“With the Danube, Budapest forms one of the most beautiful cityscapes that exist along a river, probably the most beautiful one in Europe.”
-- Jules Romains

“ . . . the Budapest Opera House, completed in l884 by architect Miklos Ybl, near-perfect in its appearance as well as in its interior. . . Knowledgeable people concluded then, as now, that this opera house surpassed in beauty Garnier’s in Paris as well as the Vienna Opera.”
-- Budapest 1900, John Lukacs

“Veteran (Hungarian) dramatic soprano Eva Marton, played the evil Morgan le Fay with passion and conviction.”
-- Opera News, August ’03

BUDAPEST SPRING FESTIVAL:

Price Per Person
(Based on double occupancy):
$3,580

Single room supplement:
$560

Super Apex Economy Air:
(NY-Budapest-NY)
$1,056*

*Less expensive air fares are available on other airlines, but they require connections through European hub cities. We prefer the direct flights on Malev.

Our most recent visit to Budapest in 2001 elicited unanimous enthusiasm from our travelers but proved to be too brief as an addendum to the Salzburg Easter Festival. Now we are pleased to announce a full week’s visit to the thriving Hungarian capital for an irresistible program focusing on the famed Budapest Spring Festival. This annual event commences in mid-March and attracts classical music cognoscenti from all over the world, as the city’s opera houses and concert halls traditionally assign their best casts and most esteemed musicians to the performances scheduled during the Festival weeks.

The enticing program for 2004 will enable us to combine several major elements of the Festival within a single week. First, a pair of masterworks by Giuseppe Verdi – Macbeth and Don Carlo – will be staged in the beautifully restored Opera House, arguably the most exquisite Baroque theatre in Europe. Second, we are gratified to include two orchestral and vocal programs of the Spring Festival – the Gala Opening Night Concert by the Hungarian National Philharmonic, showcasing the reigning Hungarian dramatic soprano Eva Marton as Brünnhilde in the challenging Immolation Scene from Wagner’s Die Götterdämmerung; and the revered German ensemble, the International Bach Academy of Stuttgart, in a performance of Bach’s towering St. Matthew Passion conducted by Music Director Helmuth Rilling. Third, we look forward to two additional performances in the Opera House which will feature the operatic works of twentieth-century composers hailing from Central Europe – Leos Janacek’s gripping Czech opera, Jenufa; and an enticing double-bill of Hungarian one-act operas entitled C’est La Guerre (by Emil Petrovics) and Mario and the Magician (by Janos Vajda). We look forward to discovering this double-bill, which has been applauded with unusual enthusiasm by Budapest audiences.

Dramatically situated on a broad expanse of the Danube River, Budapest is among a handful of Europe’s most beautiful cities and has become a major destination for cultural aficionados who are looking for unusual performances, museums and historical monuments. Today the city is also a burgeoning center for Western business opportunities while it retains a youthful ‘joie de vivre’ reflected in the lively gypsy music of the ubiquitous cafés and nightclubs. During our leisurely full week, you will have ample free time to supplement our scheduled excursions with your independent activities, strolling through the quiet streets of Buda overlooking the Danube or enjoying the shops and cafes in the busy commercial area of Pest across the river. Our four planned excursions will introduce you to several of the city’s major museums and the historic districts of both Buda and Pest.

Accommodations for seven nights with an elaborate buffet breakfast at the deluxe Kempinski Hotel Corvinus, a jewel and one of the newest properties in the superlative German-owned chain. The Kempinski hotels are known throughout Europe for the exceptional service and the fully-equipped, spacious rooms. The Corvinus is prominently situated on the Pest side of the Danube within a stone’s throw of the picturesque river and the shops and cafés around Vorosmarty Square (the old-world Gerbeaud’s Café). A complete line of dining facilities includes the formal Corvinus Restaurant, the informal Bistro Jardin, and the Giardino Italian ristorante. There is also a convenient fitness center and small indoor swimming pool on the premises. Like the Kempinski’s Vier Jahreszeiten in Munich and Bristol in Berlin, the Corvinus is the first choice in Budapest for today’s discerning travelers.