Bachs Organ World 09

Bach’s Organ World Tour of Germany July 20-31, 2009 (12 days, 10 nights) Preliminary Itinerary

Monday, July 20 Departure Arrive at Newark’s Liberty International Airport at least two and a half hours in advance of the group scheduled flight time to check in for your non-stop overnight flight to Berlin, Germany. Tuesday, July 21 Arrival/Dresden “Guten Tag” and welcome to Germany! Morning arrival at Berlin’s Tegel Airport. After claiming your luggage and clearing customs, you will be met by your Englishspeaking German tour escort (who’ll be with you throughout the tour) and taken to your private motorcoach. Transfer to the Saxon capital of Dresden where you’ll stay for three nights. Check-in to your hotel upon arrival. Group dinner and overnight in Dresden. Wednesday, July 22 Dresden After breakfast you’ll have a guided tour of Dresden. Long considered a Kunststadt (City of Art) along the graceful Elbe River, most of the city was reduced to rubble by the Allied air raid of February 13, 1945. Neglected during the days of Communist occupation, much of Dresden’s glorious architecture was reconstructed in advance of the city’s 800th anniversary in 2006. During your walking tour you’ll see some of the city’s highlights. The elegant Zwinger is a palatial complex that was once home to Augustus (II) the Strong, Duke of Saxony and King of Poland (and a famous patron of the arts). You’ll visit the baroque Hofkirche (Church of the Court), the largest Catholic church in Saxony, which was built in response to the building of the Protestant Frauenkirche in 1743. While there, you may have the chance to hear an organ recital or public rehearsal on the Hofkirche’s carefully restored organ, the last instrument built by the renowned organ builder Gottfried Silbermann. Thursday, July 23 Dresden Breakfast at your hotel. Today, there may be the option to visit to an organ builder (e.g. Jehmlich in Dresden; Eule in Bautzen; or Gross in Waditz) to see first-hand the process of restoring an historical organ. Group lunch, with the balance of the afternoon and evening free. Some options you may want to visit during leisure time: 155 W. 72nd Street, Suite 302, New York, NY 10023 Tel: 212-580-0760 Fax: 212-874-4554 [email protected]

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the gloriously restored Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), bombed in 1945 and left in ruins for decades as a monument to the horrors of war; the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Painting Gallery of Old Masters) inside the Zwinger to see the highlight of the collection, Raphael’s Sistine Madonna, as well as Italian, Venetian, Spanish, French, Dutch, Flemish, and German paintings from the 14th through 18th centuries; the majestic Semper Opera House; the Grünes Gewölbe (Green Vaults), considered one of the most impressive treasuries in Europe; the Brühlsche Terrasse to relax and have a coffee.

Friday, July 24 Leipzig After breakfast, check out of your hotel and depart to Leipzig. En route, you’ll have a stop in Pomßen to see Saxony’s oldest organ (built in 1570) in the centuries-old Romanesque church, Wehrkirche. Leipzig is a grand city of German culture. It has always been a major musical center: Johann Sebastian Bach is, of course, closely associated with the city, as are Felix Mendelssohn and Richard Wagner (born here in 1813). Leipzig is also home to one of Germany’s most important universities and has long been a center for publishing and trade. East Germany’s peaceful revolution in the fall of 1989 began in Leipzig. After checking into your hotel, you’ll take a walking tour of Bach’s Leipzig, including the Thomaskirche, where the monumental composer served as chief organist and director of music for the last 27 years of his life; and the baroque Nikolaikirche, another of Bach’s posts and the site for the premiere of his St. John Passion and other works. You may have the opportunity to attend a Motette at the Thomaskirche (scheduled Fridays at 6:00 pm and Saturdays at 3:00 pm). In the evening take a stroll down Barfussgaesschen (Barefoot Alley), a pedestrian area lined with restaurants and pubs, some of which have been here for centuries. Saturday, July 25 Leipzig Breakfast at your hotel. You’ll have the opportunity to delve into the Bach Archives in Leipzig this morning. Some of you may choose to explore other facets of Leipzig on your own: visit the Mendelssohn House, where that composer stayed in Leipzig while bringing about the important revival of Bach’s music, or simply enjoy a stroll through Leipzig’s bustling streets, lined with bistros, shops and cafés. Be sure to stop in the baroque cafe-restaurant Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum, which opened its doors in 1694 and served as a meeting place for many notable figures (including Robert Schumann, Richard Wagner, and Goethe) through the years. This afternoon your trip to Naumburg will include visits to the Stadtkirche St. Wenzel with its magnificent Hildebrandt organ (the largest instrument he built), and the Naumburg Cathedral with its 13th century Stifterfiguren (Founders’ Statues).

