Arrive in Leipzig on suggested flights and make your 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), a private hotel transfer, accommodation before or after the tour and a room category upgrade.

At 18:00, join your tour leader Andy Bromberger and fellow travellers for a welcome briefing at the hotel, followed by dinner.

(D)

After a morning talk by Andy, enjoy a private, guided walking tour of Leipzig, ‘the city of music’ where composers including Bach, Mahler, Wagner, Telemann, Mendelssohn and Schumann once lived, worked and found inspiration.

After lunch, return to the hotel for the remainder of the afternoon at leisure.

In the evening, walk to the famous Gewandhaus for a symphony concert by the Gewandhaus Orchestra, led by chief conductor Andris Nelsons and featuring German vocal ensembles Sjaella and Amarcord, and Georgian pianist Giorgi Gigashvili.

PROGRAM:
Beethoven – Symphony No.1 in C major, op. 21
Beethoven – Symphony No.8 in F major, op. 93
Beethoven – Fantasy in C minor, op. 80

(BL)

This morning, visit the Bach Museum, celebrating the life, work and research of the prominent composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Opened on his 300th birthday on 21 March 1985, the museum houses original manuscripts and interactive musical displays. Then, visit the Thomaskirche, where Bach was employed as the cantor for more than 25 years until his death in 1750.

Tonight, attend a chamber music concert at the Gewandhaus by pianist Giorgi Gigashvili and the Gewandhaus Octet.

PROGRAM:
Beethoven – Eleven Bagatelles, op. 119
Beethoven – Quintet for Piano and Winds in E-flat major, op. 16
Beethoven – Septet in E-flat major, op. 20

(BD)

Today, drive to Halle, a historic city in the state of Saxony-Anhalt and the birthplace of George Frideric Handel, whom Beethoven greatly admired. Visit the house where Handel was born in 1685, now a museum dedicated to his life and legacy with a collection of instruments and documents relating to the composer and the musical history of Halle.

After some free time to explore the town, return to Leipzig in the mid-afternoon.

This evening, enjoy a symphony concert by the Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Andris Nelsons, with Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos and Austrian-British soprano Anna Prohaska.

PROGRAM:
Beethoven – Violin Concerto in D major, op. 61
Beethoven – Ah! Perfido – Scene and Aria for Soprano and Orchestra, op. 65
Beethoven – Symphony No. 4 in B major, op. 60

(B)

In the morning, join Andy for a pre-performance talk before the remainder of the morning at leisure.

In mid-afternoon, attend a string quartet performance featuring German violinist Frank-Michael Erben and Korean violinist Yun-Jin Cho, French violist Vincent Aucante and German-Korean cellist Isang Enders.

PROGRAM:
Beethoven – String Quartet in F major, op. 18/1
Beethoven – String Quartet in E-flat major, op. 74 (‘Harp Quartet’)
Beethoven – String Quartet in E minor, op. 59/2

Afterwards, enjoy dinner at a nearby restaurant before returning to the Gewandhaus for a piano recital by German pianist Igor Levit, commended for his interpretation of the works of Beethoven, Bach and Liszt.

PROGRAM:
Beethoven – Sonata in F minor, op. 2/1
Beethoven – Sonata in D minor, op. 31/2 (‘The Tempest’)
Beethoven – Sonatina in G major, op. 79
Beethoven – Sonata in C major, op. 53 (‘Waldstein Sonata’)

(BD)

This morning, attend a matinee concert by the Gewandhaus Orchestra under the baton of Andris Nelsons, joined by the internationally acclaimed pianist Lang Lang.

PROGRAM:
Beethoven – Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, op. 37
Beethoven – Symphony No.3 in E-flat major, op. 55 (‘Eroica’)

After the performance, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, followed by the remainder of the afternoon and evening at leisure.

(BL)

Begin the day with a matinee piano recital by Igor Levit, before returning to the hotel for some time at leisure.

