“One thing is certain: the musical standards at the Salzburg Festival are stratospheric . . . Great conductors and tip-top orchestras in the pit, including the Vienna Philharmonic, and you are in heaven.”
- Opera News

“But what gave this performance its class was the casting of Marina Poplavskaya as Rachel.” (London Financial Times, review of Covent Garden’s ‘La Juive’)

Christopher Maltman: “What sets him apart from so many other singers is the seemingly effortless quality of his voice. He opens his mouth and out pours a lovely, virile stream of sound.” (San Diego Union-Tribune)

The Salzburg Festival remains the most prestigious and expensive of all summer festivals, renowned for its high level of artistic achievement and its elite atmosphere of European style. We are gratified that our 2008 Tour will encompass a leisurely six nights in this charming town and a varied program of six unusual performances. Our exciting offerings will include three operas – all in eagerly anticipated new productions; a Sunday morning concert by the Vienna Philharmonic with mezzo-soprano Vessalina Kasarova as the vocal soloist; one of the Festival’s signature Mozart Matinees in the Mozarteum; and an evening of chamber music (one of the ’08 ‘Schubert Scenes’) in the intimate Mozarteum. Every music aficionado is well aware that Salzburg’s summer performances and leading hotels are already sold out months in advance.

Our opera enthusiasts will be enthralled by the three new productions highlighting our program. First, Mozart’s immortal Don Giovanni will feature British baritone Christopher Maltman as the womanizing Don opposite Vienna’s radiant soprano Dorothea Röschmann as the spurned Donna Elvira. Second, Verdi’s towering Shakespearean opera Otello will be galvanized by the conducting of Riccardo Muti, with Latvian tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko as the Moor, Moscow-born soprno Marina Poplavskaya as Desdemona, and Spanish baritone Carlos Alvarez as Iago. Third, we look forward to Bartok’s 20th century landmark opera Bluebeard’s Castle, which promises to be a ‘tour de force’ for German bass/baritone Falk Struckmann and American mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung. The orchestral splendor of the peerless Vienna Philharmonic in the pit for all three of these new stagings.

Our musical immersion will be augmented by three orchestral highlights of the ’08 Festival. First, we are fortunate to include a concert by the Vienna Philharmonic with Jonathan Nott conducting works by Bach, Mahler, Ives and Schubert. The soloist will be the charismatic Bulgarian mezzo-soprano, Vesselina Kasarova. We are also able to offer a sought-after Sunday morning Mozart Matinee in the Mozarteum, an all-Mozart program led by the British maestro, Ivor Bolton. Our concluding concert is one of the series of ‘Schubert Scenes’ announced for this year: an imaginative program of Schubert, Janacek and Schoenberg featuring the Norwegian pianist Leif-Ove Andsnes as the soloist.

We are pleased that the variety of our performances will take us into three of Salzburg’s exceptional theatres – the Grosses Festspielhaus (‘Large Festival Hall’), the newly renovated Haus für Mozart (formerly the ‘Small Festival Hall’), and the Baroque jewel of the Mozarteum.

With accommodations at the classic traditional Pitter Hotel (now a member of the Crowne Plaza chain), we have planned an incomparable week of music and sightseeing in the foothills of the Alps and tranquil Salzkammergut Lakes. Old and new friends should respond immediately to avoid dappointment. (This Tour is limited to 20 people.)

Friday, August 1st, departure from New York’s Kennedy Airport at 9:35 pm on Lufthansa flight #405, arriving in Frankfurt at 11:30 am on the morning of the 2nd. This connects with Lufthansa flight #6422, departing Frankfurt at 12:35 pm and arriving in Salzburg at 1:40 pm. (Or independent travel to Salzburg).

Accommodations for six nights (with a generous buffet breakfast) at ‘The Pitter’ – a traditional Salzburg landmark centrally located adjacent to the Mirabel Gardens only a short walk from the Mozarteum. While the Pitter is now a completely renovated member of the Crowne Plaza chain, it retains the classic Austrian atmosphere that attracts local residents to its several well-know dining areas. Both the Rainerstube Keller and the gourmet Auersperg Restaurant serve regional menus before and after the Festival performances, and the Plaza Bar is a popular gathering spot for international visitors. The hotel also offers an indoor swimming pool, sauna and exercise room. Our twin/double rooms are in the spacious Superior category, and our single rooms are comfortable ‘double rooms for single occupancy’.

Our repeat Salzburg travelers should know that our usual Sacher Salzburg Hotel could only offer very limited availability, and at a price which seems prohibitive at today’s unfavorable exchange rates. We are fortunate to have found alternative accommodations at the deluxe Crowne Plaza Pitter.

Saturday evening, August 2nd, a cocktail reception will be held in a private entertainment area of our hotel to meet other members of the Tour. We have NOT included a performance on our first evening.

IMPORTANT: We have a limited number of rooms available for the early night of August 1st. You should notify us NOW if you wish to arrive on the 1st.