M A RT I N R A N D A L L T R AV E L
The tenth
Rhine Valley Music Festival 20–27 June 2015 Andreas Scholl counter-tenor & Concerto di Viole James Gilchrist tenor & Anna Tilbrook piano The Auryn Quartet Stile Antico Le Concert Spirituel The Queen’s Revels & Joanne Lunn soprano Vocalensemble Rastatt Amphion Wind Octet
M A RT I N R A N D A L L T R AV E L
The tenth
Rhine Valley Music Festival 20–27 June 2015
Bingen, c. 1840.
Tenth year, still original First launched in 1997, there have been nine previous editions of The Rhine Valley Music Festival. All have been very different from each other, even if there has been some overlap of musicians and venues.
For 2015, the tenth edition, originality is even more marked. Four of the eight venues are entirely new to the festival, and six of the eight ensembles and soloists have never performed in the festival before.
‘Superb musical programme and superb performances.’
As always, the concerts are effectively private, being exclusive to participants (maximum 150) who book a package, which also includes accommodation, meals, interval drinks, travel by river and road, lectures and a range of other services.
‘It is an added pleasure to be with travelling companions who share the same interests.’
• Eight private concerts in beautiful and appropriate historic buildings. • Musicians of the highest calibre from Switzerland, Germany, France and England. • Music from the Renaissance to the twentieth century, most composed in the countries through which we pass. • Musical relationships between England and Germany constitute an additional theme. • Choice between accommodation on a ship which cruises from Basel to Amsterdam or in hotels for a variant which features country walks. • Daily talks by leading authorities on music and history.
Australia: Telephone 1300 55 95 95 USA: Telephone 1 800 988 6168 Martin Randall Travel Ltd New Zealand: Telephone 0800 877 622 Voysey House, Barley Mow Passage, anz@martinrandall.com.au London, United Kingdom W4 4GF Telephone 020 8742 3355 Fax 020 8742 7766 Canada: Telephone 647 382 1644 canada@martinrandall.ca info@martinrandall.co.uk www.martinrandall.com 5085
M A RT I N R A N D A L L T R AV E L
Music & musicians of the highest quality As with all Martin Randall festivals, the musicians are among the finest in their fields. They include soprano Joanne Lunn and tenor James Gilchrist, both from England, and counter-tenor Andreas Scholl, a Rhinelander. Outstanding period-instrument ensembles include The Queen’s Revels from Basel, the Amphion Wind Octet from Berlin and Le Concert Spirituel from Paris. Other ensembles include Stile Antico from England and the Auryn Quartet, from Cologne and Dortmund.
Appropriate music & venues The concert venues are all in historic buildings. All have beauty or charm, and most are of the same period as the music performed in them. All are relatively small, leading to an informality and intimacy of musical communication, which engenders a heightened artistic experience. The repertoire is a broad swathe of western music from Renaissance to twentieth-century, some well known but much that will be a discovery for many in the audience. The majority is by composers from the countries through which we travel, Germany and France; some is by Austrians and Italians and quite a lot is by British composers.
Threaded through the festival is an exploration of the relationship between England and Germany, and between English and Continental music.
Exclusively chartered ship To this exceptional artistic experience is added a further pleasure, the comfort and convenience of a first-class river cruiser, chartered exclusively for the festival audience. MS Amadeus Princess was launched in 2006 and is one of the most modern and comfortable passenger ships on European waters. Acting as both hotel and principal means of transport, it sails from Basel to Amsterdam, enabling passengers to attend all the concerts and see some of the finest art and architecture in the region without having to change hotel or drive long distances.
The walking party The walking alternative (Walking the Rhine) mixes the concerts with country walks. Six of the concerts are included, and there are six walks of two to three hours beside or close to the Rhine. Participants stay in hotels rather than on the ship. The group is limited to eighteen participants. The tour starts and finishes a day before the main festival (the dates are the 19–26 June). See the text in grey under each day of ‘The Programme’ for an outline of the itinerary. The leader of this group is Richard Wigmore – see overleaf. Full details for Walking the Rhine will be available in late-September 2014. Contact us to register your interest.
The experience differs significantly from conventional cruising in many ways. There is little regimentation, no obligatory seating plan, no onboard entertainment, no intrusive announcements and absolutely no piped music.
Contents The Rhine.............................................. 4 Talks & lectures................................... 4 Joining & leaving the festival.............. 5 Fitness.................................................... 5 The Programme............................ 6–13 The Ship..............................................14 Prices & the package........................15 Post-festival tour: The Renewed Rijksmuseum............16 Booking form..............................17–18 Making a booking..............................19 Booking Conditions..........................19 This brochure was produced inhouse. The text was written chiefly by Martin Randall and Sophie Wright, assisted by Emily Deaman. It was designed by Jo Murray. It was sent to print on 21st July 2014.
Directors of Martin Randall Travel: Martin Randall (Chief Executive), Sir Vernon Ellis (Chairman), Ian Hutchinson, Neil Taylor, Fiona Urquhart.
Above: Schloss Sonneck (upper-middle valley of the Rhine), steel engraving c. 1840.
The Rhine Valley Music Festival, 20–27 June 2015
One of the great rivers of the world
Talks & lectures
The Rhine is one of the shortest of the great rivers of the world, but probably no other has served such a prominent role in shaping the history and culture of a continent.
The spoken word is an important ingredient of the festival. There are daily talks by leading authorities who are also outstanding speakers.
Stretches of the river are of great beauty and interest, the Middle Rhine especially flanked by vineclad hills with virtually every peak being topped by a castle. There is time to explore some of the towns along its course and to see some fine art and architecture.
