Opera in Berlin

Day 1 London to Berlin, Germany.

Fly by scheduled flight. Arrive this afternoon and transfer to the Westin Grand Hotel for a four night stay. Settle into your room before meeting for dinner this evening at a local restaurant. (D)

Day 2 Berlin.

After breakfast we will start our morning city tour of Berlin which will include parts of the old East Berlin and West Berlin, along with the new modern sections of the city. We will see Potsdamer Platz, formerly bisected by the Berlin Wall but today a symbol of the reunited city, the Brandenburg Gate and the Holocaust Memorial before continuing along Unter den linden, once Berlin’s showcase boulevard. Passing Checkpoint Charlie, we will continue to Alexanderplatz and see the TV Tower and of course see remainders of the Berlin Wall. Going west we will drive along the famous Ku’damm, the heart of the former West Berlin. The tour will end at the Reichstag, the seat of the German government, before lunch in a local restaurant. The afternoon is at leisure for independent exploration. The city’s famous Museum Island is only a short walk or train ride away. Meet early this evening for canapés with wine followed by an evening at the Berlin State Opera House for our evening performance. (B, L, C*)

‘Les Contes d´Hoffman’ by Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach composed more than 100 operas and operettas, most of them displaying his unique wit and biting satire, and being both original and inspired. At the end of his illustrious career in Paris, which stretched over five decades, he turned to his most ambitious operatic work, ‘Les Contes d’Hoffmann’ (The Tales of Hoffmann), an opéra fantastique based on a play that premiered in 1881. Here, the audience becomes immersed in a world of odd characters and situations, fantastic elements and breathtaking moments, all set to a rich score. The title character finds himself among his own stories, fascinated equally by art and love, attracted by the female characters and duped by his rivals.

Day 3 Potsdam & Sanssouci Palace.

This morning, we will drive westwards from the city centre to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Potsdam. We will visit Sanssouci, the Summer Palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. The palace, built 1745–1747, was not merely a summer residence but his favourite place. The many rooms of the palace retain their original elegant designs and furnishings and give you a glimpse at the opulence of the age. There will be time to explore the superb gardens as well. After lunch we will enjoy a walking tour through the historic centre of Potsdam. In the early evening we will meet for canapés with wine before enjoying our evening performance at the Berlin State Opera House. (B, L, C*)

‘La Traviata’ by Giuseppe Verdi

Verdi based his great opera on Alexander Dumas the Younger’s ‘La Dame aux Camélias’. He composed a score of great intensity that conveys a wide range of emotions – joy and exuberance, sorrow and despair – as the audience is drawn into the plot and feels every moment of Violetta’s fate. La Traviata, which premiered in 1853, was first performed at Unter den Linden in 1860 and became a great success. Dieter Dorn’s production portrays Violetta as a woman condemned to death from the very beginning but who rebels against her fate. In the end, she fades away, almost ethereally.

Day 4 Berlin.

After breakfast a short coach transfer takes us to Berlin’s largest Palace complex, the Charlottenburg Palace which is embedded in a beautiful garden and was built between 1695 and 1699 for Sophia Charlotte, wife of King Frederick I of Prussia. Over the centuries the palace has been added to and expanded and has encapsulated the changing architectural tastes of its residents. During our visit to the palace we will explore the state rooms, the Rococo ballroom known as the Golden Gallery, as well as the Silver Vault. Return to the hotel and the afternoon is free to explore at your own pace. In the evening we meet for a farewell dinner at a local restaurant. (B, D)

Day 5 Berlin to London.

After breakfast transfer to the airport for the return scheduled flight to London. (B)