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2009 Salzburg Whitsun Music Festival & Culinary Tour in Austria

The Salzburg Whitsun Festival (Salzburger Pfingstfestspiele) is an extension of the traditional Salzburg Summer Festival, and presents productions of operas and classical concerts during Whitsun (or Pentecost) weekend.

Explore Salzburg in Austria, enjoy great food and wonderful music
with your Tour Host Karin from California, a Salzburg native and Personal Chef.

PLEASE NOTE: Tours are limited to SIX participants only to assure each participant the best possible attention of your tour host. Experience luxury VIP treatment at an affordable price and make your reservations now!

$2,995 per person.

Dates of this 7 day Tour:
Wednesday, May 27th, to Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009.

~~~As of today: , this tour has open spaces!~~~

Interested in a similar tour?
Please call our office in California at (760) 366-2414 or email:

Join Karin on a wonderful and unique culinary and music tour in Salzburg, truly one of the most beautiful regions of Austria, Europe and the world - enjoy the classical 2009 Salzburg Whitsun Festival and a very special cooking class with the worlds best female chef according to the famous French Gault Millau guide.

The Salzburg Whitsun Festival has focused on Neapolitan Baroque and the early classical era since 2007. Under the title "Salzburg goes Napoli", the artistic director, Riccardo Muti, refers to the long tradition and deep connection between the Austrian and Neapolitan cultures.
Your tour host Karin is a Personal Chef, who lives and works in Joshua Tree (near Palm Springs), California and she will prepare a special "Salzburg goes Napoli" dinner for you in a private home!
Your tour will be all about Neapolitan music and wonderful food and wine. The opera seria Demofoonte by Niccolo Jommelli who is considered one of the most ingenious composers from the Neapolitan School and a cooking class with the world's best female chef Johanna Maier will be two very special highlights of this tour.

The city of Salzburg - and especially its historic city center - is in fact one of the loveliest places in Europe, winning international acclaim in 1997 when it was designated a world heritage site by UNESCO.
The Salzach River, flowing from the Prealps in the south, winds through the city as its historic lifeline and separates it into two halves.
The Old City is picturesquely surrounded by the Moenchsberg, crowned by the Fortress which is visible for miles, and the mighty Capuchin Mountain on the right banks of the river.
The Old City with its variety of building styles is a true architectural delight. A walk through the countless narrow streets features buildings from the Middle Ages, Romanesque, Baroque and Renaissance periods.
The city's most famous squares include Residence Square with its splendid fountain, the neighboring Old Market, University Square, as well as Mozart Square with the memorial of the city's genius loci.
There are many imposing buildings, the most striking of which include the Cathedral, Hohensalzburg Fortress, the Residenz, St. Peter's Monastery with its impressive cemetery, the Franciscan church and Collegiate church as well as the Large and Small Festival Halls and the Summer Riding School in the Festival District.
On the right banks of the Salzach is the Mirabell Palace with the romantic Mirabell Gardens or St. Sebastian's church with its charming cemetery.
Hellbrunn Palace with its trick fountains and the zoo is situated just outside of the city gates.
Salzburg has an abundance of attractive venues and charming facets.

Text courtesy of: Tourismus Salzburg GmbH, Auerspergstrasse 6, A-5020 Salzburg

Summary of our Tour:
"We will breathe Naples' history in Salzburg" - Riccardo Muti.

We have created a very special tour for you - full of cultural, culinary and more fun adventures. In addition to having this tour hosted by Salzburg native and Personal Chef Karin, who will also cook a special "Salzburg goes Napoli" dinner in a private home for you, and to open your eyes to the beautiful city of Salzburg, you will also stroll through the famous Salzburg Altstadt.
Our itinerary has lots of more adventures - visiting the fortress, castles and other historically significant places, more dining in beautiful selected restaurants, sightseeing with visiting churches and museums, with some time to relax in the lovely and comfortable 700 year old family owned 4**** hotel, where you will stay. Our tour furthermore includes operas and concerts of the famous Salzburg WHITSUN Festival, ample time for shopping and enjoying traditional coffee and pastries in beautiful old coffee houses to take full advantage of the incredible surroundings.

ITINERARY

Wednesday, May 27th:

• Recommended departure from your airport of choice to airport Salzburg, Austria.
• You will be in the new "old" world Thursday.

Thursday, May 28th:

• If you fly to our recommended airport Salzburg, Karin will pick you up and transfer you to your nice, quiet, over 700 years old (since 1353) family owned FOUR**** star hotel in the center (Altstadt) of the city of Salzburg.