As a trading route, the Rhine brought prosperity and a degree of cultural unity to peoples and nations along its length. At the same time the river was a barrier, a natural border, and so was the scene of tension and conflict throughout history.
‘We had a very rich musical, scenic and architectural experience.’
Professor Tim Blanning Emeritus Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge, Fellow of Sidney Sussex College and Fellow of the British Academy. Among Tim’s many books are The Culture of Power & the Power of Culture, The Pursuit of Glory: Europe 1648–1815, and The Triumph of Music in the Modern World. He will be on the ship throughout.
Stephen Johnson Regular presenter for BBC Radio 3’s Discovering Music and frequent broadcaster for BBC Radio 4 and World Service. Stephen has been a critic and journalist for the The Independent, The Guardian and Gramophone and a lecturer at Exeter University. His books include Bruckner Remembered, Mahler and Wagner. He accompanies the cruise throughout.
Richard Wigmore Music writer, lecturer and broadcaster for BBC Radio 3. Richard writes for The Daily Telegraph, BBC Music Magazine and Gramophone and teaches at Birkbeck College, University of London. His publications include Schubert: the Complete Song Texts and Pocket Guide to Haydn. He accompanies the walking party.
Left: Pfaltz Castle and the town of Kaub, lithograph c. 1820.
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the rhine, talks & lectures
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The Rhine Valley Music Festival, 20–27 June 2015
Joining & leaving the festival If you want to obtain flights through us Flights are not included in the basic price of the festival, but we have reserved some seats on the flights offered below. If you wish to add flights to your booking, please indicate your choices on the booking form.
Day 1: Saturday 20th June
Day 8: Saturday 27th June
Option 1: London Heathrow to Basel, departing 8.40am (BA 752, arriving Basel 11.15). Lunch is provided at a restaurant in Basel. Price for flight (one-way), transfer and lunch: £150. Participants taking this option attend the first performance of the first concert at 3.00pm.
Option 3: Amsterdam to London Heathrow, departing c. 11.30am (BA 431, arriving London Heathrow at c. 12.00 noon). Price for flight (one-way) and transfer: £110.
Option 2: London Heathrow to Zürich, departing 9.30am (BA 712, arriving Zürich 12 noon). The 90-minute coach journey to Basel is broken by a stop for lunch. Price for flight (one-way), transfer and lunch: £150. Participants taking this option attend the repeat performance of the first concert at 5.30pm. • The cost of flights is included in the price for The Renewed Rijksmuseum. Please select your chosen outbound flight option on the booking form. • Walking the Rhine: rail travel from London to Colmar (on 19th June) will be included in the price.
Option 4: Amsterdam to London Heathrow, departing c. 4.30pm (BA 439, arriving London Heathrow at c. 5.00pm). Price for flight (one-way) and transfer: £90. Participants have until 2.00pm in Amsterdam. Option 5: Amsterdam to London Heathrow, departing c. 7.30pm (BA 441, arriving London Heathrow at c. 8.00pm). Price for flight (one-way) and transfer: £90. Participants have until 5.00pm in Amsterdam. • The Renewed Rijksmuseum: on the 1st July, participants are booked on flight BA 439 from Amsterdam to London at 4.30pm.
If you want to make your own arrangements Option 6: making your own arrangements. You can choose not to take any of these flights and to make your own arrangements for joining the festival in Basel. You are welcome to join the transfers from Basel Airport (leaving c. 11.45am) or Zürich Airport (leaving c. 12.30pm) and to join the restaurant lunch, for which there is a charge of £40. By rail: also Option 6. We suggest you book travel yourself (neither timetables nor fares were decided when festival details were published). Currently it is possible to leave London St. Pancras at c. 8.00am (changing at Paris Nord) to arrive in Basel at c. 3.30pm in time for the repeat of the first concert at 5.30pm. Note that due to a major trade fair in Basel, hotel rooms are scarce for the few nights preceding the festival.
• Walking the Rhine: rail travel from Cologne to London (on 26th June) will be included in the price.
Fitness Quite a lot of walking is necessary to reach concert venues and to get around the towns visited. Neither the concert venues nor the ship are equipped with a lift. Participants need to be averagely fit, sure-footed and able to manage everyday walking and stairclimbing without difficulty.
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 and continental Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, Asia and the Americas. Each year there are about 240 expertled tours for small groups (10 to 20 participants), a dozen music weekends,
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symposia and music festivals and about 80 study days. For over twenty-five years the company has led the field through incessant innovation and improvement, setting 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 walking party. It is essential for participants to be in good physical condition and to be used to country walking with uphill content. No walk is more than 6.5 miles or 3 hours. There is not always the opportunity to return to the hotel to freshen up before every concert or dinner. Top and above left: from a steel engraving of 1840.
joining & leaving, fitness
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The Rhine Valley Music Festival, 20–27 June 2015
The Programme
Friday 19th June Walking party only Travel by Eurostar at c. 8.30am from London St Pancras, cross Paris and take the train for Colmar. First of two nights in Colmar.
Day 1, Saturday 20th June Basel For information on travelling to Basel see the previous page. The ship, MS Amadeus Princess, is moored in Basel and is ready for boarding from 4.00pm.
Straddling the Rhine at the uppermost point for shipping, the Swiss city of Basel retains much of its centuriesold streetscape and architecture. The Kunstmuseum is Switzerland’s finest gallery of historic art. It is also home to the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, the world’s leading conservatory specialising in historically informed performance; many of the musicians engaged for this festival trained or taught there. Today’s hour-long concert is repeated as the hall is small. Those on the 8.40am flight from Heathrow to Basel attend the 3.00pm performance while those on the 9.30am Zürich flight attend at 5.30pm. Other participants will be assigned to the performance which fits their travel plans.
