Vienna

Day 1 | Tuesday 12 May
Arrival
We gather in our hotel this afternoon to meet and greet experienced tour leaders Christopher Menz and Peter Rose and the other travellers before heading out for an orientation walk and introduction to the city of Vienna. This walk ends at Huth Gastwirtschaft, a traditional Viennese restaurant where we enjoy our welcome dinner. Overnight Vienna (D)

Day 2 | Wednesday 13 May
Habsburg Vienna | Performance I
Imperial rulers from the 15th century, the Habsburg name is carved deep into the stones of Vienna. This morning, after a talk in the hotel, our walking tour explores the magnificent legacy the Habsburgs bequeathed the city including majestic St Stephen’s Cathedral with its colourful tiled roof, and the Imperial Treasury, whose extraordinary collection of sacred and secular objects spans more than a thousand years. After a relaxed lunch together, we continue to the National Library, whose extensive and historic collection, housed in a spectacular wing of the Hofburg, began with Albrecht III von Habsburg in the 14th century. Our day ends at the Albertina Museum, a former Habsburg residence which now holds one of Europe’s finest collections of graphic art as well as an excellent collection of modern masters. Returning to our hotel, there is time to relax before we begin our performance program in one of Vienna’s most prestigious halls. Violinist Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider and pianist Daniil Trifonov will come together for a remarkable evening of chamber music in the Great Hall of Vienna’s Konzerthaus. These two internationally acclaimed artists present a rich program that journeys from the lyrical elegance of Clara Schumann to the passionate intensity of Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata. With Szeps-Znaider’s commanding presence and Trifonov’s poetic brilliance, the duo explores the full emotional and expressive range of the violin-piano repertoire. Overnight Vienna (B, L)

Day 3 | Thursday 14 May
Karslplatz Treasures
The beautiful Karlsplatz, located just off the famous Ringstrasse, is home to an extraordinary collection of historic buildings and sites. We start our day at the Karlskirche, the elegant Baroque church built for Emperor Charles VI to commemorate the end of the plague in 1712, then continue to the nearby Wien Museum, founded in 1887 and dedicated to the history and culture of Vienna. After time for lunch, we head to the Art Nouveau Secession Building, home to Gustav Klimt’s Beethoven Frieze – a monumental mural created in 1902 for an exhibition of the Secession movement. Inspired by Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the frieze spans three walls and reflects themes of human aspiration and redemption through art and beauty. On return to our hotel, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Vienna (B)

Day 4 | Friday 15 May
Kunsthistorisches Museum | Performance II
Today is dedicated to the remarkable Kunsthistorisches Museum. Emperor Franz Josef I commissioned this palatial building to accommodate the magnificent Habsburg art collections. The building itself is a work of art, with a grand stairway featuring painting by Gustav Klimt, but its collection of Old Masters, including works by Caravaggio, Bruegel, Raphael, Velázquez and more, is one of the world’s finest. After a talk in our hotel this morning, we tour the extensive collections, followed by lunch in the museum’s excellent café. The afternoon is yours to explore the collection independently before we meet again this evening for a performance at the spectacular Vienna State Opera, one of the most important opera houses in the world. Here we experience Strauss’ grand Viennese comedy, Der Rosenkavalier. Soprano Camilla Nylund is the aging Marschallin, opposite mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey as her lover Octavian and soprano Nikola Hillebrand
as Sophie, the beautiful younger woman who steals his heart. Bass Günther Groissböck plays the churlish Baron Ochs, and Adrian Eröd is Sophie’s wealthy father, Faninal. Overnight Vienna (B, L)

Day 5 | Saturday 16 May
Central Cemetery & Heiligenstadt
We begin today with a guided visit of the Central Cemetery, whose illustrious residents include Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Johann Strauss and Schoenberg. We then continue to the Beethoven Museum, located in the composer’s former residence in Heiligenstadt, once a trendy spa town to which he retreated to contemplate his increasing deafness. After lunch in a local restaurant we visit the Waschsalon, a museum in the Karl-Marx-Hof public housing complex commemorating the inter war years when the city was governed by social democrats in a period known as Red Vienna. We return to the hotel with the evening at leisure. Overnight Vienna (B, L)

Day 6 | Sunday 17 May
Mass with the Vienna Boys’ Choir | Performance III
In a glorious start to Sunday, we make our way to the Hofburgkapelle, the former Imperial Court chapel which traces its history back to the 13th century. Here we enjoy Mass sung by the Vienna Boys’ Choir with the Hofmusikkapelle, the chapel choir established by Emperor Maximilian I in 1498. Following this Mass we take a short walk to Café Central, one of Vienna’s most famous coffee houses, where we enjoy morning cake and coffee. Afterwards we make our way to the Neue Burg wing of the Hofburg for a guided visit of their extensive musical instrument collection. This is a treasure chest for music lovers. Highlights include Viennese fortepianos, string instruments of Jacob Stainer and the woodwind instruments of the Renaissance which reflect the splendor of the Habsburg Empire. The afternoon is then free to explore Vienna at your leisure before this evening’s performance in the intimate Mozart Hall of the Konzerthaus. The distinguished Scharoun Ensemble Berlin, founded in 1983 by members of the Berlin Philharmonic, will perform works by Mozart, Henze and Schubert, drawing a subtle arc across centuries of chamber music and exploring how composers from very different eras used small ensembles to experiment and expand musical boundaries. Overnight Vienna (B, MT)