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Late afternoon/early evening return to Leipzig, where you’ll have dinner at the famous Auerbachs Keller restaurant, immortalized in Goethe’s Faust. The balance of the evening is free. Sunday, July 26 Leipzig Time available this morning to attend a church service. You’ll then have the option to visit the Museum of Musical Instruments of the University of Leipzig at the Grassimuseen. Then depart for an excursion along the back roads of Saxony to smaller towns where you’ll see some of Germany’s precious, but lesser known, historical organs dating back to Bach’s days. The Schlosskirche in Altenburg houses an organ built by Heinrich Trost, and played by Bach in 1739. Eule restored it in the mid-1970s. Störmthal’s village church holds a Hildebrandt organ still in its original condition. Return to Leipzig, with the balance of the day at leisure. Monday, July 27 Halle/Wittenberg Breakfast at the hotel, then check out and depart Leipzig. On the way to Wittenberg, you’ll stop in Halle, the birthplace of Georg Friedrich Handel. The city is known internationally for its music and festivals. Its musical reputation is not based solely on Handel; other renowned musicians closely connected with Halle include Samuel Scheidt, Johann Fiedrich Reichardt, Carl Loewe and Robert Franz. The Halle Philharmonic Orchestra, the Händel Festival Orchestra, the Halle Madrigalists, the Robert Franz Choral Academy and the City Choir of Halle, one of the oldest boy's choirs in Germany, carry on this musical tradition. You’ll see the Marktkirche where Friedemann Bach was organist, and visit the Händelhaus museum. Afternoon arrival in Wittenberg, best known as a key town of the Protestant Reformation initiated by Martin Luther. It was on the doors of the Castle Church here that, in 1517, Luther pinned up his famous 95 Articles condemning some practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Though the original Castle Church burned down in 1760, the rebuilt church contains the text, cast in bronze in 1855. Martin Luther's tomb is also here. Dinner and overnight in Wittenberg. Tuesday, July 28 Berlin Breakfast at your hotel and check out. If time permits, you may want to visit the Lutherhalle to see in authentic detail how Martin Luther lived his everyday life before departing Wittenberg. Next stop is the village of Belzig, for a visit to the Marienkirche with its Papenius organ. Some free time in Belzig, with lunch on your own. Continue on for a late afternoon arrival to your final tour destination, Germany’s capital city of Berlin. One of Europe’s largest metropolitan areas (with a population of 4 million), Berlin can be easily navigated by its well-planned public transportation system. The city was divided until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. While the disparities between the former Eastern and Western halves are still apparent in some instances, the spirit of unification is evidenced by recently completed restoration and construction projects. Bach’s Organ World Itinerary Page 3

Panoramic city tour en route to your hotel, followed by check-in with the balance of the day at leisure. Group dinner tonight. Wednesday, July 29 Berlin After breakfast, you’ll enjoy a half-day guided tour of the city including: the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate), regarded by many as the unofficial city symbol; the Reichstag (Parliament); the site of Checkpoint Charlie and its nearby museum (exhibiting artifacts from the city’s post WWII period); a fragment of the notorious Berlin Wall; Die Siegessäule (Victory Column); the Tiergarten (Berlin's largest park); Gendarmenmarkt (Berlin's most beautiful square) and Potsdamer Platz (Potsdam Square, the old and new center of Berlin). Entrance to the Berliner Dom included, perhaps with an organ recital. After the official tour, you can continue to explore this fascinating city on your own. You may want to visit one of the many worthwhile outdoor options: the new Holocaust Museum which incorporates over 5 acres “inspired by an Iowa cornfield”; the Berlin Zoo or the Botanical Gardens, each among Europe’s finest. For a true Berlin experience, stroll down the Kurfürstendamm (Ku’damm) or the fashionable Unter den Linden, the most notable street in the markedly Prussian area of Berlin-Mitte. Visit one or more of Berlin’s many fine museums: the Gemäldegalerie; the Neue Nationalgalerie; the Antikensammlung or the Pergamon Museums; the Ägyptisches Museum and Bodemuseum. If you want to learn more about the cultural and architectural history of Berlin, tour the Märkisches Museum. The Nikolaiviertal, rebuilt in time for Berlin’s 750th anniversary in 1987, offers a 16th century view of the city; its shops, taverns, and churches flank the winding streets along the banks of the Spree River. Group dinner this evening. Thursday, July 30 Brandenburg/Berlin Breakfast at the hotel. You’ll then venture out into the Brandenburg “organ landscape” with visits to the towns of Brandenburg an der Havel and Tangermünde. The Cathedral in Brandenburg (also known as Dom St. Peter und Paul) was built on the site of an old Slavic castle, Hevellerburg, and holds a marvelous Wagner organ. In Tangermünde you will find one of the oldest instruments of your tour: the 1624 Scherer organ at St. Stephen’s Church (Stephanskirche). This late Gothic parish church was built c. 1376, but incorporates remains of an earlier Romanesque church. In addition to the organ, other notable features of the interior are the pulpit (1619), the bronze font (by H. Mente, 1508), and a number of monuments from the 15th to 19th centuries. Later today you’ll return to Berlin for a festive farewell dinner at a fine local restaurant. Friday, July 31 Flight Home Breakfast at your hotel. Then check out and transfer to Tegel Airport for your return non-stop flight to Newark Liberty International. Welcome Home!

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