The Johann Sebastian Bach Journey (7–13 July 2013) by Martin Randall Travel

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The Johann Sebastian

Bach Journey 7â&#x20AC;&#x201C;13 July 2013

The Johann Sebastian

Bach Journey 7–13 July 2013

Journeying to the places where Johann Sebastian Bach lived and worked is an experience as near to pilgrimage as is offered by the history of music. And hearing his music in buildings which he frequented, or even where it was first performed, must rank among the highest delights available to music lovers. This unique festival provides the opportunity. Eight concerts in eight different venues present a comprehensive range of Bach’s output, alongside works by other contemporaries and predecessors. For this, the fifth J.S. Bach Journey, we have assembled artists and ensembles who are world leaders in performance of the repertoire. The distances travelled are quite small, but the event is emphatically a journey. It starts, as Bach did, in the little towns and cities of the principality of Thuringia, and finishes, again like Bach, in the free city of Leipzig. The audience stays in hotels in three different places, Mühlhausen, Weimar and Leipzig, and the concerts take place here and in three other towns. Admission to the concerts is exclusive to those who take a complete package which includes hotels, flights from the UK, private coaches, dinners and lectures. Except in Mühlhausen, where the only hotels are of 3-star standard, a range of hotels from 3-star to 5-star is offered, enabling a choice between four different prices.

Martin Randall Travel

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‘The programming was superb, and the performances, without exception, were wonderful.’ H. B., Oxfordshire

‘It was indeed a real journey, and one I felt privileged to be a part of.’ E. H., New South Wales

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The Johann Sebastian Bach Journey 2013

The Concerts Contents

The Concerts...................................3 The Places....................................4–6 The Musicians.............................7–9 The Speaker.....................................9 Hotels & Prices....................... 10–11 Travel Options...............................12 Further Practicalities.....................13 Pre-festival Tours..................... 14–16 Booking Form......................... 17–18 Booking Details.............................19

Mühlhausen, Church of St Blasii Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin & Vokalakademie Berlin Johannette Zomer (soprano)

In the church where J.S. Bach was organist 1707–8, two cantatas including one probably composed for Mühlhausen: ‘Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr zu dir’ (BWV 131) and ‘Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut’ (BWV 199).

Mühlhausen, Town Hall Pieter Wispelwey (cello)

Late evening recital of three Cello Suites: No.1 in G (BWV 1007), No.2 in D (BWV 1008) and No.3 in C (BWV 1009).

Ohrdruf, Schloss Ehrenstein Steven Devine (harpsichord)

Goldberg Variations (BWV 988)

Dornheim, Church of St Bartholomew

Himlische Cantorey, Musica Alta Ripa Veronika Winter (soprano) In the church where J.S. Bach was married, Musica Alta Ripa with Veronika Winter perform the Wedding Cantata ‘Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten’ (BWV 202). Also included is Cantata ‘Himmelskönig, sei wilkommen’ (BWV 182) with the Himlische Cantorey.

Weimar, Schloss

Leipzig, Altes Rathaus

St John Passion

Vivaldi, Overture from ‘L’Olimpiade’ (RV 725); Bach, Orchestral Suite No.2 in B Minor (BWV 1067); Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G (BWV 1048), Vivaldi, Sinfonia for Strings in A (RV 158); Bach, Violin Concerto in A Minor (BWV 1041), Brandenburg Concerto No.4 in G (BWV 1049).

Cantus Cölln Konrad Junghänel (conductor).

Sangerhausen, Church of St James

Michael and Martina Pohl (organ) Recital of Bach organ pieces on a 1726 instrument: Sinfonia from Cantata ‘Wir danken dir Gott, wir danken dir’ (BWV 29, ‘Ratswahl’ ), Organ Concerto in D Minor (BWV 596), Chorale Prelude ‘Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele’ (BWV 654), Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor (BWV 582).

Freiburger Barockorchester Gottfried von der Goltz (violin)

Leipzig, Church of St Nicholas Dresdner Barockorchester & Dresdner Kammerchor Stefan Parkman (conductor) Mass in B Minor

Illustrations. Front cover: J.S. Bach, woodcut c. 1930. Back cover: Leipzig, Church of St Nicholas, lithograph 1835. Opposite page: JS Bach, lithograph by F.G. Schlick, 1840. This page: ‘The Oratorio’, wood engraving c. 1845.

The Johann Sebastian Bach Journey 2013

The Places centre of Germany, Europe’s economic and cultural powerhouse, Thuringia feels strangely provincial and peripheral. For those who knew East Germany before 1989, the subsequent changes appear little short of miraculous – major transformation of the infrastructure, cleaning, painting and restoration of the architecture, recrudescence of commercial and social life on a par with anywhere else in Europe. But still the region hasn’t fully woken from a half-century sleep, a degenerative, corrosive slumber which allowed much of the historic fabric of the towns and villages to slide into desuetude and dereliction. A sort of architectural caries has afflicted the region, not ameliorated by the intermittent intrusion of Communist-era constructions. Yet the very dilapidation contributes to a powerful sense of the continuity of the past. These are the towns where Bach grew up and where he plied his trade, the locations of his quotidian concerns as well as the exercise of his genius. Were he to return now, he would recognise much and find his way around with ease.

Thuringia

Less than a century elapsed between the first record of a Bach in Thuringia and the birth there of Johann Sebastian in 1685. By then the exceptional musical and procreative talents of the family had led to the establishment of several Bachs as prominent professional musicians throughout the region. Not only did Johann Sebastian follow the family tradition, but for the first half of his working life he did so in the same provincial German backwater as the rest of his clan. M A RT I N R A N D A L L T R AV E L

Thuringia is – as it was in Bach’s time – a region of rolling hills, deciduous woodland, patchwork fields, compact red-roofed villages and proud little towns. Being then divided into some of the smallest city-states and princedoms of pre-unification Germany, and later only patchily affected by the ravages of industrialization and war, its appearance remained little changed throughout the twentieth century. Forty years in the chill embrace of the East German state further impeded ‘progress’. All this gives rise to a strange paradox: though at the geographical 4

Merely to walk the same streets and sit in the same pews is to enlarge and illumine one’s understanding of Bach’s music. To hear his compositions not only in the locale but in the very buildings where they were first performed is a lifeenhancing experience.

