from ‘The Road in Tuscany’, 1904. Page 16: Venice, Canareggio, by R.R. Holmes in ‘The Makers of Venice’, 1905.
Pre-festival tour
Florence: Cradle of the Renaissance 6–12 March 2017 (md 164) 7 days • £2,340 Lecturer: Dr Antonia Whitley
particularly for High Renaissance and Baroque paintings. Visit S. Spirito, Brunelleschi’s last great church, with many 15th-century altarpieces, and the extensive Boboli Gardens, at the top of which is an 18th-century ballroom and garden overlooking olive groves. See the Masaccio/ Masolino fresco cycle in the Brancacci Chapel, a highly influential work of art which influenced all subsequent generations of Renaissance artists.
The world’s best location for an art-history tour: here were laid the foundations of the next 500 years of western art. The lecturer is Dr Antonia Whitley, who specialises in the Italian Renaissance.
Day 7. See the Renaissance statuary at the church-cum-granary of Orsanmichele, and there is a second, selective visit to the Uffizi. If you are not joining A Festival of Music in Florence, fly from Florence Airport, arriving at London Cit Airport at c. 9.00pm.
Still retains an astonishingly dense concentration of great works of art. The Renaissance is centre stage, but mediaeval and other periods also feature. Avoids the crowds of busier months with a smaller group than usual (8–18 participants). A first visit to Florence can be an overwhelming experience, and it seems that no amount of revisiting can exhaust her riches, or stem the growth of affection and awe which the city inspires in regular visitors. For hundreds of years the city nurtured an unceasing succession of great artists. No other place can rival Florence for the quantity of first-rate, locally produced works of art, many still in the sites for which they were created or in museums a few hundred yards away. Giotto, Brunelleschi, Donatello, Masaccio, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo – these are some of the artists and architects whose works will be studied on the tour, fully justifying Florence’s epithet as the cradle of the Renaissance. Florence is, moreover, one of the loveliest cities in the world, ringed by the foothills of the Apennines and sliced in two by the River Arno. Narrow alleys lead between the expansive piazze and supremely graceful Renaissance arcades abound, while the massive scale of the buildings impressively demonstrates the wealth once generated by its precocious economy. It is now a substantial, vibrant city, yet the past is omnipresent, and, from sections of the mediaeval city walls, one can still look out over olive groves. Though the number of visitors to Florence has swelled hugely in recent years, it is still possible in the colder months, and with careful planning, to explore the city and enjoy its art in relative tranquillity.
Itinerary Day 1. Fly at c. 11.15am from London City Airport to Florence. In the late afternoon visit the chapel in the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi which has exquisite frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli. Day 2. Visit Michelangelo’s Laurentian Library, whose architectural components would herald the onset of Mannerism. A Medici morning includes S. Lorenzo, the family parish church designed by Brunelleschi and their burial chapel in the New Sacristy with Michelangelo’s enigmatic sculptural ensemble. In the afternoon
Final day of the festival. Fly from Florence, arriving at London City Airport at c. 12.15pm.
Practicalities Price – per person. Two sharing: £2,340 or £2,150 without flights. Single occupancy: £2,600 or £2,410 without flights. Included: flights (City Flyer), British Airways; travel by private coach; accommodation; breakfasts, 1 lunch, 4 dinners with wine; all admissions, tips, taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager. see the Byzantine mosaics and Renaissance sculpture in the cathedral baptistery, and cathedral museum. Day 3. Brunelleschi’s Foundling Hospital, begun in 1419, was the first building to embody stylistic elements indisputably identifiable as Renaissance. See Michelangelo’s David, the ‘Slaves’ in the Accademia and the frescoes and panels of pious simplicity by Fra Angelico in the Friary of S. Marco. In the afternoon visit Piazza della Signoria, civic centre of Florence with masterpieces of public sculpture, then continue to the Uffizi which has masterpieces by every major Florentine painter as well as international Old Masters. Day 4. Visit S. Maria Novella, the Dominican church with many works of art (Masaccio’s Trinità, Ghirlandaio’s frescoed sanctuary). See the Rucellai Chapel in the deconsecrated church of S. Pancrazio, now part of the Museo Marino Marini. Free afternoon. Day 5. Visit the Bargello, housing Florence’s finest sculpture collection with works by Donatello, Verrocchio, Michelangelo and others. Walk to the vast Franciscan church of S. Croce, favoured burial place for leading Florentines and abundantly furnished with sculpted tombs, altarpieces and frescoes. Lunch is at a restaurant on the Piazzale Michelangelo before a visit to S. Miniato al Monte, the Romanesque abbey church with panoramic views of the city. Day 6. In the morning visit the redoubtable Palazzo Pitti, which houses several museums including the Galleria Palatina, outstanding
Accommodation. Hotel Santa Maria Novella (hotelsantamarianovella.it): delightful recently renovated 4-star hotel in a central location. How strenuous? There is a lot of walking in the centre where the ground is sometimes uneven and pavements are narrow. It should not be attempted by anyone who has difficulty with walking and stair-climbing. Fitness is essential. Group size: between 8 and 18 participants.
