LONDON MUSIC AND THEATRE JANUARY 18-29, 2018 TOUR LEADER: DR TOM FORD

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Overview Academy Travel is delighted to offer a unique performing arts tour to London in January 2018. For lovers of music, theatre and art, January is a great time to visit London. Yes, it’s cold, but there is much fine music on offer and theatre companies have launched new. Best of all, the city is not at all crowded. Our 12-day program will 11 performances of opera, orchestral music and stage drama, including all three of London’s major orchestras. Thanks to our association with Decca we have been able to arrange special music-oriented events that would not be available to most visitors. This includes meetings with performing artists and behind-the-scenes glimpses of London’s musical life. To broaden out the program, we’ve included a full-day excursion to Oxford, a visit to newly-restored Kenwood House, and a selection of London’s galleries. Your tour leader Dr Tom Ford, will provide detailed background information on the performances and accompany all the excursions. And there will also be plenty of opportunities to exchange views on the performances and exhibitions with Tom and your fellow participants. Accommodation is in the neo-Georgian Bloomsbury Hotel, a heritage building designed by British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. This very comfortable hotel has a great location, a few minutes from the British Museum and within easy walking distance of Covent Garden, the West End and the galleries of Trafalgar Square.

Academy Travel is pleased to partner with Decca in arranging this tour. Decca have been able to provide exclusive access to its artists and music experts.

Your tour leader Dr Tom Ford holds a PhD in history from the University of Adelaide. He has written extensively on classical music and has been a broadcaster on 5MBS Adelaide and 3MBS Fine Music in Melbourne. Tom is currently the PR and media manager (classics and jazz) for Universal Music Australia, based in Sydney.

Tom has lead music tours for Academy Travel retracing the lives of Mozart and Beethoven,

visiting the key musical cities of Vienna, Prague, Salzburg and Dresden. ‘Tom Ford is exceptional, efficient and a caring tour leader. His music lectures were informative, enhanced with music excerpts. Well done Tom!’ Feedback from Academy Travel’s, In the Footsteps of Beethoven: Bonn to Vienna, May 2016

LONDON MUSIC AND THEATRE

Tour dates: January 18-29, 2018

Tour leader: Dr Tom Ford

Tour Price: $8,950 per person, twin share

Single Supplement: $2,250 for sole use of double room

Booking deposit: $500 per person

Recommended airline: Qantas, Emirates, Etihad, Singapore Airlines or Cathay Pacific

Maximum places: 20

Itinerary: London (11 nights)

Date published: July 13, 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

Performance program Eleven performances of opera, orchestral and choral music, chamber music and drama are included. The Royal Opera’s production of Monteverdi’s ground-

breaking 1648 opera The Return of Ulysses, performed in the intimate Roundhouse theatre in north London.

Richard Strauss’s equally ground-breaking 1905 opera Salome, at the Royal Opera House.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Vladimir Jurowski in a concert performance of Wagner’s Das Rheingold at the Royal Festival Hall.

A French orchestral music marathon with performances by the Philharmonia Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra in music by Debussy, Lalo and Massenet

The Orchestra of La Scala, Milan with conductor Riccardo Chailly at the Barbican Centre

Piano Recital by renown musician Paul Lewis at Royal Festival Hall

Evensong at Christ Church College, Oxford A lunchtime recital at Wigmore Hall, a favourite London

recital venue The Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Julius

Caesar The Globe Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s comedy

All’s Well That End’s Well Peter Shaffer’s play Amadeus at the National Theatre

Music-Themed Events These special events are designed to enrich the music focus of the tour. Morning tea with Aled Jones, the former star boy soprano

who continues to record and perform A morning with Melba in London – Melba expert Roger Neill

discusses Nellie Melba’s career and takes us on a behind the scenes tour of the Royal Opera House exploring the legendary Australian diva’s London career

St Paul’s and music – Decca producers Barry Holden and Paul Moseley discuss their project to record the world’s largest massed choir at St Paul’s, followed by a visit to St Paul’s

Opera: the power and the passion – We take a special tour of the V&A museum’s winter exhibition, featuring the performance of Salome we see on stage

A visit to the Handel House museum in London Meetings with performing artists featured in the concert

program Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and Benjamin Grosvenor (all meetings with performing artists are subject to final confirmation) Get to know performing artists, past and present. The tour

features encounters with Aled Jones (image top), Dame Nellie Melba (centre, and Pierre-Laurent Aimard (bottom)

Detailed itinerary Included meals are shown with the letters B, L and D.