Illustration, top: Basel, wood engraving c. 1880 from Swiss Pictures.
Concert, 3.00pm & 5.30pm Basel, Kaisersaal The Queen’s Revels & Joanne Lunn soprano At the Court of Elizabeth I The Queen’s Revels is a period-instrument consort specialising in English 16thcentury repertoire. Founded in 2008, the players are international alumni of the Schola Cantorum in Basel. Today they are joined by the renowned English soprano Joanne Lunn. In this programme they explore the musical links between England and the Continent through various songs, dances and consort pieces associated with Elizabeth I and her courtiers. Composers featured include John Dowland, Richard Allison, Antony Holborn, Daniel Bacheler, William Byrd and Alfonso Ferrabosco. The Kaisersaal dates to c. 1600 but was shrouded in later plaster and its existence was forgotten. It was discovered in 1979 and restored for concerts, plays and seminars. After the concert, transfer to the ship, MS Amadeus Princess. Dinner is on board. Sail overnight to Strasbourg.
The Queen’s Revels
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the programme
Joanne Lunn
The walking party. There is a morning walk in the foothills of the Vosges followed by free time in Colmar. Drive to Basel for the The Queen’s Revels at the Kaisersaal at 5.30pm. Overnight Colmar.
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The Rhine Valley Music Festival, 20–27 June 2015
The Programme Strasbourg, watercolour by E. Harrison Compton, publ. 1912.
The Auryn Quartet (©Marion Koell)
Day 2, Sunday 21st June Strasbourg Moor in Strasbourg before dawn. From the Middle Ages onwards Strasbourg has been one of the most important intellectual and artistic centres in Europe. The city has oscillated politically between Germany and France, while culturally it belonged to both; it is now seat of the European parliament. The streets, canals and architecture of the old centre make it one of the most attractive cities in France, and the cathedral is one of the great Gothic buildings of Europe. Most of the day is spent here. Again, the concert venue is small so the performance is repeated, leaving time to explore the city independently or by guided tour (details will be sent to you nearer the time).
Concert, 11.00am & 2.30pm Strasbourg, Salle Mozart The Auryn Quartet String Quartets: Haydn, Ravel & Mendelssohn An outstanding career spanning thirtythree years, during which time the members have not changed, has made the Auryn Quartet one of the most soughtafter chamber ensembles in the world. Their numerous recordings include all of Haydn’s quartets and a complete Beethoven cycle.
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They perform Haydn’s string quartet in G, Op.54 No.1, Ravel’s quartet in F, and Mendelssohn’s quartet in D, Op.44 No.1. This is a full-length concert with interval. The venue is the Salle Mozart, an elegant panelled room in an 18th-century building, formerly the Chamber of Commerce. Mozart is believed to have performed here during his stay in Strasbourg in 1778. Sail in the early evening to Speyer. The walking party. Leave Colmar in the morning and drive to Strasbourg for the Auryn Quartet’s concert at 11.00am. In the afternoon there is a walk in the vicinity of Strasbourg before driving to Speyer. First of two nights in Speyer.
‘The music was of the highest standard and fully came up to, and in some cases exceeded expectations.’ ‘Part of the delight of the trip is to hear music in unusual venues.’
The concerts Private events. The concerts are planned and administered by Martin Randall Travel, and the audience consists exclusively of those who have taken the full festival package. The concerts are therefore private. Seating. Specific seats are not reserved. You sit where you want. Acoustics. This festival is more concerned with authenticity and ambience than acoustical perfection. While some of the venues have excellent acoustics, others have idiosyncrasies not found in modern concert halls. Changes. Musicians fall ill, venues need emergency repairs: there are many unforeseeable circumstances which could necessitate changes to the programme. We cannot rule out changes to the programme due to the tide, to severe increases in water levels (which lead to the closure of locks) or indeed low levels of water. Such changes might necessitate more travel by coach. We ask you to be understanding should these events occur.
the programme
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The Rhine Valley Music Festival, 20–27 June 2015
The Programme Speyer, copper engraving c. 1700.
Day 3, Monday 22nd June Speyer, Schwetzingen Moor in Speyer in the early hours. The morning is free for independent exploration of the attractive little city of Speyer, which is dominated by the great Romanesque cathedral, the largest in Germany and burial place of the Salian emperors. Wooded parkland separates it from our mooring on the Rhine. In the afternoon drive to Schwetzingen, summer residence in the 18th century of the Electors Palatine. The historic
gardens are among the most beautiful and extensive in Europe – Baroque, Rococo, Romantic, embellished with statuary, waterworks and pavilions. Tours of the gardens with local guides will be offered.
Concert, 4.15pm Schwetzingen, Court Theatre Le Concert Spirituel Hervé Niquet director Exultant Bach & Vivaldi Original 18th-century theatres are rare, and the Schlosstheater at Schwetzingen is one of the finest of the survivors.
It was built in 1750 by Alessandro Galli da Bibiena, scion of the dynasty of theatre designers from Emilia in Italy. Founded in 1987, Le Concert Spirituel is one of the world’s leading Baroque ensembles, renowned for the élan they bring to their interpretations under their dynamic director Hervé Niquet. The ensemble takes its name from the series of concerts held in the Tuileries Palace in Paris for most of the 18th century. They have recorded over fifty discs and have performed worldwide. The programme features a Bach Cantata and sacred works by Vivaldi (psalms In Exitu Israel, Laetatus sum and Lauda Jerusalem, his Magnificat and Gloria) in their original setting for double female choir and double string orchestra. This is a full-length concert with an interval. Sail in the early evening from Speyer to Eltville. The walking party. There is a morning walk and some free time in Speyer before driving to Schwetzingen to attend the concert with Le Concert Spirituel at Schwetzingen. Overnight Speyer.