Combining this tour with the festival We charge the price including flights for this tour, and the ‘no flights’ price for the festival (see page 11). We assume that you will require accommodation for the night between this tour and the festival (12th March). This will be at the hotel that you have chosen for the festival. You will not have to choose a festival flight option for your return to London. See the final part of the itinerary above.
Other possible combinations Normans in the South, 21–29 March 2017 Venetian Palaces, 21–25 March 2017 Sicily, 20 March–1 April 2017 Contact us for full details or visit www.martinrandall.com
book online at www.martinrandall.com
15
Post-festival tour
Florence & Venice mediaeval city walls and distant vistas of olive groves to the narrow alleyways, expansive piazzas and imposing palazzi, all reminders of the vast banking wealth which drove its artistic preeminence. Trade with the East was the source of Venice’s wealth, and the eastern connection has left its indelible stamp, with western styles tempered by a richness of effect and delicacy of pattern redolent of oriental opulence. Seeing the highlights of these two cities in succession provides one of the great aesthetic journeys the world has to offer.
Itinerary 13th March. Those joining the festival fly at c. 11.00am from London Heathrow to Pisa.
19–26 March 2017 (md 166) 8 days • £2,840 Lecturer: Dr Kevin Childs Wide-ranging survey with an emphasis on the Renaissance. Includes a private, after-hours visit to the Basilica di San Marco to see the splendour of the Byzantine mosaics. Led by Dr Kevin Childs, writer and lecturer with a focus on the Italian Renaissance. Off-peak dates, smaller group than usual with a maximum of 18 participants. To achieve a proper appreciation of Italian art and civilization, there can be no better way than immersion in the cities of Venice and Florence. There are similarities between the two: the simultaneity of their periods of greatness (with consequent rivalry); the extraordinary wealth generated by pioneering commercial and manufacturing enterprise; republican and democratic political systems; and, above all, the brilliance of their material culture, both bequeathing a corpus of painting, sculpture and architecture of incomparable quantity, quality and influence. And there are differences. Florence, an inland city, is largely built of local rough-hewn pietra forte, a tough brown stone, with columns and arches of pietra serena, grey and severe. Venice, the greatest maritime power of its time, imported coloured marbles and white limestone from around the Mediterranean and brick from its hinterland. Florentine art is tough, linear and monumental, while in Venice primacy is given to colour, gorgeous and evanescent. Venice’s lagoon location and its myriad canals is beyond different, it is unique. Florence was, of course, the cradle of the Renaissance. Giotto, Brunelleschi, Donatello, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo are some of the great names studied on this tour. Today Florence is a vibrant, contemporary city, but the past is omnipresent: from the
16
Day 1: Florence. Those not transferring from the festival fly at c. 11.00am from London Heathrow to Pisa. Drive to Florence and visit the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi chapel with exquisite frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli. Festival participants join the group at c. 5.00pm. First of four nights here. Day 2: Florence. In the morning visit Piazza della Signoria, civic centre of Florence with masterpieces of public sculpture, then continue to the church-cum-granary of Orsanmichele, adorned with important Renaissance statuary. Visit the Bargello, a mediaeval palazzo housing Florence’s finest sculpture collection with works by Donatello, Verrocchio and Michelangelo. The cluster of cathedral buildings occupies the afternoon; the baptistery with Byzantine mosaics and Renaissance sculpture, the polychromatic marble Duomo, and the excellent collections in the cathedral museum. Day 3: Florence. A Medici morning includes S. Lorenzo, the family parish church designed by Brunelleschi, their