Thursday January 18 Arrival

Most flights arrive in London in the morning or early afternoon. If you have booked your air travel through Academy Travel we will organise a transfer from Heathrow to our hotel. Please note that hotel rooms may not be available until early afternoon. In the early evening, we gather in the Seamus Heaney Library at the hotel for welcome drinks and canapés. (C)

Friday January 19 Performance I Portrait Gallery and Monteverdi

After a morning talk on Monteverdi, we visit the National Portrait Gallery which contains an astonishing survey of British portraiture from the Tudor period to the present. Afterwards we enjoy a welcome lunch at the gallery’s fine restaurant. This evening we head to the Roundhouse Theatre in Camden for the Royal Opera’s chamber-scale performance of Monteverdi’s Venetian opera, The Return of Ulysses, an English-language production telling the tale of the ever-faithful Penelope and her eventual reunion with her husband Ulysses. 2017 marked the 450th anniversary of Monteverdi’s birth. (B, L) Performance details Venue: Roundhouse Theatre Program: Monteverdi, The Return of Ulysses Performers: Christine Rice (Penelope), Roderick Williams (Ulysses), Christian Curnyn (conductor)

Saturday January 20 PERFORMANCE II Handel House and Shakespeare

This morning we walk to Mayfair to visit the delightful Handel House Museum, London’s only museum dedicated to a composer. Handel lived here from 1723 until his death in 1759. This evening we visit the Barbican Centre for The Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Shakespeare’s, Julius Caesar, a political thriller that somehow never seems to lose its relevance. Performance details Venue: Barbican Centre

Above: Italian 17th-century composer Claudio Monteverdi, composer of The Return of Ulysses Below: The Handel House Museum in London Bottom: Andrew Woodall plays Julius Caesar in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production

Getting around London

For longer excursions, we will use private coaches. Some performance venues, galleries and museums are close to the hotel and we will access them on foot. For others, such as the Barbican and Royal Festival Hall, we will arrange coach transfers.

Above: Maurice Ravel at the piano Below: Adam Gillen (as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) and Lucian Msamati (as Salieri) in the 2016 production of Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus at the National Theatre

Program: Shakespeare Julius Caesar Performers: Andrew Woodall (Julius Caesar), Alex Waldmann (Brutus), Martin Hutson (Cassius), Angus Jackson (Director)

Sunday January 21 Performances Iii & IV French Music Marathon

Today’s program allows us to compare two of London’s orchestras in some of the major works of the French repertoire, featuring French soloists. This morning Tom Ford provides an analysis of French music from Massenet to Ravel. In the afternoon we attend a concert by the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, with pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard. Afterwards we plan to meet Mr Aimard (subject to confirmation). In the evening hear the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican Centre in a largely French program (B) Performance III details Venue: Royal Festival Hall, Southbank, 3.00pm Program: Debussy, Prélude à l’aprés-midi d’un faune; Ravel, Piano Concerto in G, Mother Goose suite; Debussy, La mer Performers: Philharmonia Orchestra, Pierre-Lauent Aimard (piano), Pablo Heras-Casado (conductor) Performance IV details Venue: Concert Hall, Barbican Centre, 7.00pm Program: Wagner, Overture to Tannhäuser; Lalo, Cello Concerto; Debussy Première Suite (UK premiere); Massenet Le Cid – Suite Performers: London Symphony Orchestra, Edgar Moreau (cello), François Xavier-Roth (conductor)

