WAGNER’S RING CYCLE IN MUNICH JULY 19-28, 2018 TOUR LEADER: ROBERT GAY

Overview Wagner’s four-part music-drama, Der Ring des Nibelungen, is considered by many music lovers to be the pinnacle of the Western music tradition. It combines intense, heroic drama with orchestral and vocal writing which is both vast in scale and highly innovative. Academy Travel has selected the Bavarian State Opera’s Ring Cycle in 2018 for its fine production, unsurpassable singing cast and the musical leadership of Kiril Petrenko. We’ve also included two additional performances taking place at the time of the Munich Ring. The itinerary includes nine nights’ accommodation in the heart of Munich, close to the National Theatre, best available tickets to six performances*, in-depth background talks, several meals and a music-themed excursion to the Bavarian countryside. We have deliberately kept the program relaxed, with lots of free time to undertake individual sightseeing or simply relax and reflect upon the performances. *Seat locations will be confirmed in October 2017.

Your tour leader For over 25 years, Robert Gay has presented music history courses for the Centre for Continuing Education at the University of Sydney. Over the same period he has designed and escorted more than 80 musical and cultural tours to Europe and America. On tour, Robert will provide a thorough introduction to the performances you see, with detailed pre-performance talks and post-performance reviews. Robert’s approach to music is multi-faceted. First and foremost, he

links the music to the biographical, historical and social context in which it was created. Secondly, he explains in plain language technical aspects of the music – how the composer communicates through sound. Finally, as a trained singer who attends dozens of performances each year, he offers great insight into the qualities of the performances you see on tour. Robert’s enthusiasm for music is infectious, and his skills as an educator and tour leader are exceptional. Since 2010, he has led tours exclusively for Academy Travel. “There is no doubt that it was Robert Gay’s leadership that made the trip such a memorable experience. He was brilliant in every way. His encyclopaedic knowledge of music and generosity in sharing it added immeasurably to everything we did. His meticulous planning and careful attention to detail made the logistics very easy for us all. His warmth, superb communication skills, sense of humour, patience and sensitivity to group dynamics all made the trip a delight from beginning to end.” Feedback from Switzerland to Spain: a musical adventure, April 2015

WAGNER’S RING CYCLE IN MUNICH

Tour dates: July 19-28, 2018

Tour leader: Robert Gay

Tour Price: $8,850 per person, twin share

Single Supplement: $1,500 for sole use of double room

Booking deposit: $500 per person

Recommended airline: Singapore Airlines, Emirates or Etihad

Maximum places: 20

Itinerary: Munich (9 nights)

Date published: September 1, 2017

Enquiries and bookings

For further information and to secure a place on this tour please contact Frederick Steyn at Academy Travel on 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email frederick@academytravel.com.au

About the Munich Ring Cycle

Andreas Kriegenburg’s production premiered in Munich in 2013, and returns in 2018. Kriegenburg is well known in Germany as a theatre director, where he has worked for more than 25 years, directing plays by Shakespeare, Moliere, Schiller, Goethe, Kafka, Brecht and Lorca. He directed his first opera in 2006 (Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice) and has since directed works by Handel, Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Richard Strauss and Shostakovich. His Ring Cycle is a contemporary, but lucid interpretation that pays close attention to Wagner’s intentions and the text. New York Times reviewer Zachary Woolfe noted that the production was ‘consistently creative and thoughtful’ but ‘there are enough swords, spears, arrows and anvils to satisfy any conservative Wagnerian’.

Los Angeles Times reviewer Mark Swed summed up his experience of Kriegenburg’s Munich Ring in 2013 thus: Kriegenburg has stripped the "Ring" of much of its baggage for the theater where the first two operas in the cycle had their premieres. He has gone back to essentials, reinventing and updating them. In doing so, he has sought and found one of art's greatest gifts — a sense of renewal. [This is] the right "Ring" for our time — the freshest, least self-conscious and most memorable "Ring" that I have seen or heard about in nearly 40 years. Los Angeles Times, February 23, 2013

The cast

The singers assembled for the 2018 Munich Ring Cycle represent the very best available Wagnerian singers of today. Swedish soprano Nina Stemme heads the cast, singing Brünnhilde in all three operas in which the character appears. Baritone Wolfgang Koch will be a fine Wotan/Wanderer, having sung the role at Bayreuth in 2014, and having performed other Wagnerian roles in London, Vienna, Frankfurt and Salzburg. Star tenor Jonas Kauffman adds lustre to Die Walküre in the role of Siegmund, with fine soprano Anja Kampe opposite him as Sieglinde. Heldentenor Stefan Vinke, who has sung Wagnerian roles in Bayreuth, Vienna, Berlin and Melbourne, takes on the role of Siegfried. The cast is led by young Russian-Austrian maestro Kiril Petrenko. Petrenko holds the prestigious role of Generalmusikdirektor of the Bavarian State Opera, and conducted the Ring Cycle at the Bayreuth Festival in 2013, 2014 and 2015. He is one of the finest Wagnerian conductors of his generation.