PROGRAM:
Beethoven – Sonata in C minor, op. 10/1
Beethoven – Sonata in C minor, op. 13 (‘Pathétique’)
Beethoven – Sonatina in F major, op. 54
Beethoven – Sonata in F minor, op. 57 (‘Appassionata’)

In the late afternoon, enjoy a private, guided tour of the Schumann House, where Robert and Clara Schumann lived for the first four years of their marriage. A German composer, pianist and music critic of the early Romantic era, Schumann composed his famous Rhenish symphony while living in Leipzig and the couple regularly welcomed famous musicians like Felix Mendelssohn, Franz Liszt and Hector Berlioz at this residence.

Dinner this evening is at a nearby restaurant.

(BD)

After breakfast, visit the Mendelssohn House, where the celebrated German composer lived from 1845 until his death in 1847. For a considerable period of his life, he was the director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra. The house-museum displays written documents, music scores and watercolours painted by Mendelssohn during his time in Leipzig.

This evening, after a pre-performance dinner, attend a chamber music concert by a German piano trio including violinist Julia Fischer, cellist Marie-Elisabeth Hecker and pianist Martin Helmchen.

PROGRAM:
Beethoven – Sonata for Violin and Piano in D major, op. 12/1
Beethoven – Sonata for Cello and Piano in A major, op. 69
Beethoven – Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello in D major, op. 70/1

(BD)

Start the day with a talk by Andy, then explore the Museum of Musical Instruments within the Grassi Museum at the University of Leipzig. As one of the largest musical instrument museums in Europe, the Grassi collection comprises around 10,000 items, including valuable music instruments and historical recording media from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, and Bach’s Leipzig period.

Tonight, enjoy a symphony concert performed by the Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Andris Nelsons and featuring pianist Lang Lang.

PROGRAM:
Jörg Widmann –Overture to B-A-C-H (based on sketches from Beethoven)
Beethoven – Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, op. 58
Beethoven – Symphony No.7 in A major, op. 92

(BL)

This morning, visit the Leipzig Museum of Fine Arts, one of the oldest art museums in Germany. Through major donations from the likes of Maximilian Speck von Sternburg, the collections grew to incorporate artworks from the late Middle Ages to the current day, including a monumental sculpture of Beethoven by German artist Max Klinger in 1902.

After lunch at a nearby restaurant, enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at leisure.

In the evening, return to the Gewandhaus for a piano trio concert by violinist Julia Fischer, cellist Marie-Elisabeth Hecker and pianist Martin Helmchen.

PROGRAM:
Beethoven – Seven Variations on the Duet ‘Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen’ from Mozart’s The Magic Flute for Cello and Piano in E-flat major, WoO. 46
Beethoven – Sonata for Violin and Piano in C minor, op. 30/2
Beethoven – Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello in B-flat major, op. 97 (‘Archduke Trio’)

(BL)

Enjoy the morning at leisure to relax or to further explore the city at your own pace.

In the early afternoon, walk to the Gewandhaus for a string quartet performance by violinists Frank-Michael Erben and Yun-Jin Cho, violist Vincent Aucante and cellist Isang Enders.

PROGRAM:
Beethoven – String Quartet in C minor, op. 18/4
Beethoven – String Quartet in C major, op. 59/3
Beethoven – String Quartet in A minor, op. 132

Afterwards, join Andy and fellow travellers for a special farewell dinner before attending the final performance of the tour, a symphony concert by the Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Andris Nelsons with pianist Lang Lang.

PROGRAM:
Beethoven – Symphony No. 6 in F major, op. 68 (‘Pastoral’)
Beethoven – Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, op. 73

(BD)

Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast.

For those returning home today, make your way to Leipzig Airport for suggested flights to Australia or New Zealand. Renaissance Tours or your travel agent can assist you with your flights and other travel arrangements, including a private airport transfer, additional nights’ accommodation either before or after the tour and travel insurance (a condition of travel).

(B)