Mühlhausen

Mühlhausen is one of the delights of Germany, a dense matrix of streets and alleys and little open spaces threaded between half-timbered and stone-built buildings. Six Gothic churches rise heavenwards, and all is bounded by a circuit of mediaeval walls. The streetscape bears comparison with, say, Lucca or Avignon, with this striking difference: there are practically no tourists. The w w w. m a r t i n r a n d a l l . c o m

audience stays here for the first two nights of the festival. Bach had the post of organist at the church of St Blasius 1707–8, and here there is a concert including one of the early cantatas. The other concert in the town is in the town hall, which is unchanged since Bach’s time.

Eisenach

Eisenach is where J.S. Bach was born and grew up until the death of his father ten years later. He was baptised in the Gothic church of St George, now a cathedral, which retains its 17th-century Protestant appearance with three tiers of galleries filling the side aisles. Restoration works are planned for summer 2013 and access to the church is subject to confirmation. The visit allows time for the Bach Museum and the Thüringer Museum.

Ohrdruf

Dornheim

Bach married his first wife, Maria Barbara, at the church of St Bartholomew in the little village of Dornheim a few miles outside Arnstadt. It retains the tiers of galleries and the exquisite white and gold decorative scheme which was there at the time of the wedding in 1707. A concert here includes Bach’s Wedding Cantata (BWV 202).

Weimar

Weimar has few rivals among the smaller cities of Europe for its importance in the history of literature and music. Bach worked at the court in 1703 and again from 1708 to 1717, following such eminent musicians as Schütz and Westhoff. Liszt’s period of residence 1842–61 attracted many musical visitors including Wagner, Brahms, Smetana and Borodin and turned Weimar into

an international centre of the musical avant-garde. Richard Strauss was court Kapellmeister 1889–94. That Weimar is revered as a centre of literature and Enlightenment thought is very largely owed to the sixty-year residence and service at court of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Herder, Schiller and Nietzsche are among the other great names to have spent time here. Weimar is now one of the liveliest, perhaps the most prosperous, and certainly the best restored of Thuringian towns. The city is adorned by a magnificent range of classical architecture and landscaped parks, and as the first site of the Bauhaus school the significance of the city in the history of art reaches into the twentieth century. The city is the base for the second two nights of the Journey. A performance of the Mass in B Minor takes place in the hall of the palace.

Ohrdruf was where Bach lived with an elder brother for five years after the death of his father. Beside a stream on the edge of this very small town there is a rambling Schloss, largely of 16thcentury construction. The concert for solo harpsichord takes place in the newly refurbished hall here.

Arnstadt

Founded in 704, Arnstadt is the oldest town in eastern Germany. Spreading down the side of a hill, it has retained much of its picturesque historic centre. Bach’s first significant employment (1707–1708) was as organist at the Neukirche, as it was then called. There is no concert here but free time to visit the church.

Illustrations. Opposite page: Eisenach, 20thcentury etching; this page: Arnstadt, steel engraving c. 1850. Te l e p h o n e : 0 2 0 8 7 4 2 3 3 5 5

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The Johann Sebastian Bach Journey 2013

The Places More about the concerts

Exclusive access. All eight of 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 effectively private. Seating. Specific seats will not be reserved. You sit where you want. Seating in the churches may be a little uncomfortable; consider bringing a cushion. Acoustics. This festival is more concerned with authenticity than with acoustical perfection. Some venues have idiosyncrasies or reverberations of the sort which are not found in modern purpose-built concert halls.

Leipzig, Rathaus, engraving from The Illustrated London News, 1866.

Sangerhausen

The church of St James ( Jakobikirche) in the small town of Sangerhausen possesses a fine organ by Zacharias Hildebrandt 1726–28. A pupil and rival of Silbermann, Hildebrandt sometimes collaborated with J.S. Bach. There is a recital here.

Leipzig

Leipzig is the only large city of the Journey – though with a population of just half a million, and a fifteen minute walk to traverse the historic centre, it is not a metropolis. After the degradation of the DDR years, the transformation of the city in the 1990s seems little short of miraculous. Restoration and rebuilding went hand in hand with the emergence of pavement cafés, smart shops and good restaurants. There are fine museums here, M A RT I N R A N D A L L T R AV E L

including the art gallery which reopened in 2010 in spectacular new premises. Bach was employed here as Kantor of St Thomas in 1723 and with his various additional responsibilities effectively became director of music for the city until his death in 1750. Two concerts take place in Leipzig, one in the Renaissance town hall (Altes Rathaus) and one in St Nicholas (Nikolaikirche), the oldest church in the city dating from 1165. There is also the opportunity to attend a public concert in the Church of St Thomas with the Thomaner Choir Leipzig. Tickets (at €2 each) can only be bought on the door that evening.

Capacity. There will be about 200 participants on the festival. At the venues which cannot accomodate this number the audience is divided and the concerts repeated. Changes. Musicians may fall ill, venues may have to close for repairs, airlines may alter schedules: there are many circumstances which could necessitate changes to the programme. We ask you to be understanding should they occur.

The final two nights of the Journey are spent here.

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The Musicians Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin

Founded in 1982, the Berlin-based Akademie für Alte Musik is a chamber orchestra with a worldwide reputation. The 30-strong ensemble gives about 100 performances a year, from small chamber pieces to large-scale symphonic works, under the artistic leadership of their four concertmasters, Midori Seiler, Stephan Mai, Bernhard Forck, and Georg Kallweit. They also appear regularly with leading guest conductors, notably the Belgian countertenor and conductor René Jacobs. They have sold over a million recordings and have received numerous international prizes.

