Arrive in Amsterdam on suggested flights and make your own way to the hotel. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements including travel insurance (a condition of travel), private hotel transfer, accommodation before or after the tour and a room category update.

At 17:30, attend a welcome briefing and talk about the upcoming days’ performances by your tour leader, Scott Curry, followed by a welcome dinner.

Amsterdam is a captivating blend of historic canals and 17th-century gabled houses intertwined with cutting-edge contemporary design and innovative green spaces.

After breakfast, join a brief orientation walking tour to explore some of the city’s historic landmarks. At 1:00pm attend the first performance at the Concertgebouw, as part of a series that focuses on Mahler’s most loved songs.

ARTISTS
Julius Drake (piano), Catriona Morison (mezzo-soprano), James Newby (baritone)

PROGRAM
Mahler – Rückert-Lieder and other songs

After an early dinner, return to the Concertgebouw for a performance by the Concertgebouw Orchestra, conducted by Klaus Mäkelä.

ARTISTS
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Klaus Mäkelä (conductor)

PROGRAM
Hillborg – New Composition (commissioned by the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris and the Mahler Foundation)
Mahler – Symphony No. 1 in D major 

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After breakfast, join Scott for a pre-performance talk about the upcoming days’ performances. Then, enjoy the morning at leisure before the day’s first concert.

ARTISTS
Julius Drake (piano), Ema Nikolovska (alto), Jusung Gabriel Park (bass-baritone)

PROGRAM
Mahler – Des Knaben Wunderhorn

After the performance, return to the hotel and enjoy some time at leisure before dinner followed by a performance of the Budapest Festival Orchestra conducted by the illustrious Iván Fischer, who has received outstanding reviews for his interpretations of Mahler’s music.

ARTISTS
Budapest Festival Orchestra, Iván Fischer (conductor), Netherlands Radio Choir, Christiane Karg (soprano), Anna Lucia Richter (mezzo-soprano)

PROGRAM
Mahler – Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Auferstehung

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In the morning, hear a selection of works composed by Mahler and other composers. Today’s Piano Quartet was written by the compser as a teenager and can be considered one of his most romantic. The unfinished quartet will be performed alongside pieces by Webern and Dvořák.

ARTISTS
Chianti Ensemble

PROGRAM
Mahler – Piano Quartet in A minor
Webern – Langsamer Satz
Dvořák – Piano Quartet No.2 in A major, Op. 81

After lunch, enjoy a private guided tour of the Rijksmuseum, where centuries of Dutch art and history are on display alongside cutting-edge contemporary design.

Return to the Concertgebouw in the evening for a performance of the NHK Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Fabio Luisi. Mahler’s Third Symphony remains a declaration of love to nature and the universe. Listen out for the sleigh bells, part of Bavarian folk music symbolising children become angels.

ARTISTS
NHK Symhony Orchestra, Fabio Luisi (conductor), Netherlands Radio Choir, National Children’s Choir, Olesya Petrova (mezzo-soprano)

PROGRAM:
Mahler – Symphony No. 3 in D minor

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After a pre-performance talk with Scott, enjoy an up-close and immersive backstage tour of The Dutch National Opera and Ballet in Amsterdam.

After lunch, enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at leisure, before returning to the Concertgebouw in the evening for a performance of the NHK Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Fabio Luisi. Mahler’s idyllic Fourth Symphony is paired with his song cycle,  Des Knaben Wunderhorn.

ARTISTS
NHK Symhony Orchestra, Fabio Luisi (conductor), Ying Fang (soprano), Matthias Goerne (baritone)

PROGRAM
Mahler – Symphony No. 4 in G major
Mahler – Songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn 

(BL)

In the morning drive to the National Park De Hoge Veluwe, a natural sanctuary encompassing diverse landscapes, from dense forests and rolling sand dunes to expansive heathlands. This pristine park is also home to the Kröller-Müller Museum, where visitors can marvel at an impressive collection of modern art, including the world’s second-largest collection of Vincent van Gogh’s works, set against a backdrop of serene natural beauty.

In the evening, return to the Concertgebouw to listen to the Budapest Festival Orchestra perform Mahler’s imposing Fifth Symphony.

ARTISTS
Budapest Festival Orchestra, Iván Fischer (conductor), Anna Lucia Richter (mezzo-soprano)

PROGRAM
Mahler – Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor
Mahler – Kindertotenlieder

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After a morning at leisure, attend the six narrative movements of Das Lied von der Erde, based on texts about nature, death and life.