Cast and creative list

Conductor: Kiril Petrenko Director: Andreas Kriegenburg

Sets: Harald Thor Costumes: Andrea Schraad

Lighting: Stefan Bolliger

Wotan/The Wanderer: Wolfgang Koch Siegmund: Jonas Kaufmann

Sieglinde: Anja Kampe Siegfried: Stefan Vinke

Brünnhilde: Nina Stemme Hagen: Hans-Peter König Alberich: John Lundgren

Mime: Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke Fafner: Ain Anger

Erda: Okka von der Damerau

Jonas Kaufmann

Anja Kampe Nina Stemme

Detailed itinerary Included meals are shown with the letter B, L, D or C for canapes.

Thursday July 19 Arrival

You should arrange your travels to arrive at our Munich hotel by the late afternoon. In the early evening, meet your tour leader and fellow travellers in the hotel for drinks and canapes. (C)

Friday July 20 Das Rheingold

In this morning’s pre-performance talk, Robert Gay introduces Wagner’s epic cycle before focusing on the cycle’s preliminary evening. We then enjoy a welcome lunch in a private room in one of Munich’s finest restaurants. Our performance of Das Rheingold commences at 7.00pm. (B, L)

Performance details Venue: National Theatre, Bavarian State Opera Program: Wagner’s Das Rheingold

Saturday July 21 THE LUDWIG CASTLES King Ludwig II of Bavaria saw his first Wagner opera at the age of 15, and subsequently became perhaps the most obsessed Wagnerian of all time. Today we visit two of his famous Bavarian castles: Linderhof, a tiny neo-rococo villa set amidst beautifully landscaped grounds; and Neuschwanstein, a breathtaking fairy-tale chateau complete with replica of the Singers’ Hall from the Wartburg depicted in Wagner’s Tannhäuser, and decorated with wall paintings of scenes from his idol’s music dramas. Lunch in a country restaurant. (B, L) Sunday July 22 Die Walküre

This morning’s talk examines Die Walküre, the best-known opera of the Ring, and the one in which we meet the principal characters of the work. Key narrative elements are introduced and key musical ideas presented. The remainder of the day is free to explore Munich, and we recommend a visit to one of the city’s many excellent art museums. Tonight’s performance commences at 5.00pm (B)

Get the most from performances

In order to fully enjoy the Ring Cycle we suggest you plan to arrive in Europe at least a day before the tour commences. As well as flights, we are happy to arrange pre-tour accommodation in Munich or another European city. Please contact us to discuss the best options.

Above: Wagner’s Das Rheingold by the Bavarian State Opera Below: Stunning Neuschwanstein Castle

Performance details Venue: National Theatre, Bavarian State Opera Program: Wagner’s Die Walküre

Monday July 23 Piotr Beczala recital

Today is free to further explore Munich. This evening we take a break from Wagner with a song recital by the fine Polish lyric tenor Piotr Beczala. Beczala’s repertoire spans from Mozart to Puccini, and he has sung roles such as Tamino (The Magic Flute), Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), The Duke of Mantua (Rigoletto), Lenski (Eugene Onegin) and Rodolfo (La Bohème) at all the great opera houses of the world. (B)

Performance details Venue: National Theatre, Bavarian State Opera Program: to be announced Performers: Piotr Beczala (tenor)

Tuesday July 24 Siegfried

The third music-drama in the Ring Cycle, Siegfried, contains perhaps the pivotal episodes and character development of the work. But it is also the least known work of the cycle. This morning Robert Gay takes you through the music and plotlines in preparation for this evening’s performance. The remainder of the day is free. The curtain rises at 5.00pm. (B)

Performance details Venue: National Theatre, Bavarian State Opera Program: Wagner’s Siegfried

Wednesday July 25 Free day

The entire day is free to relax, do more sightseeing, or perhaps to take a day trip to nearby Nuremberg which is only a little over an hour away by train and has rewarding Wagnerian connections. (B)

Thursday July 26 Les vêpres siciliennes

We are indeed fortunate to be able to include Verdi’s rarely-performed Les Vêpres siciliennes in our program. The Bavarian State Opera has chosen the original French version of the work, a grand opera in five acts from Verdi’s middle period. Les Vêpres siciliennes is a highly charged political story of a Sicilian uprising against French rule in the 13th century. Composed in the mid 1850s, Verdi clearly meant the work to encourage his fellow countrymen to shake off their own yoke of oppression. In this morning’s talk, Robert Gay will place the opera in its historical and musical context. The afternoon, before the 6.00pm performance, is free. (B)