Cantus Cölln

The vocal ensemble Cantus Cölln was formed in 1987 by lutenist Konrad Junghänel. It comprises singers, all of whom have successful solo careers and is recognised as one of the most accomplished ensembles in the world. Core repertoire includes German and Italian vocal literature of the Renaissance and the Baroque and their numerous CDs include highly-acclaimed recordings of Bach motets and cantatas. In 2000, they received the prestigious Buxtehude Prize for extraordinary achievement in the field of sacred music. Konrad Junghänel is one of the most celebrated lutenists of the day and a great interpreter of J.S. Bach. In 1987 Junghänel founded Cantus Cölln and since 1994 has been a professor at the state conservatory of music in Cologne.

Photos, clockwise from top: Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin ©Kristof Fischer 2012; Konrad Junghänel; Steven Devine. Te l e p h o n e : 0 2 0 8 7 4 2 3 3 5 5

Steven Devine

A rising star of the keyboard and the conductor’s podium, Steven Devine is the harpsichordist with London Baroque and co-principal keyboard player with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. He also enjoys a distinguished solo career on the harpsichord, clavichord and forte piano and has appeared throughout the world with leading orchestras and opera companies. Devine made his London conducting debut at the Albert Hall in 2002 and his Proms directing debut in 2007. He has recorded over 30 discs, but Bach remains a particular passion – his 2011 recording of the Goldberg Variations was described by Gramophone Magazine as ‘among the best.’ 7

Dresdner Barockorchester

This period-instrument orchestra was founded in 1991 by graduates of the Dresden Music School. They perform regularly with the Dresden Chamber Choir, specialising in Bach and Handel oratorios but also lesser known works of the Dresden tradition. They have recorded for Carus and Raumklang and have toured throughout Europe and Japan.

Dresdner Kammerchor

The Dresden Chamber Choir is one of the leading choirs in Germany. Founded in 1985, the ensemble has developed under Hans-Christoph Rademann to become a professional ensemble that has M A RT I N R A N D A L L T R AV E L

The Johann Sebastian Bach Journey 2013

The Musicians Although the orchestra has worked with visiting conductors such as René Jacobs, Ivor Bolton and Trevor Pinnock, they prefer to perform without a conductor but with a concert master, thereby continuing a tradition practised into the nineteenth century. They believe that this method produces not only an intensity reminiscent of chamber music but also a completely unique timbre.

achieved great success and won awards in concerts and festivals world-wide. As well as singing a cappella the choir work extensively with the Dresden Baroque Orchestra and greatly support early music in Saxony. Stefan Parkman has gained an outstanding reputation as choir conductor, having been Chief Conductor of the Danish Radio Choir and the Swedish Radio Choir. He was born in Sweden and studied at the Royal University College of Music in Stockholm. He was recently honoured

for his work as choral conductor with the ‘Litteris et Artibus’ medal by Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden.

Freiburger Barockorchester Founded in 1987 the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra has since given over one thousand concerts. They have toured all the major European cities, South-east Asia and the Americas and performed at many of the top concert venues and festivals (Tanglewood, Mozartwoche Salzburg, BBC Proms, Concertgebouw, Berlin Philharmonie).

Gottfried von der Goltz is a renowned Baroque violinist and leads the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra from the platform of the concert master. He is also their Artistic Director. The latest recording under his direction (together with Petra Müllejans) features the complete orchestral suites by J.S. Bach and has received rave reviews: ‘There are many good recordings of these pieces, but this has superlative virtuosity. Sheer joy.’ (The Observer, December 2011).

Himlische Cantorey

Himlische Cantorey (‘celestial choirs’) took their name from a 1604 edition of psalm settings, published in Hamburg where the ensemble is based. Founded in 1995, they have become one of the most sought-after and distinctive of choirs specialising in Renaissance and Baroque repertoire. The members are not merely experienced ensemble singers but are all established vocal soloists, which provides an added dimension of individually distinguishable voices supporting the overall homogeneous choral effect.

Michael & Martina Pohl

Michael Pohl is a specialist in organ music of the German Romantic and the works of J.S. Bach. He studied music in Berlin before becoming the organist and choir master of the Hoffnungskirche in Berlin Pankow and organist at Berlin Cathedral. He has performed throughout Europe and has made many recordings. Martina Pohl studied under Michael M A RT I N R A N D A L L T R AV E L

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Pohl and has performed Bach’s works across Europe. She is responsible for the maintenance of the Hildebrandt organs.

Musica Alta Ripa

The Baroque ensemble Musica Alta Ripa was founded in 1984 by leading musicians from Hanover’s Music Academy and has since performed at distinguished venues and festivals worldwide. Their many CD recordings have won awards including the Diapason d’Or, the Echo Klassik and the Cannes Classical Award. As well as their focus on Italian chamber cantatas and instrumental music of the late French Baroque, they have completed three large recording projects dedicated to the works of J.S. Bach.

Pieter Wispelwey

Pieter Wispelwey is one of the world’s great cello soloists, renowned for his technical brilliance and interpretative mastery on both the Baroque and modern cello. Born in Haarlem and trained in the Netherlands, the UK and the US, in 1992 he became the first ever cellist to be awarded the Netherlands Music Prize for most promising young musician. Since then, he has gained an international reputation as a soloist and recitalist in a repertoire ranging from J.S. Bach to works composed specifically for Te l e p h o n e : 0 2 0 8 7 4 2 3 3 5 5

him. In 2012, he recorded the complete Bach Cello Suites for the third time. Wispelwey plays on a 1760 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini cello and a 1710 Rombouts baroque cello.

Vokalakademie Berlin

Founded by Frank Markowitsch, the choral ensemble Vokalakademie Berlin consists of young singers who are all former members of the Innsbruck Festival Chorus. The ensemble first performed under its new name in January 2011, marking its debut with the opening concert of Chor@Berlin, a newly-founded choral festival in Berlin. The artistic concept relies on the strong contribution of each individual singer.