Monday January 22 Performance V Aled Jones and amadeus

This morning Welsh singer Aled Jones visits us in the hotel for morning tea. Jones is best remembered as a star boy soprano, recording 16 albums in the 1980s. He went on to study at the Royal College of Music and now sings baritone roles. This evening we visit National Theatre for British playwright Peter Shaffer’s Olivier and Tony award-winning play Amadeus. A powerful play about the life of the young musical prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Tour leader Tom Ford’s Ph.D is on Mozart, so no doubt he will be able to provide much insight into Schaffer’s interpretation. (B, morning tea) Performance details Venue: National Theatre Program: Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus Performers: Adam Gillen (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), Lucian Msamati (Salieri)

Tuesday January 23 performance VI Kenwood House

This morning we visit Kenwood House on the edge of Hampstead Heath. Kenwood was brilliantly remodelled and

extended by Robert Adam from 1764 to 1779. The Adam interiors include some of his finest surviving schemes, particularly the magnificent ‘Great Room’ or library. The house contains an outstanding collection of paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer and Gainsborough among others. The afternoon is free before we head to Royal Festival Hall for the piano recital by Paul Lewis, one of today's most celebrated interpreters of Classical repertoire. (B) Performance details Venue: Royal Festival Hall Program: Haydn: Piano Sonata in C; Beethoven: 6 Bagatelles, Op.126 interval; Brahms: 6 Pieces for piano, Op.118 Haydn: Piano Sonata in G Performer: Paul Lewis (piano)

Wednesday January 24 performance VII Melba in London & Orchestra of La Scala

This morning London-based musicologist Roger Neill talks to us about the Australian singer Nellie Melba’s career in London. Roger has recently been responsible for producing a recorded survey of Australian singers from Melba to Sutherland, and is an expert on the subject. We then take a tour of the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, where Roger further describes her career. This evening we return to the Barbican Centre for a performance by the Orchestra of La Scala, Milan, with new music director Riccardo Chailly and pianist Benjamin Grosvenor. Like many European orchestras, the fine La Scala ensemble has a regular program of orchestral concerts on top of its operatic schedule. After the performance plan to meet pianist Benjamin Grosvenor (subject to confirmation). (B) Performance details Venue: Barbican Centre Program: Rossini Overture from La Gazza Ladra; Liszt Piano Concerto No 2; Tchaikovsky Symphony No 4 Performers: Orchestra of La Scala, Riccardo Chailly (conductor), Benjamin Grosvenor (piano)

Thursday January 25 performance VIII Shakespeare’s Globe

This morning we head to South London to visit Shakespeare’s Globe theatre. A reconstruction of the original open-air theatre, it has an excellent permanent exhibition of London theatre history, focussing on Shakespeare’s time. We then attend an afternoon performance of the Bard’s semi-comedy All’s Well That Ends Well, in the intimate (and indoor) Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. Expectations are high thanks to director Caroline Byrne’s highly-regarded production to The Taming Of The Shrew in 2016. (B) Performance details Venue: Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Globe Theatre, 2.00pm

British pianists Paul Lewis (above) and Benjamin Grosvenor (below) feature in our performances program. Lewis has enjoyed an international career for more than a decade, whereas Grosvenor is an emerging talent Bottom: Shakespeare’s Globe in South London

Program: Shakespeare, All’s Well That End’s Well Performers: to be announced

Friday January 26 performance IX V&A and the Royal Opera

After a talk on this evening’s opera, we travel to Kensington to visit the Victoria & Albert Museum. This important institution holds major exhibitions of fine and decorative arts, and our visit includes an introduction by a museum curator and the exhibition itself. Today we see the exhibition Opera: Passion, Power and Politics, a collaboration with the Royal Opera House, presenting key moments in the story of opera from its origins in late-Renaissance Italy to the present day. We return to our hotel mid-afternoon with plenty of time to relax before our second evening at Covent Garden. This evening we hear Richard Strauss’s highly dramatic Salome, based on Oscar Wilde’s version of the biblical story. Rather than indulging in sweet romantic melodies, Strauss’s music attempts to recreate the full-blooded drama of ancient Greek tragedy. An excellent international cast in a David McVicar production. (B) Performance details Venue: Royal Opera House, Covent Garden Program: Richard Strauss, Salome Performers: Maylin Byström (Salome), Michael Volle (John the Baptist), Henrik Nànàsi (conductor)