Le Concert Spirituel (©Pascal Brunet)
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the programme
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The Rhine Valley Music Festival, 20–27 June 2015
The Programme Day 4, Tuesday 23rd June Johannisberg, the Rhine Gorge Moor at Eltville, a small town with a delightful net of streets and alleys and a rose garden in the grounds of the little castle at the river’s edge. Drive in the morning past vineyards to the small town of Johannisberg, Rhineland home of the Metternichs. Their property was founded as a Benedictine Monastery and became the world’s first Riesling estate. It remains a major wine producer.
Concert, 11.15am Schloss Johannisberg Vocalensemble Rastatt Holger Speck director Songs of Travel Named after the Baroque city on the Rhine, the Vocalensemble Rastatt has developed into a chamber choir with an international reputation. They are characterised by lively and historically informed interpretations of a wide variety of musical styles and by an exceptional purity of sound. Their programme follows the theme of journeys and includes music by Morley (Wither away so fast?), Schumann (songs from The Pilgrimage of the Rose), Rossini (La passeggiata) as well as Brahms, Mendelssohn, Elgar and Schubert. This is a full-length concert with an interval.
Illustration above: Koblenz, steel engraving c. 1840.
Vocalensemble Rastatt
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The venue is the Metternich Saal in Schloss Johannisberg, a fine classical mansion built in the early 18th century, refurbished by the Prince Metternich, Austrian Chancellor, in the early 19th century and again 1945–64 after wartime destruction. Sail during the afternoon through the Middle Rhine, the most dramatically beautiful stretch of the river. Castle ruins crown practically every crag, vineyards cling to steep hillsides and picturesque towns and villages cluster at the water’s edge.
Moor in Koblenz in the evening and remain there overnight. The walking party. Drive from Speyer to the start of the walk in Rebhang. Walk through woods and vineyards with beautiful vistas of the Rhine, ending at a winery for lunch. Transfer to Koblenz for a free afternoon. (There is no concert today.) Overnight Koblenz.
Holger Speck
the programme
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The Rhine Valley Music Festival, 20–27 June 2015
The Programme The first half of the programme consists of English songs by George Butterworth (from A Shropshire Lad), Ivor Gurney and John Ireland – songs of nostalgia and lament, directly or indirectly related to the First World War. The second half is devoted to Schubert’s Schöne Mullerin, a pinnacle of the Lieder repertoire which Gilchrist and Tilbrook have performed and recorded to great acclaim.
Koblenz, watercolour by E. Harrison Compton, publ. 1912.
Windows around three sides of the concert hall provide splendid views of the Rhine and the hills around. Return to the ship and continue sailing downstream during dinner. Moor at Cologne and walk to the late evening concert.
Concert, 9.30pm Sankt Andreas Church, Cologne
Day 5, Wednesday 24th June Koblenz, Königsberg, Cologne
Concert, 4.00pm Grandhotel Petersberg
The morning is free for independent exploration of Koblenz, a very attractive historic town built around the confluence of the Moselle and the Rhine.
James Gilchrist tenor Anna Tilbrook piano English Song & Schubert
Sail at the end of the morning to Königswinter and drive up a steep hillside to the Grandhotel Petersberg. Its commanding position overlooking the Rhine is among the features which have attracted grandees and celebrities for over a hundred years to what for much of that time was a government guesthouse. Here Hitler received Neville Chamberlain during the Munich crisis in 1938.
Versatile and prolific, and equally in demand for oratorio and for Lieder, James Gilchrist is one of Britain’s finest tenors. He has performed all over the world and recorded extensively from Monteverdi to Britten. Anna Tilbrook is his regular recital partner and has a considerable reputation in song recitals and chamber music.
Anna Tilbrook & James Gilchrist
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the programme
Stile Antico Music for Compline Stile Antico is an a cappella ensemble of young British singers which has established itself as one of the most original and exciting voices in the field of Renaissance and other polyphony. They perform regularly throughout Europe and North America and their recordings have received major awards. This hour-long programme consists of music for compline by the great English Tudor composers – Sheppard, Byrd, Tallis, White, Tye and Taverner. The subject of their much praised 2007 recording, Compline, is the last of the eight daily monastic offices and the music is serene and exquisite.
Stile Antico (© Marco Borggreve)
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The Rhine Valley Music Festival, 20–27 June 2015
The Programme Cologne Cathedral, from Pen Drawing & Pen Draughtsmen by Joseph Pennell, 1897.
The church of St Andreas is one of the many Romanesque churches in the centre of Cologne. It’s elongated choir dates to the 10th century, while the capitals and other ornamentation are classic examples of Late-Romanesque sculpture. Spend the night moored in Cologne. The walking party. Walk across the wooded heights and open plateau from Brohl Lützing to a private Schloss where lunch is provided. Then drive to the Grandhotel Petersberg to attend the recital by James Gilchrist and Anna Tilbrook. After dinner in Cologne, hear Stile Antico in the Church of St Andreas. First of two nights in Cologne.
Day 6, Thursday 25th June Cologne, Schwarzrheindorf Of Roman foundation, Cologne became one of the largest and richest cities of mediaeval Europe. The enormous and perfectly proportioned Gothic cathedral dominates a historic centre which possesses several major Romanesque parish churches and world-class museums and art galleries. Much of the day is free for exploration – many of Cologne’s most important sights are within walking distance of the mooring – though tours with local guides will be offered to participants. Drive mid-afternoon to the small community of Schwarzrheindorf on the right bank of the Rhine, opposite Bonn.