Veronika Winter

German soprano Veronika Winter studied musicology and Italian at the University of Erlangen and singing under Norma Lerer in Nuremberg. She specialises in early music and her extensive concert work is mainly dedicated to the Baroque. As well as pursuing a career as a soloist, she collaborates with well-known ensembles including Musika Fiata Cologne, Rheinische Kantorei, Stuttgart Chamber Choir, Weser-Renaissance Bremen, and with the Himlische Cantorey – with whom she performs on this festival. 9

Johannette Zomer

Soprano Johannette Zomer was born in the Netherlands and studied at the Sweelinck Conservatorium Amsterdam followed by training in London, Wuppertal and New York. She has collaborated with Baroque specialists Ton Koopman, René Jacobs and Paul McCreesh and has recently released a CD of Bach Cantatas with Florilegium for which she won an Edison Award.

The Speaker

Sir Nicholas Kenyon read History at Balliol College, Oxford. In 2007 he became Managing Director of the Barbican Centre in London. Previous roles include: Music critic for The Times and the Music Editor of The Listener; Editor of the journal Early Music, Chief Music Critic of The Observer; Controller, BBC Radio 3 (1993); Director of the BBC Proms, 1998–2007. He is the author of the Faber Pocket Guide to Bach (2011). Illustrations. This page, top, left to right: J.S. Bach, after a drawing by H. Bossart, 1901; Pieter Wispelwey ©Hang-Jin Cho 2012; Stefan Parkman. Facing page, top: Weimar, the Ducal Schloss, lithograph c. 1830; bottom: Freiburg Barockorchester.

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The Johann Sebastian Bach Journey 2013

Hotels & Prices About the hotels

Mühlhausen (2 nights) has few hotels and we have reserved every bed in the town. There is little variation of standard between them but all are quite new or recently renovated and are of 3-star standard. All are spotlessly clean and most are family run. The bathrooms have showers only. Twin and double beds are usually two mattresses on a single base. The hotels do not have air-conditioning. Weimar (2 nights) has a very good range of 3-star, 4-star and 5-star hotels. A small city, the hotels we have selected are no more than 10 or 15 minutes’ walk from the venues. There is no air-conditioning in the Elephant (Option B Minor), nor at the Frauenplan (Option St John) but windows can be opened. Leipzig (2 nights), as a trade fair city, has a good selection of hotels of all categories though some lack charm and individuality. We have selected ones within or on the periphery of the mediaeval core of the city; none is more than 15 or 20 minutes on foot from the venues. All have air-conditioning. All prices given are per person. You choose between the following four options, arbitrarily named St John, St Mark, St Matthew and B Minor. Wireless internet is available at all hotels. Charges apply in all categories except for Option B Minor, where it is free of charge. If you intend to share a twin room with a friend, the best options are B minor and St Matthew (due to visibility of the shower cubicles from the bedroom area at the Leipzig Park and Radission hotels – Options St John and St Mark). M A RT I N R A N D A L L T R AV E L

Option St John

Option St Mark

Mühlhausen: EITHER: Mühlhäuser Hof. Opened in 2005, this small hotel comprised of three town houses dating from 1524 is located within the town walls. The decor is plain and unobtrusive. Rooms vary in size and there is one small lift (reaching floors 1 and 2 but some stairs need to be climbed to access most rooms). Porterage will be arranged.

Mühlhausen: Mirage. The hotel, purpose-built in 1994, is located a pleasant fifteen-minute walk to the old town centre. Light and welcoming, if a little dated, decor. Staff are helpful, rooms are well-equipped.

Price per person sharing a double room: £2,670. Single occupancy supplement: £140 Price without flights: less £180 Supplement for arriving 6th July: £110 or £135 (single occupancy)

OR: Mirage. The hotel, purpose-built in 1994, is located a pleasant fifteenminute walk to the old town centre. Decor is light and welcoming, if a little dated. Staff are helpful, rooms are wellequipped. You do not have to make the choice – we allocate you to a hotel randomly. Weimar: Am Frauenplan. Installed in a 16th-century house, as well as a modern extension, excellently located opposite the Goethehaus, unpretentious but comfortable. The rooms in the historic building are traditional in decor, vary in size and some have slanted ceilings. There is only one small lift here but porterage will be requested. Rooms in the extension are modern and spacious, with lift access. Leipzig: Park. This is a modern and comfortable hotel. The quirky design uses plenty of wood and is vaguely nautical. Bedrooms are a good size. There is a glass panel in the wall separating bathrooms and bedrooms. There is a good restaurant.

Price per person sharing a double room: £2,980 Single occupancy supplement: £170 Price without flights: less £180 Supplement for arriving 6th July: £110 or £135 (single occupancy)

Weimar: Dorint am Goethepark. Comprising two historic houses connected by a new addition, this is now a thoroughly modern hotel pleasantly situated by the park and a short walk from the town centre. The decoration is somewhat austere, but the public areas are spacious and the rooms elegant and comfortable. There is a restaurant in the hotel. Internet access is available free of charge when using a public computer in the lobby. Leipzig: Radisson Blu. A modern hotel, purpose-built in 1964 and completely renovated in 2006. It is situated on the Ring overlooking Augustusplatz and the Gewandhaus. Geared more to the business market, its interior of cool elegance is nevertheless comfortable. Beds can be divided into twins, but there is no more than 15cms of space between them. Bathrooms are separated from the bedrooms by a glass wall (though the lavatory cannot be seen). There is a restaurant in the hotel but we do not use it for the group meals as standards vary.

Illustrations, opposite page. Top: Mühlhausen, lithograph c. 1830; bottom right: Eisenach, J.S. Bach’s birthplace. This brochure was designed inhouse by Jo Murray. The text was written and edited by Martin Randall, Fiona Urquhart and Johanna Beise.

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The price includes:

Access to all eight private concerts. Hotel accommodation for six nights: you choose between four price options. A choice of flights between London or Manchester and Germany. (There is a price reduction of £180 if you arrange your own travel.) Travel within Germany by coach.