• If you wish to arrive earlier than Thursday, we will advise you on how to meet up with your tour host at your hotel.
• Freshen up in your room.
• Enjoy a special Italian/Salzburg gourmet dinner basket prepared by chef Karin.

• Transfer to the cable railway to the Fortress Hohensalzburg.
• Concert and candlelight dinner at the magnificent Prince's Chamber of the Hohensalzburg Fortress with a spectacular view of the city.
• Transfer to the hotel.

Friday, May 29th:

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Transfer to the country to the village of "Filzmoos", which is the home town of Johanna Maier, The Best Female Chef in the World!!!
  Johanna Maier is a remarkable woman from many perspectives. This mother of four children was the first woman EVER to receive a "4 chefs' hats" ranking from the famous Gault Millau guide, receiving 19 of a possible 20 points overall.
  The "Restaurant Hubertus" (owned by Johanna and her husband Dietmar) in Filzmoos is one of the most renowned restaurants in all of Austria and there you will enjoy a wonderful cooking class. You will learn how to cook a four course menu which you will enjoy after class including drinks. You will also receive a hand signed certificate from Johanna Maier!
  

  Rosy cheeks and happy expressions are proof that it was a successful day - one that you will remember long afterwards.

• Transfer back to the city of Salzburg.
• Transfer to the hotel to fresehen up.
• In the evening at 7:30 enjoy the opera "Dramma per musica in three acts" - Demofoonte by Niccolo Jommelli.

Niccolo Jommelli * Demofoonte

Dramma per musica in three acts

Version Naples 1770
Text by Pietro Metastasio (1698-1782)
Haus fuer Mozart

PERFORMANCES:

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL
THEODORA

WOLFGANG A. MOZART
COSI FAN TUTTE

LUIGI NONO
AL GRAN SOLE CARICO D'AMORE

GIOACHINO ROSSINI
MOISE ET PHARAON

WOLFGANG A. MOZART
LE NOZZE DI FIGARO

JOSEPH HAYDN
ARMIDA

LUDWIG V. BEETHOVEN
FIDELIO

INFORMATION:

New production
In Italian with German and English surtitles

Coproduction with Ravenna Festival and Opera National de Paris
Stage right: Ut Orpheus Edizioni, Bologna

LEADING TEAM:

Riccardo Muti, Conductor
Cesare Lievi, Stage director
Margherita Palli, Set designs
Marina Luxardo, Costumes
Luigi Saccomandi, Lighting

CAST:

Dmitry Korchak, Demofoonte, King of Thrace
Jose Maria Lo Monaco, Timante, his son
Valentina Coladonato, Cherinto, his son
Antonio Giovannini, Matusio, royal treasurer
Maria Grazia Schiavo, Dircea, his daughter
Irena Bespalovaite, Creusa, Phrygian princess
Valer Barna-Sabadus, Adrasto, commander of the royal guard
Orchestra Giovanile "Luigi Cherubini"

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION:

Niccolo Jommelli (1714-1774) is considered one of the founders of the classical style, and an early precursor of Haydn and Mozart. Early on, Jommelli, trained in Naples, made a name for himself as an opera composer, was recommended by Johann Adolph Hasse as a conductor in Venice and finally moved to Rome. During a sojourn in Vienna, he met Pietro Metastasio. Jommelli spent his most important years as maestro di cappella at the court of Wuerttemberg in Stuttgart.
Riccardo Muti presents the Opera seria Demofoonte in the version first performed in Naples in 1770, a setting of a libretto by Pietro Metastasio which is one of the most frequently set libretti of all times and describes the family conflicts surrounding King Demofoonte of Thrace.

• Transfer to the hotel.

Saturday, May 30th:

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• At 11 a.m. listen to the "Il faraone sommerso" the Mozarteum.

Il faraone sommerso

Oratorio for four voices, strings and basso continuo, 1709

Mozarteum

INFORMATION:

Text by an anonymous author

PROGRAM:

ALESSANDRO SCARLATTI * Concert for Strings No. 1 in F minor
from the Sei Concerti in sette parti

FRANCESCO NICOLA FAGO * Il faraone sommerso

ALESSANDRO SCARLATTI * Concert for Strings No. 5 in D minor
from the Sei Concerti in sette parti

PERFORMERS:

Fabio Biondi, Conductor
James Gilchrist, Mose
Marianne Beate Kielland, Aronne
Havard Stensvold, Faraone
Lucia Cirillo, Messo
Europa Galante

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Francesco Nicola Fago (1677-1745) was a student at the Conservatorio della Pieta dei Turchini in Naples, where he ultimately spent most of his working life. Leonardo Leo and Niccolo Jommelli were among his students. He also composed sacred works, including cantatas, a Stabat mater, a Te Deum, as well as a number of operas and oratorios. The libretto to Il faraone sommerso is based on the biblical story of the liberation of the Jewish people from their Egyptian slavery thanks to the miraculous passage through the Red Sea.

