“With three opera houses, eight symphony orchestras, 18 theatres, 300 art galleries and . . . more museums than rainy days, the German capital serves as a magnet for cultural talent. . . The Berlin Philharmonic is widely regarded as the best orchestra in the world.”
- Time

The new Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe: “The Memorial’s power lies in its willingness to grapple with the moral ambiguities arising in the Holocaust’s shadow.”
- The NewYork Times, May 9, ’05

“Move over, London, Los Angeles and maybe even New York. Berlin, the art scene, is moving up the outside track, a track of its own devising.”
- NY Times, May ’06

This year marks Great Performance Tours’ 12th consecutive fall visit to Berlin, which has proved to be especially rewarding to our discerning travelers who wish to experience an unusual variety of high-quality performances and priceless museums. Berlin offers a plethora of operatic productions in the city’s major opera houses and is also the home of the peerless Berlin Philharmonic – widely regarded as today’s pre-eminent orchestra under Music Director Sir Simon Rattle. Since the reunification of Germany in l989, Berlin has truly emerged as Europe’s most active cultural capital. Countless articles in travel and news journals, continue to emphasize the massive reconstruction which is transforming the city. A new political vitality reflects the return of the nation’s capital to its historic location, while the quality of musical performance throughout the opera houses and concert venues is the envy of all Europe.

This year our Tour will again encompass a full seven nights, with an embarrassment of riches to choose among the programs of the city’s opera houses and both Philharmonic Hall and the historic Konzerthaus designed by Schinkel. Our excursions will focus on the incomparable museums within the central city of Berlin: the antiquities of the Pergamon, the European masters of the Gemäldegalerie (‘Painting Gallery’), and the Jewish heritage most recently dramatized by the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Among European capitals today, only Berlin can offer the imaginative variety of these diverse theatres and wealth of museums.

First, we will enjoy the orchestral splendor of the Berlin Philharmonic, with its dynamic Music Director Sir Simon Rattle conducting a program of works by Haydn, Mozart and Brahms. The soloist will be the revered German pianist Alfred Brendel. Every musical visit to Berlin should encompass the unrivaled virtuosity of this brilliant orchestra and the extraordinary acoustics of Philharmonic Hall.

Next, a pair of performances will take us to the Deutsche Oper on Bismarkstrasse for the fall highlights of Giacomo Puccini’s lyric tragedy, Manon Lescaut, and Richard Wagner’s romantic music-drama, Lohengrin. The international casts will feature Chilean soprano Cristina Gallardo-Domas as the fragile Manonand the emotional American tenor Neil Shicoff as her lover Des Grieux; and South African heldentenor Johan Botha opposite the German soprano Petra-Maria Schnitzer as Wagner’s swan-knight and Elsa.

Our third opera will be an exciting new production of Tchaikovsky’s Russian classic, Eugene Onegin, at the Berlin Staatsoper ‘Unter der Linden’. Formerly in the Eastern sector, the Berlin State Opera is now easily accessible from our hotel. Under the leadership of Music Director Daniel Barenboim, the Staatsoper is generally regarded today as one of Germany’s leading lyric theatres. The stellar cast of Tchaikovsky interpreters is headed by Anna Samuil, Rolando Villazon, and René Pape, and Maestro Barenboim will be the conductor.

We also look forward to an orchestral concert in the exquisite neo-classical auditorium of the historic Konzerthaus, painstakingly restored in the post-War era as today’s finest example of the 19th century architecture of Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The visiting Orchestra National du Capitol de Toulouse will be led by conductor Tugan Sokhiev in a varied program of works by Berlioz, Saint-Saëns and Rachmaninoff.

(The program of the Komische Oper does not enable us to include one of their performances this fall.)

To visit Berlin ‘after The Wall’ is a revelation. Every traveler should discover the thrill of walking through the Brandenburg Gate and onto ‘Unter den Linden’ Boulevard – past where The Wall formerly blocked all passage. The survival, reconstruction and final reunion of Berlin add a moving chapter to modern political history, now reinforced by the return of the nation’s government to the Reichstag and other major sites reflecting the city’s turbulent 20th century upheaval.

Friday, October 24th, departure from New York’s Kennedy Airport at 7:00 pm on Delta Airlines flight #78, a convenient direct flight to Berlin arriving at the city’s Tegel Airport at 9:40 am on the morning of the 25th. Or independent travel to Berlin.

Accommodations for seven nights with an elaborate buffet breakfast at the Bristol Kempinski Hotel. Combining old-world appointments and personal service with renovated furnishings, the Kempinski is a famous landmark and meeting place in Berlin. Located on the corner of the throbbing Kurfürstendamm adjacent to the city’s prime shopping area, the Kempinski features an indoor swimming pool and health club (complimentary for hotel guests) and several excellent restaurants. The gourmet Grill Room remains open for late suppers after the opera, and the convenient Reinhards Restaurant on the corner offers convenient snacks and all-day dining. All of our rooms are confirmed in the hotel’s DELUXE category.

IMPORTANT: There WILL be a performance on our first evening. If you wish to arrive a day early to adjust to the time change, we are happy to reserve your room for the additional night of October 24th. You should notify us NOW if you want the early night.