Option St Matthew

Price per person sharing a double room: £3,420 Single occupancy supplement: £220 Price without flights: less £180 Supplement for arriving 6th July: £110 or £135 (single occupancy) Mühlhausen: Brauhaus zum Löwen, an old timber-framed building of great character in the centre of town. Rooms are in the modern annex, 3 minutes walk from the main building. While the buildings are less characterful, rooms have recently been redecorated and have either a modern or a more rustic feel. All rooms are spacious and there is a lift. All participants dine here on the first evening. Weimar: Russischer Hof. Elegant hotel dating to 1805 and furnished in a partially modernised, opulent Russian Neo-classical style. Impressive public areas and restaurants, comfortable rooms with luxurious bathrooms, excellent location. Leipzig: Marriott. In traditional style with lots of marble, wood, brass and easy chairs. Rooms are spacious with cosy, country-style furnishings and all mod cons. Central but quiet. There is a pool.

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Option B Minor

Price per person sharing a double room: £3,840 Single occupancy supplement: £290 Price without flights: less £180 Supplement for arriving 6th July: £110 or £135 (single occupancy) Mühlhausen: Brauhaus zum Löwen, an old timber-framed building of great character in the centre of town. Modern additions form an inner courtyard. The bedrooms are simple but most of them spacious. Some rooms overlook the (quiet) street. All participants dine here on the first evening. Most rooms are not served by a lift but porterage will be arranged. Weimar: The Elephant, a famous historic establishment blending classical gravity with contemporary understatement. Bedrooms are spacious and very well equipped and there are two restaurants including the finest in Weimar.

Five dinners and two lunches, with wine, water and coffee, and a light lunch or afternoon tea on the day you arrive. Talks on the music by Sir Nicholas Kenyon. The assistance of a team of festival staff. Practical and cultural information and a detailed programme book. Tips for drivers, porters, restaurant staff.

Optional extras:

Choice of two pre-festival tours: Organs of Bach’s Time, 3–7 July 2012. Dresden & Meissen, 3–7 July 2012. (See pages 14–16.) Arrive a day earlier (see page 12). Travel by rail (see page 12).

Leipzig: Fürstenhof. The best hotel in the city, not large and with the feel of a private club. A 19th-century building, it is furnished with antiques. Rooms are spacious and superbly equipped. Service is impeccable. There is a restaurant, wine bar and pool.

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The Johann Sebastian Bach Journey 2013

Travel Options Flights

Flights with Lufthansa from London Heathrow or Manchester form part of the package. All options fly into Frankfurt and back from Berlin Tegel. Option 1: Heathrow 7th July: depart Heathrow 09.05, arrive Frankfurt 11.50 (LH 901). 13th July: depart Berlin 13.15, arrive Heathrow 14.00 (LH 3374). Option 2: Heathrow 7th July: depart Heathrow 09.45, arrive Frankfurt 12.30 (LH 903). 13th July: depart Berlin 18.10, arrive Heathrow 19.05 (LH 3376). Option 3: Heathrow 7th July: depart Heathrow 11.45, arrive Frankfurt 14.25 (LH 905). 13th July: depart Berlin 18.10, arrive Heathrow 19.05 (LH 3376). Option 4: Manchester 7th July: depart Manchester 08.55, arrive Frankfurt 11.45 (LH 941). 13th July: depart Berlin 12.50 (via Munich), arrive Manchester 16.45 (LH 2037, LH 2502). Option 5: Heathrow, a day early 6th July: depart Heathrow 09.45, arrive Frankfurt 12.30 (LH 903). 13th July: depart Berlin 18.10, arrive Heathrow 19.05 (LH 3376). Option 6: Manchester, a day early 6th July: depart Manchester 08.55, arrive Frankfurt 11.45 (LH 941). 13th July: depart Berlin 12.50 (via Munich), arrive Manchester 16.45 (LH 2037, LH 2502). Option 7: no flights You can take the package without flights and make your own arrangements for joining and leaving the festival. You are welcome to join our airport transfers from Frankfurt and back to Berlin, though we cannot wait for you should you be delayed. There is a reduction in the price of 贈180 for this option. M A RT I N R A N D A L L T R AV E L

Rail from London

It is possible to join the festival by rail, though it is not possible to buy tickets more than three months in advance and the price cannot not be confirmed until then. Current timetables allow leaving London St Pancras c. 9.00am and reaching M端hlhausen at c. 8.00pm (4 changes), and leaving Leipzig at c. 9.10am and returning to London St Pancras c. 8.40pm (2 changes). The supplement to travel by rail (firstclass) can only be confirmed 3 months before the festival. Tick the appropriate box on the booking form if you would like to be considered for this option. We will contact you nearer the time with more information.

Arriving a day early

We are offering the option of arriving at your hotel in M端hlhausen a day earlier. The supplement includes the amended flight, the transfer from Frankfurt to M端hlhausen and an extra night at your chosen festival hotel. Lunch or afternoon tea are included depending on your arrival time. Dinner is independent.

Illustration: Leipzig, Church of St Nicholas, steel engraving c. 1850. w w w. m a r t i n r a n d a l l . c o m

Further Practicalities How strenuous?

This is a demanding festival and fitness is essential. Within the towns and cities, you will be expected to walk for anything up to 25 minutes and at a pace which is unlikely to slow others down when moving as a group. Many surfaces are uneven or cobbled and there are hills. You will need to climb stairs at some venues and hotels, check in and out of three hotels and be comfortable driving some considerable distances by coach. There is no age limit but we do ask you to think seriously about the level of fitness required. If for any stage of the festival, including the airport, you would like the use of a wheelchair, then this festival is unlikely to be suitable for you.

