The Vienna of Beethoven & His Contemporaries

with  Peter Medhurst 

From the late 18th century to the mid-19th century, Vienna was the musical capital of Europe.  Initially – in the period of Mozart & Haydn, a good deal of the music was intended for the Hapsburg family, but as the 19th century turned, it was the rising middleclasses who became the  paymasters, commissioning some of the finest music of Beethoven and Schubert for their Biedermeier drawingrooms.  Through daily illustrated lectures, walks, and visits to museums and composer’s houses, Peter Medhurst explores the Vienna, and the music, of these four classical composers.  The tour includes one opera and a concert at Schönbrunn.

Day 1 – To Vienna: Fly from London to Vienna and transfer to the hotel for 6 nights. Afternoon walking tour to include the Graben and St Stephen’s Cathedral.

Day 2 – Vienna:  Morning visit to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna’s premier Fine Art museum.  Afternoon at leisure followed by an evening performance at the Vienna State Opera / Volksoper – programme details to be advised.

Day 3 – Vienna  Morning visit to Schubert’s birthplace, in Nussdorfer Strasse, where he lived for the first 4½ years of his life.  The museum houses the bulk of the surviving Schubert memorabilia, including his piano, portraits – and even his pair of spectacles.  The visit will be complimented by an afternoon visit to the Schubert Commemorative Rooms, in Kettenbrückengasse.

Day 4 – Vienna   Afternoon at leisure prior to departing for a special evening tour of Schönbrunn Palace followed by dinner and a concert in the Orangerie.

Day 5 – Vienna  Visit to the Hofburg, the centrepiece of imperial Vienna, comprising numerous buildings dating from the 13th to 18th century, including St Augustine’s Church and the National Library. Continue through the park to see the Mozart Memorial and the Michaeler church, with its mix of architectural styles, including Romanesque and Baroque.  Afternoon visit to the ‘Figaro House’ where Mozart lived in the 1780s and where he wrote so many of his masterpieces.  Evening at leisure.

Day 6 – Vienna  Morning at leisure.  Afternoon visit to the house Joseph Haydn bought in 1793 and had renovated, which included the building of another floor. It was here that Haydn wrote his late compositions, which include The Creation and The Seasons.  There is also a exhibition dedicated to Johannes Brahms in the house.  Optional evening concert or opera.

Day 7 – To London: Morning visit to the Sammlung der Alter Musikinstrumente, which houses the pianos of Beethoven, Schubert and Haydn and whose collection of Renaissance instruments is widely believed to be the finest in the world. Afternoon visit to the Theatre an der Wien, where the premiere of Mozart’s Magic Flute and Beethoven’s Fidelio was staged.  Also there will be trip to St Mark’s Cemetery, where Mozart is buried. Late afternoon transfer to airport and fly to London

Peter Medhurst is well-known in the world of the arts as a singer, pianist, scholar and lecturer, who in addition to his appearances on the concert platform and in the lecture hall, sets aside time to devise and lead tours abroad for small groups of art and music connoisseurs.  His particular interests are centred on the music, art and history of Vienna, Salzburg (with its strong Mozart link), Berlin, Halle (Handel’s birthplace), Dresden, Venice, and Delft (with its Vermeer and 17th century Dutch School connections) and over the years Peter has worked for a number of companies including Travel Editions, Cox and Kings, Heritage Travel and Tailored Travel.

Price: £XXXX

Single Supplement: £XXX

Includes services of a local tour manager.