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Baden-Baden Easter Festival - Music in Germany’s historic spa town
6
days
from
A$7,840
Book today with a deposit from
A$1,176
24th - 29th March 2027
Tour highlights
- A new production of Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, conducted by Joana Mallwitz, with Vera-Lotte Boecker as Leonore.
- Renaud Capuçon performs Sibelius’s Violin Concerto alongside Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Klaus Mäkelä.
- Mozart’s Requiem paired with Beethoven’s rarely heard Choral Fantasy, performed by the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.
- A solo recital by Seong-Jin Cho, described by Simon Rattle as “a poet at the keyboard”.
The Romans made good use of Baden-Baden’s 29 hot springs, but it was the 19th century that transformed this once unimportant little town into the Saint Tropez of high society, attracting visitors from Queen Victoria and Bismarck to Brahms and Tchaikovsky. For Russian novelists and aristocrats alike it became something of an archetype: Turgenev set his novel Smoke here, and Dostoevsky, a compulsive gambler, spent time – and money – at the casino. Berlioz, too, was a frequent visitor. Charmingly situated on the edge of the Black Forest, the spa resort now hosts one of Europe’s most prestigious music festivals, held annually over Easter in the Festspielhaus, a converted Imperial railway station reputedly the largest concert venue in the country.
Beethoven, in his anniversary year, rightly features large in the 2027 festival. Highlights include a new production of his only opera, Fidelio, with an international cast led by the exciting young Austrian soprano Vera-Lotte Boecker, and a performance by the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra of his euphoric Seventh Symphony – dubbed by Wagner “the apotheosis of the dance”. In the same concert the outstanding French violinist Renaud Capuçon will perform Sibelius’s Violin Concerto, whose outpouring of Romantic melody has made it one of the most popular of all violin concertos. The opera is accompanied by the elite Mahler Chamber Orchestra, whose players are hand-picked from across 20 countries. The orchestra also plays in a concert pairing Mozart’s Requiem and Beethoven’s rarely heard Choral Fantasy, whose main theme pre-echoes the Ninth Symphony’s Ode to Joy. Complementing the opera and orchestral concerts is a solo recital by the acclaimed South Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho, aptly described by Simon Rattle as “a poet at the keyboard.”
Baden-Baden stretches along the narrow valley of the River Oos, which is bordered by a succession of parks and gardens, luxury hotels, bath complexes and cultural institutions. The heart of the old town is a delightful net of Biedermeier and older streets winding up the hillside. Among its attractions are the Fabergé Museum, the State Art Gallery (Kunsthalle) and the Museum Frieder Burda, built by Richard Meier for one of Germany’s most extensive collections of modern art. Our programme also includes excursions to two magnificent Baroque palaces in the surrounding countryside.
Itinerary
Fly from London Heathrow to Frankfurt at c. 11.30am (British Airways) with onward travel to Baden-Baden (c. 2,5 hours) by private coach. Dinner and first of five nights here.
Walking tour of Baden-Baden, pass the Kurhaus, the social centre and concert hall built in the 1820s, and visit the Brahms residence. Early dinner is followed by an evening concert with Klaus Mäkelä (conductor), Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Renaud Capuçon (violin): Schumann Rachmaninoff, Overture to ‘Manfred’, Op. 115; Sibelius, Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47; Beethoven, Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92.
Rastatt is a classic 18th-century court town built afresh to glorify its absolutist ruler, in this case, the Margrave of Baden. Return to Baden-Baden for an evening concert with Joana Mallwitz (conductor), Alice Sara Ott (piano), Regula Mühlemann (soprano), Marina Viotti (mezzo-soprano), Sebastian Kohlhepp (tenor), Alexander Grassauer (bass), Philharmonia Chor Wien, Mahler Chamber Orchestra: Beethoven, Choral Fantasy in C Minor, Op. 80; Mozart: Requiem in D Minor, K. 626.
Schloss Bruchsal is the splendid Baroque palace and garden of the Archbishops of Speyer, built over 26 years with frequent changes of architect and plan. At its core is the famous staircase designed by Balthasar Neumann. Evening piano recital with Seong-Jin Cho: Widmann, Sonatina Facile for Piano; Prokofiev, 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 75; Mozart, Fantasia in C Minor, K. 396; Prokofiev, Piano Sonata No. 8 in B-flat Major, Op. 84.
Apart from the usual daily lecture, today is free for independent exploration of Baden-Baden or for relaxation before the evening opera. Evening opera: Fidelio (Beethoven): Joana Mallwitz (conductor), Krzysztof Warlikowski (director) , Vera-Lotte Boecker (Leonore), Sean Panikkar (Florestan), Manuel Winckhler (Don Fernando), Johannes Martin Kränzle (Don Pizarro), Franz-Josef Selig (Rocco), Chelsea Zurflüh (Marzelline), Magnus Dietrich (Jaquino), Philharmonia Chor Wien, Mahler Chamber Orchestra.
Drive from Baden-Baden to Frankfurt Airport and fly to London Heathrow, arriving c. 3.45pm.
Expert speaker
Mr Richard Wigmore
Music writer, lecturer and broadcaster for BBC Radio 3. He writes for BBC Music Magazine and Gramophone and has taught classes in Lieder history and interpretation at the Guildhall, Trinity College of Music and Birkbeck College. He read French and German at Cambridge and later studied Music at the Guildhall. His publications include Schubert: The Complete Song Texts and Pocket Guide to Haydn. Twitter: @wigmoresworld | Website: wigmoresworld.co.uk
More tours led by Mr Richard Wigmore
Practicalities
Price, per person. Two sharing: A$8,310 or A$7,840 without flights. Single occupancy: A$8,930 or A$8,460 without flights.
Flights (Euro Traveller) with British Airways (Airbus 319); travel by private coach; hotel accommodation as described below; breakfasts; 2 lunches and 3 dinners with wine, water, coffee; all admissions; all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager.
Music: tickets for 4 performances are included, two in the 1st category and two in the 2nd category.
Steigenberger Icon Europäischer Hof Baden-Baden: 5-star hotel in the heart of Baden-Baden, just a short walk from the Kurhaus and the famous thermal baths. Single rooms are doubles for sole use.
Because of the city walks and excursions, there is quite a lot of walking. Average distance by coach per day: 34 miles.
Between 10 and 22 participants.
Before booking, please refer to Smartraveller to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting. As a British company we follow the advice of the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.
Dates & prices
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2027
Date
Speaker
Price
Date:
24th - 29th March 2027
Speaker:
Mr Richard Wigmore
Price:
from A$7,840
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