Treating you as adults

Participation in our festivals is a very different experience from conventional group travel â&#x20AC;&#x201C; no repetitive or redundant announcements, no herding by elevated umbrella, no unnecessary roll calls, little hanging around. We work on the assumption that you are adults, and our staff cultivate the virtue of unobtrusiveness. We provide sufficient information to enable you to navigate the festival events without needing to be led. However, festival staff are also stationed around the events to direct you if needed and for some events, coaches or taxis are provided.

Martin Randall Travel

At Martin Randall Travel (MRT) we aim to provide the best planned, best led and altogether the most fulfilling and enjoyable cultural tours available. Within Europe and the Middle East we offer an unsurpassed range of events focusing primarily on art, architecture and music, and also on archaeology, history and gastronomy. MRT has for over two decades led the cultural tours market through incessant innovation and improvement, setting the benchmarks for itinerary planning, operational systems and service standards. There are two kinds of holiday, smallgroup tours and large-group events. Small-group tours, all accompanied by an expert lecturer, have 22 participants or fewer. There are now around two hundred a year in nearly forty countries. Events for between 50 and 300 participants include our famous allinclusive music festivals, of which there have been about sixty since 1994, and chamber music and literary weekends in the UK.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Musical Entertainerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, copper engraving by G. Bickham, 1737. Te l e p h o n e : 0 2 0 8 7 4 2 3 3 5 5

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The Johann Sebastian Bach Journey 2013: pre-festival tours

Organs of Bach’s Time 3–7 July 2013 (mz 629) 5 days • £1,680 Lecturers: James Johnstone & Tom Abbott

prestigious resort in the 18th century; first of two nights in Bad Lauchstädt. Day 2: Pomßen, Naumburg. The village of Pomßen has a church with an organ of the 1660s, a delightful instrument and more Renaissance than Baroque, set in a painted wood ensemble of gallery, chest and panelled ceiling. The church of St Wenceslas Naumburg has a major Hildebrandt organ of 1748. There is also time for the cathedral with its exceptional 13th-century sculpture.

Recitals on the finest Baroque organs to survive, some of them instruments which Bach and Handel knew. Accompanied by organist James Johnstone, Bach specialist, who gives recitals and demonstrations in association with local organists, and by Tom Abbott, art historian. The organs are located in towns and villages off the beaten track. For a maximum of 32 participants, the format of this tour is a hybrid between our music festivals and our small group tours. With clocks, organs were the most complex of mechanical instruments developed before the Industrial Revolution. As such they were a source of awe and admiration far beyond musical cognoscenti and their makers often enjoyed a level of fame greater than the musicians who played them. The greatest of the composers for the organ, Johann Sebastian Bach, had the good fortune to live at a time and in a place where organ-building reached a peak of excellence which perhaps has never been surpassed. This was not entirely coincidence: interaction between players and makers was an important element in refining the skills of both sides. The most famous of these organ builders was Gottfried Silbermann. He was born the son of a carpenter in the mountainous backwoods of Saxony in 1683, gained an almost monopolistic grip on keyboard manufacturing in the region and died a rich man in 1753. Nearly thirty of his fifty Saxon organs survive, some very

Copper engraving c. 1730.

nearly in original condition. They are famous – and always were – for their distinctive sounds, from the silver flutes to the strong and characterful 16’ Posaune in the pedal. Other organ builders whose work we see and hear on this tour include Zacharias Hildebrandt (1688– 1757), an apprentice and later a rival of Silbermann, and Heinrich Gottfried Trost (c.1680–1759). All had some sort of collaborative or critical relationship with J.S. Bach. This tour selects some of the finest instruments in a region exceptionally richly endowed with historic organs. Many are located in village churches far from cathedral or court, leading the visitor through terrain which is rural and remote. None on this itinerary are in large cities, and most of the towns visited have wonderfully picturesque historic centres. Some organs have been hardly altered since they were built. The eight recitals are exclusive to this group and twenty to thirty minutes long, performed by James Johnstone or the local organist. The maximum number of participants is limited to thirty-two.

Itinerary

Day 1. Fly at c.11am from London Heathrow to Berlin and continue by coach (c. 2 hours) to Bad Lauchstädt, a charming little town which was a

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Day 3: Rötha, Störmthal, Altenburg. Visit two small towns outside Leipzig with outstanding organs. In the fine mediaeval church of St George in Rötha there is a Silbermann organ tested in 1721 by Johann Kuhnau, Bach’s predecessor in Leipzig. Störmthal has an organ by Hildebrandt which was inspected and approved by Bach in 1723 and is still in its original condition. The court city of Altenburg is one of the rarely visited jewels of the former DDR, with a hilltop ducal residence featuring mediaeval fortifications, Baroque apartments and a quite remarkable collection of Italian Renaissance paintings. The chapel has a fine organ by Trost of 1739. First of two nights in Freiberg. Day 4: Freiberg, Frauenstein, Helbigsdorf. Freiberg cathedral is one of the most beautiful Late Gothic buildings in Germany and has retained an exceptional panoply of furnishings. The organ by Silbermann (1711–1714) is one of the world’s finest instruments; three manuals, 44 stops, largely unaltered. There also is another Silbermann masterpiece (1718– 19), brought here from another church. In the afternoon drive out to Frauenstein, where Silbermann spent his childhood, and visit the museum dedicated to him. w w w. m a r t i n r a n d a l l . c o m

Dresden & Meissen Lecturers

James Johnstone. Organist specialising in the Baroque and Professor at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Trinity College of Music. He has performed and recorded as a soloist and with the Gabrieli Consort & Players and Florilegium. Tom Abbott. Specialist in architectural history from the Baroque to the 20th century with a wide knowledge of the performing arts. Studied at Carleton College, Minnesota and at the Louvre School of Art History in Paris. Dresden, steel engraving c. 1840.

Day 5. Travel to Mühlhausen for the start of The J.S. Bach Journey. Day 11, 13th July. Fly from Berlin to London Heathrow, arriving at c. 7.00pm.