Performance details Program: Verdi’s Les Vêpres siciliennes Performers: Carmen Giannatasio (Hélène), Bryan Hymel (Henri), Erwin Schrott (Procida), Omer Meir Wellber (conductor)

Friday July 27 Götterdämmerung

The final work in the Ring Cycle is also the longest, containing grand, dramatic scenes and fine orchestral passages, such as Siegfried’s Rhine journey and his funeral music. After Robert Gay’s analysis of this important work, we share a farewell lunch. The performance begins at 4.00pm. (B, L)

Performance details Venue: National Theatre, Bavarian State Opera Program: Wagner’s Götterdämmerung

Saturday July 28 Departure

The tour ends after breakfast. Transfers to Munich airport are included for travellers booking their flights through Academy Travel. (B)

Hotel

Munich, Maximilian Hotel & Apartments (9 nights)

The 4-star-superior Maximilian Hotel and Apartments has been selected principally for its location, right in the heart of the Bavarian capital, 600 meters from the National Theatre, home of the Bavarian State Opera. The accommodation is spacious, modern and comfortable with a fully-equipped kitchenette, a dining table and desk, as well as a sofa or recliner to relax. Bathrooms are large and equipped with a shower over the bathtub. Other features of the hotel are a sizable city garden, a wellness spa and the Restaurant “kleines Max” with summer terrace. Many of Munich’s major attractions, including the Residenz, the Frauenkirche and the Viktualienmarkt, are only a short walk away. www.maximilian-munich.com/en

Images clockwise from top left: The Bavarian State Opera’s past production of the Ring Cycle including Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung

Tour Price The tour price is $8,850 per person, twin share (land content only). The supplement for a single room is $1,500 per person. A non-refundable deposit of $500 per person is required to secure a place on the tour.

second deposit In January 2018, we will send you a second invoice for $1,500 to cover the cost of tickets.

Tour Inclusions

Included in the tour price

Accommodation at the Platzl Hotel in Munich Breakfasts daily, plus lunches and dinners as noted in

the itinerary Land travel by air-conditioned coach Best available seats for performances Extensive tour notes Background talks Services of an Australian tour leader throughout tour All entrance fees to sites mentioned on itinerary Qualified local guides where appropriate Porterage of one piece of luggage at the hotel Tips for all services included in the itinerary

Not included

International air fares, taxes and surcharges (see below) Travel insurance Meals not mentioned in itinerary Expenses of a personal nature

Air travel OPTIONS The tour price quoted is for land content only. For this tour we recommend Singapore Airlines, Emirates or Etihad; each offering daily flights into Munich. Please contact us for further information on competitive Economy, Business and First Class airfares. Transfers between airport and hotel are included for all passengers booking their flights through Academy Travel. These may be group or individual transfers.

Enquiries & bookings For further information and to secure a place on this tour please contact Frederick Steyn at Academy Travel on 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email frederick@academytravel.com.au

Fitness Requirements of THIS tour

GRADE ONE

It is important both for you and for your fellow travellers that you are fit enough to be able to enjoy all the activities on this tour. To give you an indication of the level of physical fitness required to participate on our tours, we have given them a star grading. Academy Travel’s tours tend to feature extended walking tours and site visits, which require greater fitness than coach touring. We ask you instead to consider carefully your ability to meet the physical demands of the tour.

Participation criteria for this tour

This Grade One tour is appropriate for travellers in good health with good mobility. You should be able to comfortably participate in up to three hours of physical activity per day on most days, including walking at an easy pace, sometimes on uneven terrain, climbing stairs and standing in galleries. You should be able to: keep up with the group at all times walk for 2-3 kilometres at a moderate to slow pace with

only short breaks stand for a reasonable length of time in galleries and

museums negotiate stairs and bridges get on and off a coach, ferry or boat with steep stairs

unassisted move your luggage a short distance if required

A note for older travellers

If you are more than 80 years old, or have restricted mobility, it is likely that you will find this itinerary challenging. You may have to miss certain activities and may not get the full value of the tour. Before submitting your booking form, please contact Academy Travel to discuss your situation and the exact physical requirements of this tour. While we will do our best to reasonably accommodate the physical needs of all group members, we reserve the right to refuse bookings if we feel that the requirements of the tour are too demanding for you and/or if local conditions mean we cannot reasonably accommodate your condition.

Weather on Tour July is a pleasant time to be in Munich with summer temperatures ranging on average from the mid 20s, dropping to 12-16°C at night. However, you should pack for a few days which are cooler than this, as well as a few warmer ones. Rainfall is fairly evenly spread across the year, and it is reasonable to expect rain on at least a few days, though not enough to disrupt our program.