“Renée Fleming was born to sing Violetta, and she has made this touchstone role her own. . . The evening’s most complete performance came from Thomas Hampson . . . His magnificently sung ‘Di Provenza’ stopped the show.”
- Int’l Herald Tribune, Jan. ’08 review of ‘La Traviata’ at Lyric Opera of Chicago

Rolando Villazon: “The tenor projects such a sense of involvement and immediacy that his work is on a plane well above the rest of the talented cast. Every phrase of Rodolfo’s music (‘La Boheme’) is brimming with honest life.”
- Opera News

“Although it was only unveiled in November 2005, Anthony Minghella’s English National Opera production of ‘Madam Butterfly’ is already approaching classic status.”
- www.musicalcriticism.com

 

Our annual spring visits to London always feature a plethora of exciting performances staged by England’s major opera and theatre companies. For 2009, we have carefully selected a week in June to include a pair of performances by the Royal Opera at Covent Garden as well as operas at the English National Opera (ENO) and the Holland Park Festival. These musical highlights will be balanced by an evening of theatre in the West End and an excursion to Stratford-upon-Avon for a Shakespeare tragedy – a total of six performances.

The program for June by the Royal Opera at Covent Garden offers today’s foremost international singers in a pair of exciting performances. First, the American stars Renée Fleming and Thomas Hampson will be heard in their signature roles of Violetta and Germont in Verdi’s beloved La Traviata; and second will be a Recital showcasing the romantic Mexican tenor Rolando Villazon in an operatic program accompanied by Music Director Antonio Pappano. The Royal Opera’s resplendent orchestra is in prime condition under the enormously popular Pappano.

London’s open-air Holland Park Festival consistently garners enviable reviews for their imaginative repertoire – notably for Ponchielli’s ‘La Gioconda’ and Tchaikovsky’s ‘Iolanta’ last summer. We are delighted that our June schedule will coincide with Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux, which will feature the Irish soprano Majella Cullagh as Queen Elizabeth I. The company’s outstanding ensemble will bring to life this emotional turning point of English history.

A fourth operatic evening will take us to London’s Coliseum for the English National Opera’s exquisite production of Puccini’s Madam Butterfly designed by the late film/theatre director Anthony Minghella. British soprano Judith Howarth will reprise her poignant portrayal of Cio-Cio-San, and we are fortunate that the company’s acclaimed young Music Director Edward Gardner will be the conductor.

Finally, our two theatrical outings will include a popular West End performance to be selected from the many productions in the wings for June (To Be Announced at a later date); and an excursion to the charming Cotswold village of Stratford-upon-Avon for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s riveting production of Julius Caesar.

Mid-June is an optimum period to enjoy London’s museums and restaurants. The weather should be ideal for our drive through the beautiful English countryside en route to Stratford and for the festive ambience of Holland Park.

Thursday, June 18th, departure from New York’s Kennedy Airport at 8:05 p.m. on American Airlines flight #105, arriving at London’s HEATHROW Airport at 8:25 a.m. on the morning of the 19th. (Or independent travel to London).

Accommodations for seven nights with full buffet breakfast at the Kingsway Hall Hotel, a new discovery for us which proved notably popular for our Covent Garden ‘Ring’ Tour last year. The Kingsway Hall is a comfortable, fully-serviced four-star property ideally located a few minutes walk from Covent Garden and within reasonable walking distance of many West End theatres. For our busy evening schedule, you will be grateful that we will not have to rely on early bus departures during the heaviest London traffic. The Kingsway Hall’s public rooms include the Harlequin Restaurant and the Lounge Bar, and there is a small gym with Jacuzzi and steam room. Many attractive restaurants, cafés and shops are easily accessible in the Covent Garden neighborhood.

IMPORTANT: There WILL be a performance on the first evening of our Tour. If you prefer to arrive a day early to adjust to the time change, we will be happy to reserve your room for the additional early night of June 18th. You should notify us NOW, as hotel rooms in London during high season are in great demand.

*Our relatively high price reflects the very expensive Covent Garden tickets, as well as the inflated hotel costs in London while the dollar remains weak against the British pound.

**We regret the high single supplement charged by British hotels during high season. London hotels are notoriously expensive in the summer.