Concert, 5.00pm Doppelkirche Schwarzrheindorf Andreas Scholl counter-tenor & Concerto di Viole Liturgical Baroque in Germany ‘The King of modern counter-tenors’, Andreas Scholl is one of the greatest singers in the world today. For over twenty years he has electrified audiences around the world and released a series of extraordinary recordings which range widely across the Early Music repertoire. He was born in a Rhineland town, Eltville, and has appeared many times at Martin Randall Travel’s music festivals.
The accompanying ensemble is Concerto di Viole, with whom Scholl has collaborated frequently. The programme has pieces, penitential and celebratory, by Heinrich Schütz and Dietrich Buxtehude, the most important Germany composers of the 17th century, and by lesser-known compatriots. There are two instrumental interludes with music by Legrenzi and Rosenmüller. This is a full-length concert with an interval. The venue is a small Romanesque church, remarkable even by Rhineland standards for its originality and beauty.
Andreas Scholl (©Decca/ James McMillan)
Concerto di Viole (©S. Schweiger)
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the programme
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The Rhine Valley Music Festival, 20–27 June 2015
The Programme
The Lorelei, lithograph c. 1840.
Return to the ship in Cologne and sail downstream overnight. The walking party. There is a morning walk and free time in Cologne before driving to Schwarzrheindorf for the concert with Andreas Scholl and Concerto di Viole. Overnight Cologne.
Day 7, Friday 26th June Nordkirchen Sail throughout the morning past the gentle and largely rural landscapes of the Lower Rhine. Moor at Wesel around lunchtime and drive (90 minutes) to the grand country house at Nordkirchen.
Concert, 3.15pm Wasserschloss Nordkirchen Amphion Wind Octet Classical & Romantic Wind Finale Formed in 1998 and playing on period instruments, with flair and precision, the Amphion Wind Ensemble has performed regularly in many European countries. Again, members of the ensemble are graduates of Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and are distinguished soloists in their own right.
The Amphion Wind Octet
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The golden age of the wind ensemble was the later Classical and the early Romantic periods, and the principal region of composition and consumption were the German-speaking lands of Middle Europe. Franz Vincenz Krommer, Ignaz Pleyel and the Bohemia-born Antonio Rosetti are among today’s composers,
and, exploring the Anglo-German theme with a flourish, the festival closes with an arrangement by Carl Andreas Göpfert of Daniel Gottlieb Steibelt’s celebration of Horatio Nelson. (No, nor had we.) Built 1703 and 1734 as a residence of the Prince-Bishops of Münster, Schloss Nordkirchen is a splendid country mansion in the muted Baroque style characteristic of northern Germany. It is the largest of the houses in Westphalia which are surrounded by a moat, a feature rare elsewhere in the 18th century. This is a full-length concert with an interval. Return to the ship for dinner. Sail through the night from Wesel to Amsterdam, crossing from Germany to the Netherlands around midnight. The walking party. There is time in Cologne before taking the train to Brussels and thence by Eurostar to London, arriving at St Pancras at c. 4.00pm.
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The Rhine Valley Music Festival, 20–27 June 2015
The Programme Day 8, Saturday 27th June Amsterdam MS Amadeus Princess moors in Amsterdam by 8.30am.
Leaving the festival All passengers have to disembark by 9.30am. One coach goes straight from the quay to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, arriving there by 10.00am. This is for those booked on Option 3 (BA 431, Amsterdam– Heathrow 11.40–12.00) and anyone else who wants to join this transfer. Other coaches take participants to a point in the city centre from where coaches leave at 2.00pm and 5.00pm. For your time in Amsterdam you can choose to be independent or to take a guided tour, details of which will be sent to participants. See page 5 for details of optional flight arrangements.
Time in Amsterdam Amsterdam is as distinctive as it is beautiful. It grew rapidly in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries from a small and precarious sea port to become the greatest trading emporium in Europe. With its concentric canals and close-set brick merchant houses, soaring churches and picturesque alleys, the inner city has hardly changed since its heyday. It is also a city of museums. The coach park is close to the Rijksmuseum, one of the great art galleries of the world, recently renovated; to the Van Gogh Museum, which has the largest holding of the artist’s works, and has also recently been refurbished; and to the spruced up and extended Stedlijk Museum, the city’s collection of modern art. The post-festival tour: The Renewed Rijksmuseum. At 9.00am taxis take you with your luggage from the ship to the hotel. You may participate in a guided tour of Amsterdam with other festival participants. Otherwise you are free until tomorrow. Please see page 16 for full details of this tour.
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Amsterdam, aquatint etching 1916.
Tours preceding the festival It is possible to link The Rhine Valley Music Festival with the following small-group tours. Please contact us to receive their full details or visit www.martinrandall.com.
Great Houses of the South West 9–16 June 2015 • Lecturer: Anthony Lambert Great country houses and historic gardens in Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset and Devon. Major examples of a wide range of styles from the twelfth century to the twentieth. Outstanding picture collections and exceptional furniture.
Cave Art of France 8–15 June 2015 • Lecturer: Dr Paul Bahn This tour encompasses some of the most important Prehistoric caves in Europe including Lascaux II, Peche Merle and Niaux. Great art, whatever its function or the ‘artist’s’ intention, in an area of outstanding natural beauty. Led by Dr Paul Bahn, Britain’s leading specialist in Prehistoric art.