Day 7 | Monday 18 May
The Upper Belvedere & Klosterneuburg | Performance IV
After a talk in our hotel this morning, we begin today at the Belvedere Museum, an impressive 18th-century imperial pleasure palace whose extensive collection includes works from the Baroque, through to Biedermeier and Secessionist masterpieces, including Klimt’s The Kiss. Lunch is enjoyed together in a café in the adjacent gardens, before taking a short coach trip to Klosterneuburg Abbey, where we spend the afternoon. Consecrated in 1136 and rebuilt in the Baroque style, the Abbey has survived fire, siege and suppression under the Nazis following the Anschluss of 1938. Our guided tour takes us through the sumptuous imperial apartments, built for Emperor Charles VI, and the Chapel of Saint Leopold, where we see the Verdun Altar, a technical masterpiece regarded as one of the most important artworks of the Middle Ages. Returning to Vienna, there is time to freshen up before our evening performance in the sumptuous Golden Hall of the Musikverein. Music Director Andris Nelsons will lead the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig through works by Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich, joined by internationally renowned pianist Yulianna Avdeeva. Overnight Vienna (B, L)

Day 8 | Tuesday 19 May
Jugendstil Vienna | Performance V
At the turn of the 20th century, a new generation of artists and architects calling themselves the Vienna Secessionists rejected the dictates of conservative Vienna, breaking with tradition in favour of a new aesthetic which become known as Jugendstil. We explore their influence on our walking tour of Jugendstil Vienna before heading to the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) whose extensive collection unites tradition and innovation. In the afternoon we visit the Kirche am Steinhof, built as part of the Steinhof Psychiatric Hospital. Commissioned from Secessionist architect Otto Wagner by the Imperial Family, the church’s controversial Jugendstil design drew the ire of many conservative Viennese, including Archduke Franz Ferdinand, but today it is regarded as one of the most important buildings of its time. This evening we return to the Vienna State Opera to experience the grandeur of Wagner’s epic Das Rheingold, where gods, giants, and mythic creatures clash in a dazzling tale of power and greed. German operatic baritone Michael Volle stars in the role of Wotan and Hungarian mezzo-soprano Szilvia Vörös is the powerful Fricka. Overnight Vienna (B)

Day 9 | Wednesday 20 May
Maria Theresa & Schönbrunn
The main summer residence of the Habsburg rulers, the massive palace of Schönbrunn is one of Vienna’s most important landmarks. The site originally served Emperor Maximilian as a recreational hunting reserve, but it was Empress Maria Theresa who transformed the original residence into a palace in the 18th century. Our guided visit today includes the Bergl rooms, a beautifully frescoed suite allowing direct access to the garden in the warm summer months. After free time for lunch you may choose to explore the extensive gardens, including the lovely hilltop Gloriette, or join our local guide to tour the Wagenburg, displaying the Habsburg’s lavish carriage and sleighs collection. We returning to our hotel in the late afternoon, with the evening at leisure. Overnight Vienna (B)

Day 10 | Thursday 21 May
The Vienna Woods | Performance VI
An excursion destination for the local Viennese, the Vienna Woods is a lush green idyll of meadows and forests undulating just outside the city gates. Our coach tour today takes us to the southern part of the Vienna Woods where we find the charming spa town of Baden-bei-Wien – the summer resort of Emperor Franz, his family and the nobility. In the summers of 1821-1823, Beethoven lodged here at Rathausgasse 10, where he composed important sections of his 9th Symphony. This is now a museum. You may like to spend time here experiencing the life and work of the composer in a completely new and surprising way. We then continue to the Imperial hunting lodge of Mayerling, where Habsburg Crown Prince Rudolph shot his mistress Mary Vetsera before committing suicide. After Rudolph’s tragic death, his father, Emperor Franz Joseph, converted one of the buildings into a Carmelite convent. Rejoining our coach, the afternoon is spent in the monastery at Heiligenkreuz, the oldest continuously occupied Cistercian monastery in the world. On return to the hotel, there is time to freshen up before our final performance this evening in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein. Under the baton of Italian conductor Riccardo Muti, the Vienna Philharmonic performs Joseph Haydn’s final symphonic masterpieces, specifically his last three symphonies, composed during his second trip to London in the 1790s. Together, they form a powerful musical trilogy that showcases the peak of Haydn’s symphonic creativity. Overnight Vienna (B)

Day 11 | Friday 22 May
Wachau Valley
The Wachau Valley earned its UNESCO World Heritage listing thanks to its exceptional natural beauty and the importance of its terraced vineyards to the history of wine making in central Europe. Today our coach takes us as far as the town of Krems, on the banks of the river Danube. Here we join a scenic river cruise to the wine town of Spitz, enjoying the beautiful landscape of the Danube valley up close. On arrival in Spitz, we enjoy a tasting and relaxed lunch that showcases the region’s specialities, before returning to the hotel by coach. The evening is at leisure on arrival. Overnight Vienna (B, L)

Day 12 | Saturday 23 May
Musikverein & Leopold Museum
This morning sees us return to the Musikverein, for a special guided tour. With the aid of a land grant provided by Emperor Franz Josef I in 1863, the Wiener Musikverein, or Viennese Music Association, built its grand concert hall in the Neoclassical style in central Vienna. Today the venue is home to the Vienna Philharmonic. Our guided tour takes us through the rehearsal rooms, before we explore the sumptuous Golden Hall and more intimate Brahms Hall. The focus then shifts to the extraordinary Leopold Museum, which contains one of the most important collections of modern Austrian art, including works by Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. The later afternoon is at leisure, before we meet again this evening for our farewell dinner at Beim Czaak, a traditional restaurant in the city’s charismatic Old University quarter. Overnight Vienna (B, D)

Day 13 | Sunday 24 May
Departure
The tour ends this morning after breakfast. Please consult your individual travel documents for your ongoing journey. (B)