Saturday January 27 performance X Music at St Paul’s and the London philharmonic orchestra

England’s fine cathedrals have always played an important role in music-making. This morning we meet Barry Holden and Paul Moseley, who were responsible to assemble a very large choir in St Paul’s cathedral in London to record some of the more spectacular works of the choral repertoire. We then head to St Paul’s with Barry and Paul to learn more about the cathedral’s music-making qualities. In the late afternoon there is a pre-performance talk, before we hear the London Philharmonic Orchestra in a gala performance of Wagner’s Das Rheingold, the first of the four music dramas that constitute ‘The Ring of the Nibelung’. The performance celebrates Vladimir Jurowski’s 10th year as Principal Conductor of the LPO, and features a starry line-up of singers. (B) Performance details Venue: Royal Festival Hall Program: Wagner’s Das Rheingold Performers: London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski (conductor), Matthias Goerne (Wotan), Robert Hayward (Alberich), Michelle DeYoung (Fricka)

Sunday January 28 Oxford museums and evensong

This morning we travel out of London to Oxford, a historic university town with a fine musical history. Our visit, with an

Above: Salome gets what she asked for in the blood-curdling conclusion of the Royal Opera’s production of Salome Below: Russian maestro Vladimir Jurowski celebrates 10 years at the helm of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in our gala performance

architectural guide, includes the Ashmolean Museum and Christopher Wren’s superb Sheldonian Theatre. After a farewell lunch at a local restaurant, we attend choral evensong at Christ Church College before returning to London. (B, L)

Monday January 29 performance Xi Wigmore Hall and Departure

In the late morning, we check out of the hotel and attend a lunchtime recital at Wigmore Hall, a fine Edwardian recital hall which attracts the world’s best musicians. The tour ends after the recital. In the afternoon there is a transfer to Heathrow Airport for those departing on evening flights. (B) Performance details Venue: Wigmore Hall Program: to be announced October 2017 Performers: To be announced October 2017

Additional travel And stopovers We are more than happy to arrange additional travel either before or after the tour dates. Stopovers on the outbound or return flight are also possible for those wishing to break their journey. Please contact Frederick Steyn on (02) 9235 0023 to discuss your requirements.

Our Hotel The Bloomsbury Hotel

This elegant four-star hotel is housed in a heritage building designed by the famous English architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. It has tastefully appointed public areas and comfortable well-sized rooms. But its best feature is the location on a quiet part of Great Russell Street in Bloomsbury. The British Museum is only 100 metres from the front door, and the theatres of the West End, Covent Garden Opera House and the galleries of Trafalgar Square are all within easy walking distance. www.thedoylecollection.com

Above: the neo-classical Radcliffe Camera at Oxford Below: Wigmore Hall, a superb recital venue

Tour Price The tour price is $8,950 per person, twin share (land content only). The supplement for a single room is $2,250 per person. A non-refundable deposit of $500 per person is required to secure a place on the tour.

Tour Inclusions Included in the tour price

Best available tickets to 11 performances of music and theatre

Accommodation for 11 nights at The Bloomsbury Hotel Breakfasts daily, plus lunches and dinners as noted in

the itinerary Land travel by air-conditioned coach as required,

including transfers to concert venues not within walking distance

Extensive background 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 all hotels 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 Qantas, Emirates, Etihad, Singapore Airlines or Cathay Pacific which all have flights to London from most Australian cities. 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 Expect cold days, around 2-7 degrees. Days will be mainly overcast, with the possibility of light snow or rain, but also some sunny days. You need to be well prepared with a warm overcoat, gloves, scarf and a hat, a good pair of shoes or boots and an umbrella.