London Festival Opera performing at Ca Rezzonico in Venice
Dear Traveller If like me your passions are music, history and gardens then I trust you will find something of interest on the following pages. I am very fortunate that I do get to travel to some of the loveliest places and often my first thoughts on arriving at somewhere new to me is how can we create something special. Music is always top of my list as I have no doubt that by including music in the itinerary we do make any trip much more enjoyable and memorable. Some places are obvious such as Venice, the Danube, the Rhone and Lake Como where we have offered music trips with our friends at the London Festival Opera for a number of years. Others are less obvious. On a recent trip to Dubrovnik I was staying at the Hotel Villa Argentina which has a splendid location across the bay from Dubrovnik old town and immediately it became apparent that by adding both music and some botanical visits we would add enormously to an already rich programme. On some trips we are able to include visits to iconic music venues such as the Statsopera in Vienna or the grand opera houses of Budapest, Dresden and Stockholm etc, but on the majority of trips we are responsible for providing the music. Working closely with the London Festival Opera we decide on suitable music programmes for each destination and because the performers travel and stay with our party, a unique atmosphere is created. Some travellers enjoy a sneak preview by attending rehearsals and it has been known on occasions that a small chorus has been formed from the party. So, if you have not yet travelled on one of our varied music trips I would urge you to consider doing so. Our approach is unique and the rather startling demand we are now receiving proves that our approach of combining suitable destinations with a programme of lecture led trips does have great appeal. Whether, you are floating down one of Europe’s great rivers or staying in a comfortable hotel in a special setting, our mix of music, history and on some trips visits to great gardens is what we believe makes for a truly memorable trip. Yours truly Andrew Cochrane, Managing Director London Festival Opera is one of the world’s most prestigious independent opera companies, having performed for Presidents, Prime Ministers and members of the Royal Family. Engagements have included performances at St James’s Palace and Windsor, also for the President of Malta at the Palace in Valletta, for the Prime Minster at 10 Phiip Blake-Jones Downing Street, the Ambassador at the British Embassy in Paris, and as a guest company in one of Italy’s greatest opera houses, La Fenice in Venice. The company tours the UK in theatres and concert halls which have included Windsor Theatre Royal, Buxton Opera House, The New Theatre Oxford and St John’s Smith Square. London Festival Opera brings together established artists from the major British opera companies including the Royal Opera, English National Opera and Glyndebourne, and also gives performance opportunities to young artists at the beginning of their careers. The company has collaborated with <strong>Noble</strong> <strong>Caledonia</strong> over the last twenty years in presenting performances not only on board ships such as the Johann Strauss, MS Island Sky and MS Rembrandt, but also in some magnificent venues including the Villa Carlotta on Lake Como, Ca Rezzonico in Venice, Palazzo Belmonte on the Amalfi Coast, and Bantry House in Southern Ireland. Members of London Festival Opera 4 Guest Speakers 5 Music & Art in Andalucia 6-7 Italian Lakes, Music & Gardens 8-9 Music in Seville 10-11 Viva Verdi e Vino 12-13 Opera & Gardens in the Kingdom of Kerry 14-15 Music & Gardens on the Dalmatian Coast 16-17 The Music of La Serenissima 18-19 MS Johann Strauss 20-21 Magic of Mozart 22-23 Rivers of Music 24-25 Contents London Festival Opera It is with great pleasure that we now move into our third decade working closely with <strong>Noble</strong> <strong>Caledonia</strong> creating programmes ideally suited to the destinations. We are delighted to be returning to some of the well-established cruises on the Danube and Rhone and also to Lake Como, County Kerry in Ireland and Venice. I feel particularly inspired to find repertoire that is ideally suited to the superb settings <strong>Noble</strong> <strong>Caledonia</strong> has found for our new itineraries which include hotel stays in Dubrovnik and Seville, river cruises along the Elbe aboard delightful and intimate river vessels and a journey under sail in the Baltic aboard the splendid sailing ship Sea Cloud II. Our programmes in 2013 will include celebrated arias and ensemble from the great works of Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, Verdi, Bizet, Puccini in addition to the lighter repertoire of Offenbach, Strauss, Lehár, Gilbert & Sullivan and hits from the musicals of Gershwin, and Rogers & Hammerstein. We are always delighted to see familiar faces and recognise names on the passenger list, but we also look forward to the prospect of welcoming new passengers who may not have enjoyed the unique experience that comes from combing travel and music of the highest standards. Philip Blake-Jones, Artistic Director MS Rembrandt 26-27 Opera & Art in Provence 28-29 Music on the Rhone 30-31 Late Summer Music on the Danube 32-33 MS Royal Crown 33 A <strong>Musical</strong> Journey from Prague to Berlin 34-35 MS Frederic Chopin 35 Music Along the Elbe 36-37 MS Swiss Ruby 37 SY Sea Cloud II 38-39 La Dolce Vita 40-41 History & Music Under Sail in the Baltic 42-43 www.noble-caledonia.co.uk • Page 3