The Music &
Art of Berlin
Peter Medhurst with Tom Abbott

INTRODUCTION

This exclusive tour to Berlin explores the music and culture of one of the most vibrant and dynamic cities in the world. The tour is enhanced by a four night stay at the 4* Hotel NH Collection Berlin Mitte am Checkpoint Charlie, placed in the heart of the city. Private organ recitals, private tours, especially planned walks, inclusive lunches, and welcome and farewell dinners with wine will all add to the experience.

Day 1

We make our own way to London Heathrow Airport for our direct scheduled BA flight to Berlin. On arrival, we are met by Peter and Tom and transfer by coach to the centre of Berlin. En route, Peter and Tom will begin to tell the story of Berlin and its remarkable history. Once in the centre of the city, we have an included lunch, after which Peter will give the first of his organ recitals at our carefully selected church. After the performance, we make our way to our central 4* Hotel NH Collection Berlin Mitte am Checkpoint Charlie for a four night stay. After check-in, and with time for some relaxation, a lecture by Peter introduces us to some of the fine music associated with Germany’s capital. This is followed by dinner, which includes wine, water and coffee.

Day 2

Our morning lecture discusses Carl Maria von Weber’s seminal opera ‘Der Freischütz’, which was premiered in Berlin’s Schauspielhaus, in 1821. Written in the wake of the Napoleonic wars, the opera was seen as a watershed of German national expression, and symbolised the re-kindling of the German patriotic spirit. We then make our way to the Boulevard Unter den Linden on which are sited all the buildings and locations that we wish to explore today. On the agenda are the Neue Wache, Bebelplatz, as well as the opera house built for Frederick the Great in 1742. We will also view the Singakademie, where Felix Mendelssohn gave the first modern performance of JS Bach’s ‘St Matthew Passion’ in 1829. After lunch at a restaurant near Museum Island, we visit the Old National Gallery, which opened to the public in 1876. The collection includes paintings by key 19th century German artists such as Friedrich Schinkel, Arnold Böcklin, Caspar David Friedrich and Moritz von Schwind. This evening there will be an optional opera or concert in Berlin (subject to availability).

Day 3

Today we visit Potsdam, a city located 20 miles to the southwest of Berlin, and on arrival we enjoy a private tour of Frederick the Great’s summer palace, Sanssouci. The building is one of the finest in the German Rococo style, and it was in its sumptuous music room that CPE Bach directed orchestral concerts starring Frederick the Great as flute soloist. We then make our way to one of the local churches for the second of our organ recitals by Peter. The music performed will draw on the repertoire associated with the period of Frederick the Great. Included lunch is at the Flying Dutchman in Potsdam, a local hostelry that specialises in East German cuisine. The afternoon is spent exploring the nearby New Palace, begun in 1763, under the direction of Frederick the Great. The Palace came to symbolise Prussia’s undiminished power and wealth, following the hardship of the Seven Years’ War (1756–63). On our return to the hotel - and to wrap up today’s theme - we enjoy a lecture with some music written especially for Sanssouci, including samples of concertos written by Frederick himself. This evening there will be another optional opera or concert in Berlin (subject to availability).

Day 4

Our post-breakfast lecture today focuses on master paintings in the Gemäldergalerie, a gallery that displays the cream of the paintings of the Berlin State Museums. We follow this with a visit to the gallery itself. Paintings discussed will be Dirck van Baburen’s ‘Flute Player’ of 1624, Gerard ter Borch’s ‘Concert’ of 1675, as well as Vermeer’s ‘Lady Drinking and a Gentleman’ of 1658, and Tischbein’s ‘Self Portrait with his First Wife at the Clavichord’ of 1756-7. After an included light lunch, we make our way to the musical instrument collection at the Philharmonie and - subject to permission - Peter will demonstrate some of the keyboard instruments, as well as guide us through the collection. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure. This evening we enjoy a drinks reception, followed by a farewell dinner which includes wine, water and coffee.

Day 5

After check-out of our hotel, we make our way to the Brandenburg Gate, the last surviving city gate, and arguably the most iconic edifice in Berlin. We then walk to the nearby Holocaust Memorial to spend time in its extraordinary and thought provoking structures. We continue by coach to the 17th century palace of Charlottenburg for a tour of the state apartments, after which we enjoy a three-course lunch at the Käfer restaurant situated at the top of the Reichstag. The restaurant possesses some of the most spectacular views over the city of Berlin. We then transfer by coach to the airport for our British Airways flight back to Heathrow.

We stay four nights in Superior Rooms at the centrally located 4* Hotel NH Collection Berlin Mitte am Checkpoint Charlie (www.nh-hotels.com). The hotel has a restaurant and a bar and all rooms are en suite. Welcome and farewell dinners are included at the hotel’s restaurant on the first and last evenings and the remaining two nights are on bed and breakfast basis.

Insurance £88

Double room for sole use supplement £199

Opera or concert in Berlin (subject to availability)

Click Here to download the Brochure and Booking Form and then post the completed Booking Form with your deposit payment as instructed on the Booking Form. Please note that you cannot book this holiday online. Once you receive a Confirmation & Invoice from us as confirmation of your booking, you can pay the final balance by following the instructions set out in your Confirmation & Invoice.