ARTISTS
Julias Drake (piano), Feride Büyükdenktas (mezzo-soprano), Stuart Jackson (tenor)

PROGRAM
Mahler – Das Lied von der Erde

After an early dinner, return to the Concertgebouw once more for a performance of Mahler’s Sixth Symphony with the renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jaap van Zweden.

ARTISTS
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Jaap van Zweden (conductor)

PROGRAM
Mahler – Symphony No. 6 in A minor, Tragic

(BD)

After a pre-performance talk with Scott, experience the moving Kindertotenlieder set to texts by Friedrich Rückert concerning the death of two of the poet’s children.

ARTISTS
Julias Drake (piano), Fleur Barron (mezzo-soprano), Laurence Kilsby (tenor)

PROGRAM
Mahler –  Kindertotenlieder and other songs

Enjoy the afternoon at leisure to relax or explore Amsterdam further at your own pace. Then, in the evening, attend a performance of Mahler’s ‘predominantly joyful in character’ Seventh Symphony, performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jaap van Zweden.

ARTISTS
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Jaap van Zweden (conductor) 

PROGRAM
Mahler – Symphony No. 7

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In the morning, drive to The Hague, the political heart of the Netherlands. Explore the Mauritshuis, a museum renowned for its exquisite collection of Dutch Golden Age paintings, including masterpieces by Vermeer and Rembrandt. After lunch, visit the Kunstmuseum Den Haag museum, which offers a collection of modern and contemporary art, design and fashion.

In the evening, walk to the Concertgebouw to hear the Concertgebouw Orchestra perform Mahler’s infamous Eighth Symphony, with no fewer than four vocal ensembles.

ARTISTS
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Klaus Mäkelä (conductor), National Radio Choir, Laurens Symfonisch, Le Chœur de l’Orchestre de Paris, National Children’s Choir, Golda Schultz (soprano), Miriam Kutrowatz (soprano), Jennifer Johnston (alto), Okka von der Damerau (alto), Giorgio Berrugi (tenor), Michael Nagy (baritone), Tareq Nazmi (bass)

PROGRAM
Mahler – Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major, Symphony of a Thousand

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After a pre-performance talk with Scott, attend a concert featuring the songs composed by Alma Mahler, Gustav Mahler’s wife.

ARTISTS
Julias Drake (piano), Axella Fanyo (soprano), Raoul Steffani (baritone)

PROGRAM
Mahler – Die stille Stadt
Zemlinsky – Sie kam zum Schloss gegangen (from Sechs Gesänge, Op. 13)
Mahler – In Meines Vaters Garten (from Seven songs)
Berg – Schlafen, schlafen (from Vier Lieder, Op. 2)
Mahler – Laue Sommernacht
Schönberg – Erwartung (from Vier Lieder, Op. 2)
Mahler – Bei dir ist es traut (from Seven songs)
Webern – Dies ist ein Lied für dich allein (from Fünf Lieder aus Der siebente Ring)
Mahler – Ich wandle unter Blumen
Pfitzner – Zum Abschied meiner Tochter (from Drei Lieder, Op. 10)
Mahler – Hymne (from Fünf Lieder)
Korngold – Gefasster Abschied (from Vier Lieder des Abschieds, Op. 14)
Mahler – Der Erkennende (from Fünf Lieder)
Krenek – Während der Trennung
Mahler – Licht in der Nacht (from Vier Lieder)
Stravinsky – Un grand sommeil noir (from Deux poèmes de Paul Verlaine, Op. 9)
Mahler – Ekstase (from Fünf Lieder)

Enjoy the rest of the afternoon at leisure. Then, in the evening, attend a performance of Mahler’s ode to life’s beauty, the Ninth Symphony, performed by the legendary Berlin Philharmonic, once conducted by Mahler, today by Kirill Petrenko.

ARTISTS
Berlin Philharmonic, Kirill Petrenko (conductor)

PROGRAM
Mahler – Symphony No. 9 in D major

(B)

Enjoy a day at leisure to be immersed in the tapestry of Amsterdam, perhaps using the opportunity to visit the Vincent Van Gogh Museum or Anne Frank House.

This evening, celebrate the end of the tour with a special farewell dinner before the final performance of the festival, Mahler’s Tenth Symphony and the impressive Das Lied von der Erde.

ARTISTS
Berlin Philharmonic, Daniel Barenboim (conductor)

PROGRAM
Mahler – Symphony No. 10 (Adagio – Andante – Adagio)
Mahler – Das Lied von der Erde         

(BD)

Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast.

Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including any additional nights’ accommodation either before or after the tour and travel insurance (a condition of travel).

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