• Afternoon is free for shopping, relaxing, freshening up at the hotel.
• In the evening transfer to the restaurant "Stiftskeller St. Peter", which is the oldest restaurant in Europe.

There you will enjoy a wonderful dinner.
• After dinner at 7:30 P.m. see the "La tentazione del male - Tempted by Evil" at the Mozarteum.

La tentazione del male - Tempted by Evil

GUIDO MORINI / MARCO BEASLEY * La tentazione del male - Tempted by Evil

PERFORMERS:

Guido Morini, Musical direction
Marco Beasley, Voice
Accordone Ensemble

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

With their profound knowledge of the musical, literary and theatrical traditions of Naples, Guido Morini and Marco Beasley create a program inspired by one of the most fascinating personalities of the 18th century: Raimondo di Sangro, Prince of Sansevero, was advisor to the King of Naples, an intellectual commanding an encyclopedic knowledge, and an alchemist. An evocation of the mysterious and intriguing world of Neapolitan popular culture, suffused by legends and superstition.

Transfer to the hotel

Sunday, May 31st:

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• At 11 a.m. listen to the "Koennten Engel sprechen..." - If angels could talk - at the Haus fuer Mozart.

"Koennten Engel sprechen..."

PROGRAM:

ANTONIO VIVALDI * Overture to the opera La fida ninfa, RV 714

GEMINIANO GIACOMELLI * Aria of Epitide "Dono d'amica sorte"
from the opera Merope

GEMINIANO GIACOMELLI * Aria of Epitide "Sposa non mi conosci"
from the opera Merope

ANTONIO VIVALDI * Concerto for two Violins, Strings and Basso Continuo in D, RV 513

EGIDIO DUNI * Aria of Timante "Misero pargoletto"
from the opera Demofoonte

EGIDIO DUNI * Aria of Timante "Sperai vicino il lido"
from the opera Demofoonte

NICOLA PORPORA * Aria of Arbace "Or la nube procellosa"
for insertion in Johann Adolph Hasse's opera Artaserse

JOHANN ADOLPH HASSE * Aria of Arbace "Se al labbro mio non credi"
from the opera Artaserse

GEORG PHILIPP TELEMANN * Concerto for Recorder, Traverso, Strings and Basso Continuo in E minor

NICOLA PORPORA * Recitative and Aria of Aci "Oh volesser gli Dei" - "Dolci fresche aurette"
from the opera Polifemo

NICOLA PORPORA * Aria of Aci "Senti il fato"
from the opera Polifemo

PERFORMERS

Philippe Jaroussky, Countertenor
Ensemble Matheus
Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Conductor

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Philippe Jaroussky has met with success upon international opera and concert stages, his recordings have won numerous awards and audiences celebrate him as a vocal phenomenon: the young French countertenor studied violin, piano and composition before taking up vocal studies in 1996.

In recent years, he has performed frequently with the Ensemble Matheus, having found an equally gifted musical partner in Jean-Christophe Spinosi.

• Afternoon is free for shopping, relaxing, freshening up at the hotel.
• In the later afternoon Karin will transfer with you to a lovely private home near the castle Klessheim. There you will enjoy a festive "Salzburg goes Napoli" dinner prepared by personal chef Karin from the freshest ingredients she will be able to get at the Farmers Market. Be delighted by the beautifully decorated dining table with candles and fruits and ornaments. A lovely surprise gift will await you there!
• These events in Salzburg are truly unforgettable!
• After dinner transfer to the hotel.

Monday, June 1st:

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Transfer to the "old city".
• Lunch of your choice.
• Transfer the Archbishop's Residence and Gallery. On a tour through the Residence you will experience two centuries of cultural history and discover in the sumptuous state rooms a harmonious architectural unity of Renaissance, Baroque and Classical styles. Masterpieces of handicraft, construction - and ceiling paintings, frescoes, stuccos, antique furniture, embroidery, marquetry, marble portals, numerous valuable clocks and paintings permit one a glimpse into the richness of earlier eras.