burial chapel in the New Sacristy with Michelangelo’s largest sculptural ensemble, and Michelangelo’s Laurentian Library. See Michelangelo’s David and the ‘Slaves’ in the Accademia. Visit the vast Franciscan church of Sta. Croce, favoured burial place for leading Florentines and abundantly furnished with sculpted tombs, altarpieces and frescoes. Day 4: Florence. Visit S. Maria Novella, the Dominican church with many works of art (Masaccio’s Trinità, Ghirlandaio’s frescoed sanctuary). See the Masaccio/Masolino fresco cycle in the Brancacci Chapel, a highly influential work of art which influenced all subsequent generations of Renaissance artists. The afternoon is devoted to the Uffizi, Italy’s most important art gallery, which has masterpieces by every major Florentine painter as well as international Old Masters. Day 5: Florence, Venice. Travel by rail to Venice (first class) for the first of three nights. Introductory walk in the Piazza S. Marco with a visit of the Doge’s Palace with pink Gothic revetment and rich Renaissance interiors. Day 6: Venice. The Accademia is Venice’s major art gallery, where all the Venetian painters are
+44 (0)20 8742 3355 | info@martinrandall.co.uk
represented. Cross the bacino to Palladio’s island church of S. Giorgio Maggiore and then to the tranquil Giudecca to see his best church, Il Redentore. In the evening, a private after-hours visit to the Basilica of S. Marco, an 11th-century Byzantine church enriched over the centuries with mosaics, sculpture and precious objects. Day 7: Venice. Visit the vast Gothic church of SS. Giovanni e Paolo and the early Renaissance Sta. Maria dei Miracoli. Cross the Grand Canal to the San Polo district, location of the great Franciscan church of Sta. Maria Gloriosa dei Frari with outstanding artworks including Titian’s Assumption, and the Scuola Grande di S. Rocco, with dramatic paintings by Tintoretto. Day 8: Venice. Free morning. Cross the lagoon to the airport. Fly from Venice to London Heathrow, arriving c. 7.15pm.
Practicalities Price – per person. Two sharing: £2,840 or £2,720 without flights. Single occupancy: £3,210 or £3,090 without flights. Included: flights (Euro Traveller), British Airways; private coach from Florence airport; 1st-class rail Florence–Venice; Venice vaporetto pass; water-taxi to Venice airport; accommodation; breakfasts, 1 lunch, 4 dinners with wine; admissions; tips; taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager. Accommodation. Hotel Santa Maria Novella, Florence (hotelsantamarianovella.it): 4-star hotel in a central location. Westin Europa & Regina, Venice (westineuropareginavenice.com): historic 5-star hotel on the Grand Canal. How strenuous? The nature of both Florence and Venice means that they are usually traversed on foot. There is a lot of walking, and standing around in museums and churches. Group size: between 8 and 18 participants.
Combining this tour with the festival We charge you the price including flights for this tour, and the ‘no flights’ price for the festival (see page 11). We assume that you will require accommodation for the night between the festival and this tour (18th March). This will be at the hotel that you have chosen for the festival. You will not have to choose a festival flight option for your journey from London. See the start of the itinerary above.
Other possible combinations See page 15 for some further suggestions of tours that can be combined with A Festival of Music in Florence.
A Festival of Music in Florence, 13–18 March 2017
Booking form Name(s) as you would like it/them to appear to other festival participants Participant 1 Participant 2
Contact details for all correspondence Address Postcode/Zip Country Telephone (home) Mobile E-mail ☐ Please tick if you are happy to receive your tour and booking documents by e-mail only, where possible. ☐ Please tick if you do NOT want to receive regular updates by e-mail on our other tours, music festivals and London Days. ☐ Please tick if you do NOT want to receive any more of our brochures.
What initially prompted your booking? For example, a marketing email from us, browsing on our website, or receiving this brochure.