Practicalities

Price: £1,460 (deposit £200). This includes: flights (economy class) with British Airways (Airbus A319); private coach travel; accommodation as described; breakfasts and 3 dinners, with wine, water, coffee; all recitals; all admissions; all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturers. Single supplement £40. Flights are charged as a part of the festival package. All recitals are subject to confirmation from the relevant churches. Changes to the itinerary are possible. Hotels: Bad Lauchstädt: in the historic centre of the town and designed in the late Baroque style of the buildings that surround it. Freiberg: well-situated with a colourful history as a prison, cigar factory and school; comfortable rooms with either a shower or bath. How strenuous? There is a lot of coach travel with some long journeys. Average distance by coach per day: 105 miles. Group size: maximum 32 participants.

Te l e p h o n e : 0 2 0 8 7 4 2 3 3 5 5

3–7 July 2013 (mz 628) 5 days • £1,160 Lecturer: Dr Jarl Kremeier This tour is exclusive to participants on The J.S. Bach Journey. Once one of the most admired cities in Europe, rebuilding and restoration in Dresden has reached its peak. Optional opera concertant (La Vestale) and ballet (La Bayadère) at the Semperoper

Dresden’s greatness as a city of the arts was very much the creation of a single man, Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony 1694–1733. Though founded at the beginning of the thirteenth century, for its first five hundred years it was a minor city of little distinction. His pillaging of the state treasury to feed his reckless extravagance was both symbol and to some extent the cause of his dismal record in most areas of statecraft, but his achievements as builder, patron and collector ranks him among the most munificent of European rulers. Great architecture, a picture collection of legendary richness, magnificent accumulations of precious metalwork and ceramics (porcelain was manufactured here for the first time in Europe) and a glorious musical life transformed Dresden into one of 15

the most admired and visited cities in Europe and a major destination on the Grand Tour. If to a somewhat lesser degree, subsequent rulers of Saxony continued the tradition of cultural embellishment (and political ineptitude: they had a tiresome habit of joining the losing side). In the nineteenth century, ‘the Florence on the Elbe’ acquired buildings by Schinkel and Semper, and Weber and Wagner were directors of the opera house. In the twentieth century, Richard Strauss added to its illustrious musical history. Then in February 1945 a tragically propitious set of circumstances conspired to make the air raid on Dresden the most ‘successful’ of Allied bombing missions. Most of the art collections had been removed to safety but 80% of the old centre was destroyed.Under the Communist regime a few of the chief monuments were grudgingly restored, but since unification the painstaking process of rebuilding and restoration has accelerated. The great dome of the Protestant Cathedral, the Frauenkirche, again dominates the skyline, and the Green Vault in the royal palace again displays the unequalled magnificence of the treasury. Significantly, rank and file buildings are steadily being recreated; M A RT I N R A N D A L L T R AV E L

The Johann Sebastian Bach Journey 2013: pre-festival tours

the glory of Dresden lay as much in the lesser buildings as in the major ones. Some striking new architecture has been added, notably the all-glass car factory in the historic centre, the Foster + Partners railway station and the Museum of Military History redesigned by Libeskind.

from mediaeval to Jugendstil. See the Krämerbrücke, a 14th-century bridge piled with houses and shops, the cathedral, framing Germany’s largest set of mediaeval stained glass, and the gothic Severikirche. Continue to Mühlhausen, arriving in time for the dinner for all participants on The J.S. Bach Journey.

Itinerary

Day 11, 13th July. Fly from Berlin to London Heathrow, arriving at c. 7.00pm.

Day 1. Fly at c. 9.00am from London Heathrow to Berlin. Drive to Dresden (125 miles) where all four nights are spent. There is an introductory walk of the historic town centre before dinner. Day 2. The Zwinger is a unique Baroque confection, part pleasure palace, part arena for festivities and part museum for cherished collections. Visit the excellent Porcelain Museum and the fabulously rich Old Masters Gallery, particularly strong on Italian and Netherlandish painting. Restoration of the royal palace has now been completed, and the wonderful contents of the Green Vault, one of the world’s finest princely treasuries, are again on display in their original venue. Day 3. Drive to the terraced garden of Gross-Sedlitz, and then to Pillnitz, a summer palace in Chinese Rococo style, with collections of decorative art and a riverside park. After lunch, take the boat downstream back to Dresden. Optional ballet at the Semperoper: La Bayadère.

Practicalities

Price: £1,160 (deposit £100). This includes: private coach for transfers and excursions; accommodation as described below; breakfasts and three dinners and a lunch with wine, water and coffee; all admissions; tips for restaurant staff and drivers; all taxes; the services of the lecturer. Single supplement £160. Flights are included in the price of the main festival package.

Lecturer

Dr Jarl Kremeier. Art historian specialising in 17th- to 19th-century architecture and decorative arts; teaches Art History at the Berlin College of Acting and the Senior Student’s Department of Berlin’s Freie Universität. He studied at the Universities of Würzburg, Berlin and the Courtauld, is a contributor to Macmillan’s Dictionary of Art, author of a book on the Würzburg Residenz, and of articles on Continental Baroque architecture and architectural theory.

Hotel: a traditional 5-star hotel in a reconstructed Baroque building, tastefully decorated, with a personal friendly atmosphere. Rooms vary in size. How strenuous? Difficult to manage if you have any difficulties with everyday walking and stair climbing. Small group: this tour will operate with between 12 and 22 participants.

Day 4. Drive to Meissen, ancient capital of Dukes of Saxony and location of the discovery of hard-paste porcelain. The largely 15th-century hilltop castle overlooking the Elbe, the Albrechtsburg, is one of the first to be more residential than defensive, and within the complex is a fine Gothic cathedral. Visit the porcelain factory and museum before returning to Dresden. Optional opera concertant at the Semperoper: La Vestale (Spontini). Day 5. Drive to Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia, which well preserves its pre-20th-century appearance with a variety of streetscape and architecture M A RT I N R A N D A L L T R AV E L

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The Johann Sebastian Bach Journey 2013

Booking Form NAME(S). Give your name as you would like it to appear on documents issued to other participants. Traveller 1:

HOTEL OPTIONS. See pages 10–11. Please tick: Option St John Double room for single occupancy

Traveller 2:

Double room

Twin room

Option St Mark ADDRESS for correspondence.