French Gothic 8–14 June 2015 • Lecturer: Dr Matthew Woodworth The cradle of Gothic, northern Europe’s most significant contribution to world architecture. Nearly all the most important buildings in the development of Early and High Gothic, with an entire day at Chartres. Unparalleled examples of stained glass, sculpture and metalwork.
the programme
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The Rhine Valley Music Festival, 20–27 June 2015
The Ship The Amadeus Princess is one of the more comfortable cruisers on the waterways of Europe. The multi-national crew is dedicated to the highest standards of service. With a minimum floor area of 15m2 the cabins are reasonably spacious by the standards of river cruisers. All have windows to the outside and are equipped with the facilities one would expect of a first-class hotel including shower, w.c., individually adjustable air-conditioning, telephone, TV and safe. Special attention has been paid to noise insulation. In layout and furnishings the cabins are identical, the significant differences being the size of windows and height above water level (higher cabins enjoy better views and fewer stairs). Beds are twins which can be pushed together or separated.
Those on the top two decks (Mozart and Strauss) are the most desirable, with the former having floor to ceiling windows (224 x 190 cm) which slide open, and the latter having only slightly smaller windows (224 x 160 cm), which also open. Also on the Mozart deck are two suites measuring approximately 22m2 which have a sofa, table and armchair, a bath, minibar and safe.
Mozart deck: Suite
Cabins on the lowest (Haydn) deck have smaller windows (160 x 40 cm) which don’t open. There are no single cabins as such but we are allocating some two-bed cabins for single occupancy. The public areas on the upper deck include the lounge and bar, a library area and a restaurant which can seat everyone at a single sitting. The sun deck has a small jacuzzi and a tented area for shade.
Mozart/ Strauss deck: Cabin
www.lueftner-cruises.com
Haydn deck: Cabin
Above: ‘The Rhine Boat’, from The Foreign Tour of Brown, Jones & Robinson, by Richard Doyle, 1904.
Mozart
Cabin (c. 15m2): 1 Bed; 2 Television; 3 W.C.; 4 Wash basin; 5 Shower; 6 Cabinet; 7 Telephone; 8 Writing desk; 9 Window; 10 Chair; 11 Safe. The above layout applies to cabins on the Haydn, Strauss and Mozart decks.
Strauss
Haydn
14
the ship
Suite: Mozart deck (c. 22m2): 1 Bed; 2 Television; 3 W.C.; 4 Wash basin; 5 Bath tub; 6 Cabinet; 7 Telephone; 8 Writing desk; 9 French Window; 10 Chair; 11 Minibar; 12 Sofa bed; 13 Table; 14 Armchair.
book online at www.martinrandall.com
The Rhine Valley Music Festival, 20–27 June 2015
Prices Flights are not included in the prices below. See page 5.
The Festival Package
All prices are per person
Two sharing
Single occupancy*
Haydn deck (lowest)
£2,860
£3,490
Strauss deck (middle)
£3,550
£4,330
Mozart deck (top)
£3,920
£4,780
Suites (Mozart deck)
£4,660
–
Deposit: £350 per person. *All cabins are designed for double occupancy. We make a limited amount of cabins on each deck available for single occupancy, which usually sell out quickly and a waiting list forms. Around three months before the start of the festival we may offer any remaining unsold cabins previously reserved for double occupancy to single travellers on the waiting list at a higher price (Haydn £3,720; Strauss £4,610; Mozart £5,100).
The Walking Party Full details for Walking the Rhine will be available in late-September 2014. Please contact us to register your interest.
Post-festival tour For prices and deposit for The Renewed Rijksmuseum, please see page 16.
The price includes:
• Admission to all eight concerts. • Accommodation for seven nights on board a first-class river cruiser. • All meals from dinner on the first day to breakfast on the last. Wine is provided with lunch and dinner. • Interval drinks. • Afternoon tea or morning coffee on board the ship when it fits in with our itinerary. • Travel by coach to the concert venues when they are beyond walking distance. • Lectures by a musicologist and a historian. • All tips for crew, restaurant staff and drivers, and all state and airport taxes. • Practical and historical information and a detailed programme booklet. • The assistance of an experienced team of festival staff.
Braubach and Marksburg, watercolour by E. Harrison Compton, publ. 1912.
Te l e p h o n e + 4 4 ( 0 ) 2 0 8 7 4 2 3 3 5 5
prices & the package
15
The Rhine Valley Music Festival, 20–27 June 2015
The Renewed Rijksmuseum Art in Amsterdam, Haarlem & The Hague • Post-festival tour
Amsterdam, watercolour by Nico Jungman, publ. 1904.
28 June–1 July 2015 (mb 385) 4 days • £1,950 Lecturer: Dr Sophie Oosterwijk Painting of the Dutch Golden Age – Frans Hals, Rembrandt, Vermeer and contemporaries – as well as art of other eras. Plenty of time for the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam which reopened in 2013 as Europe’s best-displayed national gallery. The Mauritshuis in The Hague is also now open after complete refurbishment – ‘looks set to become northern Europe’s most alluring small museum’ (Financial Times). The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is one of the world’s great museums, but it was largely closed for ten years until 2013. Planned extension and refurbishment hit a number of unexpected snags, but the new Rijksmuseum has been greeted with universal praise. Much extra space has been quarried from within the footprint of the 1885 building, and while some of the original decoration has been revealed and restored, the latest museum technology has been adopted and the artworks are beautifully lit. Paintings, sculpture, drawings, tapestries, ceramics, gold and silver – the whole gamut of fine and decorative arts are on display, often in meaningful juxtaposition.