Hotel and room type – please tick. Hotel details and prices are given on pages 12–13. Classic double for sole use
Classic double (2 sharing)
Superior double for sole use
Superior double (2 sharing)
Junior Suite (2 sharing)
Classic Suite (2 sharing)
Balestri
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Santa Maria Novella
-
-
☐ ☐ ☐
-
L’Orologio
☐ ☐ ☐
-
-
☐ ☐ ☐
☐ ☐ ☐
-
-
-
-
-
-
☐
-
-
-
-
☐
Bernini Palace Brunelleschi Savoy
Arrival date in Florence – please tick one option. ☐ I require accommodation from 12th March – the day before the festival starts ☐ I require accommodation from 13th March – first day of the festival Sharing a room? Please tick for:
☐ Twin beds
☐ Double bed
Travelling to Florence – please tick one option, unless you are also booking the pre- and/or post-festival tour. For full details see page 11.
Pre- or post-festival tours. Tick to book.
Arriving 12th March, leaving 18th:
Arriving 12th March, leaving 18th:
☐ Florence: Cradle of the Renaissance 6–12 March 2017. See page 15.
☐ Option 1. Heathrow–Pisa Depart 11.05, return 16.30
☐ Option 4. Heathrow–Pisa Depart 11.05, return 16.30
☐ Florence & Venice 19–26 March 2017. See page 16.
☐ Option 2. Gatwick–Florence Depart 16.05, return 15.20
☐ Option 5. City–Florence Depart 11.15, return 12.10
Room type. Please tick one.
☐ Option 3. City–Florence Depart 16.15, return 12.10
☐ Option 6. Gatwick–Florence Depart 16.05, return 15.20
☐ Double (2 sharing)
☐ Double for sole use ☐ Twin (2 sharing)
Travel arrangements. Please tick one.
No flights. Making my own arrangements for travel to and from the festival:
☐ I will take the flights included with the tour
☐ Option 7. No flights. Reduction: £130.
☐ I will make my own travel arrangements
A Festival of Music in Florence, 13–18 March 2017
Booking form Optional extras. Tick to book.
Further information or special requests, including dietary requirements.
☐ Two extra dinners, ensuring that every evening is spent in the company of other festival participants. Price: £140.
Passport details. Essential for airlines and hotels and in case of emergency during the festival or tour. Title
Surname
Forename(s)
Nationality
Place of birth
Date of birth (dd/mm/yy)
Passport number
Place of issue
Date of issue (dd/mm/yy)
Date of expiry (dd/mm/yy)
1 2
1 2
Next of kin or contact in case of emergency. 1. Name
Relation to you
Telephone
2. Name
Relation to you
Telephone
Payment & agreement Please tick payment amount:
(Bank transfer continued.)
☐ EITHER Deposit(s). 10% of your total booking cost.
Account name: Martin Randall Travel Ltd Bank: Handelsbanken, 2 Chiswick High Road, London W4 1TH
For transfers from UK (Sterling) bank accounts: Account number 8663 3438 Sort code 40-51-62
For transfers from non-UK bank accounts: IBAN: GB98 HAND 4051 6286 6334 38 Swift/BIC code: HAND GB22
☐ OR Full Payment. This is required if you are booking within 10 weeks of departure (2 January 2017 or later). TOTAL: £ Please tick payment method: ☐ Cheque. I enclose a cheque payable to Martin Randall Travel Ltd – please write the festival code (md 165) on the back. ☐ 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.
Bookings paid for by credit card will have 2% added to cover processing charges. This brings us into line with standard travel industry practice. It does not apply to other forms of payment.
☐ Bank transfer. Use your surname and the festival code (md 165) as a reference and ask your bank to allow for all charges.
I have read and agree to the Booking Conditions on behalf of all listed on this form. Signature Date
Martin Randall Travel Ltd Voysey House, Barley Mow Passage, London W4 4GF, United Kingdom Tel +44 (0)20 8742 3355 Fax +44 (0)20 8742 7766 ATOL 3622 | ABTA Y6050 | AITO 5085
info@martinrandall.co.uk www.martinrandall.com
Martin Randall Australasia PO Box 1024, Indooroopilly, QLD 4068, Australia Tel 1300 55 95 95 | New Zealand 0800 877 622 anz@martinrandall.com.au Canada Tel (647) 382 1644 | canada@martinrandall.ca USA Tel 1 800 988 6168 (connects with London office)
A Festival of Music in Florence, 13–18 March 2017
Booking details & conditions 1. Booking option We recommend that you contact us first to ascertain that your preferred accommodation is still available. You can make a booking option which we will hold for one week (longer if necessary) pending receipt of your completed Booking Form and deposit.