Double room for single occupancy Double room

Twin room

Option St Matthew Double room for single occupancy

County / State

Double room

Postcode / Zip code

Twin room

Option B Minor

Country

Double room for single occupancy

Telephone (home)

Double room

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Twin room

Fax

TRAVEL OPTIONS. See page 12. Please tick one box (not applicable if you are taking a pre-festival tour):

Arriving on the first day of the festival (Sunday 7th July):

Option 1 (Heathrow)

Tick if you do NOT want to receive updates on our range of cultural tours and music festivals by email.

Option 2 (Heathrow)

Tick if you do NOT want to receive any more brochures from us.

PRE-FESTIVAL TOURS. See pages 14–16. Tick to book, indicating whether or not you require flights: Organs of Bach’s Time, 3–7 July 2013 (mz 629)

with flights

without flights

Option 3 (Heathrow) Option 4 (Manchester) Arriving a day early (Saturday 6th July). If you select either of these flight options, we assume that you also require accommodation in your chosen hotel option for the night unless you instruct us otherwise: Option 5 (Heathrow)

Dresden & Meissen, 3–7 July 2013 (mz 628)

with flights

without flights

Option 6 (Manchester) No flights (you choose between arriving 6th or 7th July): Option 7, No flights, arriving 6th July

FURTHER INFORMATION or special requests. Please include any dietary requirements:

Option 7, No flights, arriving 7th July Rail. Tick this box if you would like to receive information about travelling to the festival by rail from London (not available until three months before departure).

The Johann Sebastian Bach Journey 2013

Booking Form PASSPORT DETAILS. In block capitals please. Essential for airlines and in case of emergency during the festival. Traveller 1:

Traveller 2:

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Date of birth (dd/mm/yy)

Passport number

Place of birth

Place of issue

Nationality

Date of issue (dd/mm/yy)

Date of expiry (dd/mm/yy)

NEXT OF KIN or contact incase of emergency: Name

Telephone (home)

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PAYMENT & AGREEMENT

OR by bank transfer. Please use your surname and the festival code (mz 630) as a reference and please allow for all bank charges. Please tick if you have paid by bank transfer:

EITHER Deposit(s) at £300 per person Pre-festival deposit of £200 or £100 per person £ OR Full payment which is required within ten weeks of the festival £ EITHER by cheque. Please make cheques payable to Martin Randall Travel Ltd and write the festival code (mz 630) on the back.

Account name: Martin Randall Travel Ltd. Royal Bank of Scotland, Drummonds, 49 Charing Cross, London SW1A 2DX. Account number: 0019 6050. Sort code: 16-00-38. IBAN: GB71 RBOS 1600 3800 1960 50. Swift/BIC: RBOS GB2L

OR by credit or debit card. Visa/ Mastercard/ Amex:

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Martin Randall Travel

Voysey House, Barley Mow Passage, London W4 4GF Telephone 020 8742 3355 Fax 020 8742 7766 info@martinrandall.co.uk 5085

www.martinrandall.com

Date: From Australia and New Zealand you can contact: Martin Randall Marketing, Telephone 1300 55 95 95 From New Zealand +61 7 3377 0141 Fax 07 3377 0142 anz@martinrandall.com.au From Canada you can contact: Telephone 647 382 1644 Fax 416 925 2670 canada@martinrandall.ca

From the USA, you can call us toll-free on: 1 800 988 6168

M A RT I N R A N D A L L T R AV E L A R T • 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 • L I T E R AT U R E

Martin Randall Travel, Voysey House, Barley Mow Passage, London, United Kingdom W4 4GF Telephone 020 8742 3355 Fax 020 8742 7766 info@martinrandall.co.uk From Australia and New Zealand you can contact: Martin Randall Marketing, PO Box 537, Toowong, Queensland 4066 Telephone 1300 55 95 95 Fom New Zealand +61 7 3377 0141 Fax 07 3377 0142 anz@martinrandall.com.au From Canada, you can contact: Telephone 647 382 1644 Fax 416 925 2670 canada@martinrandall.ca

From the USA there is a toll-free telephone number: 1 800 988 6168 www.martinrandall.com

5085

The Johann Sebastian Bach Journey 2013

Booking Details Making a booking 1. Provisional booking We recommend that you contact us first to ascertain that your preferred hotel option and room 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.

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

3. Our confirmation Upon receipt of your Booking Form and deposit we send you confirmation of your booking. After this your deposit is non-returnable 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.

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 stair-climbing required to get to the concert venues. See ‘Fitness for the festival’. If for any stage, including the airport, you would like the use of a wheelchair, then this festival is unlikely to be suitable for you. 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 Germany 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, 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: between 56 and 29 days: between 28 and 15 days: between 14 and 3 days (inclusive): within 48 hours:

40% 60% 80% 100%

We take as the day of cancellation that on which we receive written confirmation of cancellation. If we cancel the festival or tour We might decide to cancel the festival or a pre-festival 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.

Consumer protection ATOL. If you book this festival or a pre-festival tour with flights included you are protected by the ATOL scheme because we hold an Air Travel Organiser’s Licence granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. In the event of our insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for an advance booking. ABTOT. As a member of the Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT), Martin Randall Travel has provided a bond to meet the requirements of the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992. In the event of our insolvency, protection is provided for non-flight packages commencing in and returning to the UK and other nonflight packages excluding pre-arranged travel to and from your destination. In the above circumstances, if you have not yet travelled you may claim a refund, or if you have already travelled, you may claim repatriation to the starting point of your nonflight package. The limits of our liabilities As principal, we accept responsibility for all ingredients of the festival and pre-festival tours, 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 exactly as advertised. We would try to devise a satisfactory alternative, but if the change represents a significant loss to the festival 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.