16
post-festival tour
Though the gallery has the finest collection by far of the Dutch Golden Age (the seventeenth century, the age of Rembrandt and Vermeer), it has much else besides, and significant international collections as well. There are two visits to the museum, and Amsterdam’s other main galleries and historic buildings are included as well as city centre walks through the enchanting streetscape and beside the canals. To enlarge upon the theme, two key galleries in other towns are visited. The Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, housed in the almshouse where the eponymous artist spent his last years, provides a perfect introduction to Golden Age art, while the paintings in the Mauritshuis, also benefitting from brilliant re-display, form one of the richest small collections anywhere.
Dutch painters of the 17th century (subject to closure for royal functions). Return to the Rijksmuseum for a second visit. Nearby are two other major art museums which have also recently been refurbished and extended, the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk Museum of modern and contemporary art.
Itinerary
Lecturer
Saturday 20th June. If you would like us to book your flight to Switzerland, choose either Option 1 or 2. See page 5 for details.
Dr Sophie Oosterwijk. Researcher and lecturer and an expert on the Middle Ages, Netherlandish and Dutch art. She has taught at the universities of Leicester, Manchester and St Andrews, and regularly lectures at Cambridge. She is a former editor of the journal Church Monuments and has published widely.
Saturday 27th June. The ship moors in Amsterdam and at 9.00am taxis take you with your luggage to the hotel. You may participate in a guided tour of Amsterdam with other festival participants. Otherwise you are free until you leave for Schiphol to join the other participants tomorrow. Day 1. Transfer to Schiphol airport at 1.30pm to meet participants joining the tour from London. Haarlem was the chief artistic centre in the northern Netherlands in the 16th century and home of the first of the great masters of the Golden Age, Frans Hals, whose finest works are in the excellent small museum here. Return to Amsterdam. Day 2. With its concentric rings of canals and 17th-cent. merchants’ mansions, Amsterdam is one of the loveliest capitals in the world. Our first visit to the brilliantly refurbished Rijksmuseum concentrates on Rembrandt, Vermeer and their contemporaries. In the afternoon walk to the Museum Willet-Holthuysen, a patrician’s house and garden furnished as in the 18th century, and the house where Rembrandt lived and worked for twenty years. Walk back to the hotel through some of Amsterdam’s most attractive streets. Day 3. The Amsterdam Museum presents the history of the city with many fine paintings. The Royal Palace, formerly the town hall, was decorated by the leading
Day 4. Opened in June 2014 after long closure for refurbishment, the Mauritshuis at The Hague ‘looks set to become northern Europe’s most alluring small museum’ (Jackie Wullschlager, Financial Times). The superb collection of paintings includes masterpieces by Rembrandt and Vermeer. The Gemeente Museum has 19th-cent. Hague School paintings, the realist milieu from which Van Gogh emerged, and works by the pioneer abstractionist Mondriaan. Fly from Amsterdam and return to London Heathrow at c. 4.30pm.
Practicalities Price: £1,950 (deposit £200). Single supplement £430 (double for single occupancy). This includes: return flights, London–Basel and Amsterdam–London; hotel accommodation for four nights as described below; travel by private coach and taxi during the tour and transfer from the ship to the hotel; breakfasts and 3 dinners with wine, water, coffee; admission to museums; tips for waiters, drivers, etc.; the services of the lecturer and tour manager. Price without flights £1,750. It is possible to book The Renewed Rijksmuseum without The Rhine Valley Music Festival. Please note there is a reduction in the tour price for this as accommodation on the 27th June is not included. Please contact us for details. Accommodation. Hotel Ambassade, Amsterdam (ambassade-hotel.nl): 4-star hotel occupying several contiguous houses on one of the prettiest canals in the city. Rooms are individually decorated and very comfortable, and service is very good. Group size: between 10 and 20 participants.
book online at www.martinrandall.com
The Rhine Valley Music Festival, 20–27 June 2015
Booking Form Travellers’ names. Give your name(s) as you would like it/them to appear to other festival participants. 1. 2.
Contact details for correspondence. Address
Fax Mobile Email
Postcode
☐ Tick if you do NOT want to receive updates by email on other tours and festivals. ☐ Tick if you do NOT want to receive any more of our brochures.
Telephone (home)
How did you originally hear about us?
Telephone (work)
Deck, and cabin type (see page 14). Please tick.
Travel options (see page 5 for fuller details and prices).
Haydn deck (lowest)
Strauss deck (middle)
Please tick your chosen outbound and inbound option.
☐ Single occupancy
☐ Single occupancy
Outbound: Saturday 20th June 2015
☐ Twin beds together
☐ Twin beds together
☐ Twin beds separated
☐ Twin beds separated
☐ Option 1: £150. London Heathrow to Basel (BA 752). Departing c. 8.40am and arriving c. 11.15am.
Mozart deck (top)
Mozart deck suites
☐ Option 2: £150. London Heathrow to Zürich (BA 712). Departing c. 9.30am and arriving c. 12.00 noon.
☐ Single occupancy
☐ Twin beds together
☐ No flight. Making your own arrangements.
☐ Twin beds together
☐ Twin beds separated
Inbound: Saturday 27th June 2015
☐ Twin beds separated
☐ Option 3: £110. Amsterdam to London Heathrow (BA 431). Departing c. 11.30am and arriving c. 12.00 noon.
Post-festival tour (tick to book). ☐ The Renewed Rijksmuseum, 28 June–1 July 2015 (page 16). Room type (tick one): ☐ Single occupancy
☐ Twin (two sharing)
☐ Double (two sharing)
Flights (tick one): ☐ Taking the group flight from Amsterdam to London at the end of the tour. Please also select an outbound option in the section to the right for the start of the festival (this is included in the price for the post-festival tour). ☐
Making own travel arrangements at the end of the tour. If you require a flight at the start of the festival, please select an outbound option in the column to the right – a supplement will apply (see page 5 for details and prices).