2. Definite booking Fill in the Booking Form and send it to us with the deposit(s) or make a definite booking online, at www.martinrandall.com. It is important that you read the Booking Conditions at this stage, and that you sign the Booking Form if booking offline. Full payment is required if you are booking within ten weeks of the festival (i.e. 2nd January 2017 or later).
3. Our confirmation Upon receipt of your Booking Form and deposit we send you confirmation of your booking. Further details about the festival may also be sent at this stage, or will follow shortly afterwards. After this your deposit is nonreturnable except in the special circumstances mentioned in the Booking Conditions.
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, often going beyond the minimum obligations. We aim to provide full and accurate information about our tours and festivals. 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. We reserve the right to refuse a booking without necessarily giving a reason. You need to have a level of fitness which would not spoil other participants’ enjoyment of the festival or tour by slowing them down – see ‘Fitness for the festival’ on page 14. To this end we ask you to take the tests described. By signing the booking form you are stating that you have met these requirements. If during the festival or tour it transpires you are not able to cope adequately, you may be asked to opt out of certain visits, or be invited to leave altogether. This would be at your own expense.
5085
Insurance. It is a requirement of booking that you have adequate holiday insurance for the duration of your holiday with Martin Randall Travel Ltd. Cover for medical treatment, repatriation, loss of property and cancellation charges must be included. Insurance can be obtained from most insurance companies, banks, travel agencies and (in the UK) many retail outlets including Post Offices. Experience tells us that free travel insurance offered by some credit card companies is not reliable in the event of a claim. Passports and visas. Participants must have passports, valid for at least six months beyond the date of the festival. No visas are required for travel in Italy for UK or other EU citizens, or for citizens of the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand. Nationals of other countries should ascertain whether visas are required in their case, and obtain them if they are. If you cancel. If you have to cancel your participation in the festival and/or the pre-/ post-festival tour, there would be a charge which varies according to the period of notice you give. Up to 57 days before departure the deposit only is forfeited. Thereafter a percentage of the total cost will be due: from 56 to 29 days: from 28 to 15 days: from 14 to 3 days: within 48 hours:
40% 60% 80% 100%
If you cancel your booking in a double or twin room but are travelling with a companion who chooses not to cancel, the companion will be liable to pay the stipulated single supplement. We take as the day of cancellation that on which we receive your written confirmation of cancellation. If we cancel the festival or tour. We might decide to cancel the festival or tour if at any time up to eight weeks before departure there were insufficient bookings for it to be viable. We would refund everything you had paid to us. Safety and security. If the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against travel to places visited on a tour or festival, we would cancel it or adjust the itinerary to avoid the risky area. In the event of cancellation before departure, we would give you a full refund. We would also treat sympathetically a wish to withdraw from a tour to a troubled region even if the FCO does not advise against travel there. Seatbelts. Our tours and festivals subscribe to the health and safety legislation of the destination. In some parts of the world the law concerning seatbelts differs to the UK. The limits of our liabilities. As principal, we accept responsibility for all ingredients of the festival or 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 the festival or tour exactly as advertised. We would try to
devise a satisfactory alternative, but if the change represents a significant loss to the festival or tour we would offer compensation. If you decide to cancel because the alternative we offer is not acceptable we would give a full refund. Financial protection: ATOL. 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 flightinclusive 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. Financial protection: ABTA. 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 nonprovision 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.
5085
Martin Randall Travel Ltd Voysey House Barley Mow Passage, London W4 4GF United Kingdom Tel +44 (0)20 8742 3355 Fax +44 (0)20 8742 7766 info@martinrandall.co.uk www.martinrandall.com Martin Randall Australasia PO Box 1024 Indooroopilly QLD 4068 Australia Tel 1300 55 95 95 New Zealand 0800 877 622 anz@martinrandall.com.au Canada Tel (647) 382 1644 canada@martinrandall.ca USA Tel 1 800 988 6168 (connects with London office)
More music festivals in 2017: Toledo: A Festival of Spanish Music 20–25 May 2017 A Festival of Music in Salzburg 18–24 June 2017 The Rhône Music Festival 6–13 July 2017 The Danube Music Festival 20–27 August 2017 The Johann Sebastian Bach Journey 4–10 September 2017 Vivaldi in Venice 5–12 November 2017 Please contact us for information.