☐ Option 4: £90. Amsterdam to London Heathrow (BA 439). Departing c. 4.30pm and arriving c. 5.00pm. ☐ Option 5: £90. Amsterdam to London Heathrow (BA 441). Departing c. 7.30pm and arriving c. 8.00pm. ☐ No flight. Making your own arrangements.
Special requests including dietary requirements (even if you have told us before).
The Rhine Valley Music Festival, 20–27 June 2015
Booking Form Passport details (in block capitals). Essential for airlines and in case of emergency during the festival. Traveller 1
Traveller 2
Title
Title
Surname
Surname
Forename(s)
Forename(s)
Date of birth (dd/mm/yy)
Date of birth (dd/mm/yy)
Passport number
Passport number
Place of birth
Place of birth
Place of issue
Place of issue
Nationality
Nationality
Date of issue (dd/mm/yy)
Date of issue (dd/mm/yy)
Date of expiry (dd/mm/yy)
Date of expiry (dd/mm/yy)
Next of kin or contact in case of emergency. Name
Telephone number
Address
Relation to you
Payment details EITHER deposit(s) at £350 per person for the festival, plus £200 per person if you are booking the post-festival tour.
☐ OR by bank transfer. Please use your surname and the festival code (mb 383) as the reference and allow for all bank charges.
Total: £
Account name: Martin Randall Travel Ltd Bank name and address: Royal Bank of Scotland, Drummonds, 49 Charing Cross, London SW1A 2DX
OR full payment – required if you are booking within ten weeks of departure (i.e. 11th April 2015 or later). Total: £ ☐ EITHER by cheque. Please make cheques payable to Martin Randall Travel Ltd, writing the festival code (mb 383) on the back. ☐ OR by credit or debit card. We accept payment by Visa, Amex or Mastercard. Card number
Account number: 0019 6050 Sort code: 16-00-38 IBAN: GB71 RBOS 1600 3800 1960 50 Swift/ BIC code: RBOS GB2L
Agreement I have read and agree to the Booking Conditions on behalf of all listed on this form. Signed Date
Expiry date
Start date
Australia: Telephone 1300 55 95 95 USA: Telephone 1 800 988 6168 Martin Randall Travel Ltd New Zealand: Telephone 0800 877 622 Voysey House, Barley Mow Passage, anz@martinrandall.com.au London, United Kingdom W4 4GF Telephone 020 8742 3355 Fax 020 8742 7766 Canada: Telephone 647 382 1644 canada@martinrandall.ca info@martinrandall.co.uk www.martinrandall.com 5085
The Rhine Valley Music Festival, 20–27 June 2015
Booking Details Making a booking 1. Provisional booking
2. Definite booking
3. Our confirmation
We recommend that you contact us first to ascertain that your preferred deck and cabin type is still available. You can make a provisional booking which we will hold for one week (longer if necessary) pending receipt of your completed Booking Form and deposit. It is important that you also read our Booking Conditions below.
Fill in the Booking Form and send it to us with the deposit. It is important that you read the Booking Conditions at this stage, and that you sign the Booking Form. Full payment is required if you are booking within ten weeks of the festival.
Upon receipt of your Booking Form and deposit we send you confirmation of your booking. After this your deposit is nonreturnable except in the special circumstances mentioned in the Booking Conditions.
Zealand. Nationals of other countries should ascertain whether visas are required in their case, and obtain them if they are.
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.
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.
All we ask of you We ask 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 to accept a booking without necessarily giving a reason. It is essential to be able to cope with the walking and the steps required to get to the concert venues. See ‘Fitness’ on page 5. There is no age limit for the festival, though we cannot accept bookings on the post-festival tour, The Renewed Rijksmuseum, or on the walking alternative to the festival, from those who would be 81 or over at the time of departure. Insurance. It is a requirement of booking that you have adequate holiday insurance. 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. Passports and visas. Participants must have passports, valid for at least six months beyond the date of the festival. No visas are required for visiting The Netherlands, Germany or Switzerland for UK or other EU citizens, or for citizens of the USA, Canada, Australia or New
If you cancel. If you have to cancel your participation in the festival or the 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%
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 there were insufficient bookings for it to be viable. We would refund everything you had paid to us. We might also cancel if hostilities, civil unrest, natural disaster or other circumstances amounting to force majeure affect the region. Safety and security. If the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against travel to places visited on the festival or tour, we would cancel or adjust the itinerary to avoid the risky area. In the event of cancellation before the festival or tour commenced we would give you a full refund. 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. Financial protection. We provide full financial protection for our package holidays, 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. 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
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. 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. 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.
M A RT I N R A N D A L L T R AV E L A RT • A R C H I T E C T U R E • G A S T R O N O M Y • A R C H A E O L O G Y • H I S T O R Y • M U S I C
Sections from a map of the Rhine, wood engraving from The Illustrated London News, 16 August 1845. Front cover: Bacharach, chromolithograph c. 1850 by François Stroobant (1819–1916).
Martin Randall Travel Ltd Voysey House, Barley Mow Passage, London, United Kingdom W4 4GF Telephone 020 8742 3355 Fax 020 8742 7766 info@martinrandall.co.uk
5085
www.martinrandall.com
Australia: Martin Randall Australasia, PO Box 537, Toowong, QLD 4066 Telephone 1300 55 95 95 Fax 07 3377 0142 anz@martinrandall.com.au From New Zealand: Telephone 0800 877 622 Canada: Telephone 647 382 1644 Fax 416 925 2670 canada@martinrandall.ca USA: Telephone 1 800 988 6168