  The Residence Gallery Salzburg, housing the State of Salzburg's painting collection, presents European paintings from the 16th to 19th century. (The magnificent ambiance is the ideal setting for Salzburg's state collection and reflects the city's baroque character.) The collections focus on Dutch paintings from the 17th century, Italian, French and Austrian baroque paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries and Austrian paintings from the 19th century. In addition to its own changing exhibitions, special exhibitions are offered regularly, providing an interesting juxtaposition between historic and contemporary art.

At 4 p.m. listen to the "Missa defunctorum" at the Felsenreitschule.

"Missa defunctorum"

Requiem for four solo voices, chorus and orchestra, 1789

PROGRAM:

GIOVANNI PAISIELLO * Missa defunctorum

PERFORMERS

Riccardo Muti, Conductor
Balthasar-Neumann-Choir
Orchestra Giovanile "Luigi Cherubini"

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Giovanni Paisiello (1740-1816) studied at the Conservatorio di S. Onofrio a Capuana, at which he was later to become a teacher himself. He quickly made a name for himself as an opera composer, far beyond the Italian borders. In 1776, he was appointed court music director in St. Petersburg; from 1783 onwards, he held leading musical positions at the court of Naples. He spent 1802 and 1803 in Paris. Paisiello, who divided his work between operas and particularly sacred works, spent the following years in Naples, where he died in 1816.

After the Missa have dinner at the famous Hotel Sacher Restaurant "Salzachgrill".

Transfer to the hotel.

Tuesday, June 2nd:

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Transfer to the "old city".
• Have a wonderful free day with shopping, visiting, coffee houses and enjoying lunch and dinner on your own.
• In the evening at 7:30 enjoy the opera "The Abduction from the Seraglio" by W.A. Mozart at the Salzburg Regional & Intimate Theater.
  

  ABOUT THE Salzburg Regional & Intimate Theater:

  A theater has been located south of the Mirabell Gardens in the center of the city of Salzburg since the 18th century. The full range of theater productions (opera, operetta, concerts, ballet shows) is still performed here today. The program includes the great classical repertoire as well as modern and contemporary works. The theater has approx. 1,000 seats and is also used by the Salzburg Festival during the summer for plays and occasionally opera productions.

Transfer to the hotel.

Wednesday, June 3rd:

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• If you fly from our recommended airport Salzburg that day, Karin will transfer you to the airport.
• Recommended departure from airport Salzburg to the airport of your choice. You will arrive in the United States the same day with full of memories of an unforgettable experience...
• If you choose to leave later than Wednesday we can advise you as to prolong your stay to make your extended visit enjoyable.

NOTE:
If you would like to have a similar tour customized for you and a companion, your family, friends, employees, etc. (a minimum of two participants is needed), please contact us and we can organize this tour to your needs.

Salzburg Whitsun Music Festival & Culinary Tour:
$ 2,995 per person.

This price does NOT include:
• Airfare from the United States to Austria and back.
• All personal arrangements and expenses.

This price INCLUDES:
• Personal tour assistance and escort of your tour by your Tour Host Karin.
• All transfers as scheduled.
• Six nights in a historical FOUR star hotel in the city of Salzburg.
• Six breakfasts at the hotel.
• One gourmet basket, prepared by chef Karin.
• Concert & candlelight dinner at the fortress.
• Trip to the country village Filzmoos in a comfortable coach.
• Cooking class and lunch (drinks included) with the world's best female chef, Johanna Maier.
• Five operas and classic concerts at the Salzburg Whitsun Festival, as scheduled.
• One dinner at the oldest restaurant in Europe, the Stiftskeller St. Peter.
• One five course "Salzburg goes Napoli" dinner in a private home prepared by Personal Chef Karin (wine and soft drinks included).
• Lovely surprise gift.
• One dinner at the famous hotel Sacher restaurant "Salzachgrill".
• One opera at the Salzburg Regional & Intimate Theater.
• All private guided tours and admissions to points of interest as scheduled.
• All service charges & taxes (gratuities not included).

This itinerary is subject of change at any time and/or the sites included, should it be deemed necessary due to local conditions, time restrictions, or other circumstances.

The History of Salzburg

Salzburg has a proud heritage as the capital and residential city of an ecclesiastical principality. Prehistoric findings have revealed that it is situated on ancient settlement soil whose civilization dates from the New Stone Age. The Romans founded a town they called Juvavum as the seat of a major administrative district located along an important military road which crossed the Salzach River. Foundations, mosaics and numerous artifacts were found throughout the old city districts.

After the chaotic mass migrations, a bishop named St. Rupert came to the area at the end of the seventh century and revived a monastic order, founded a convent on Nonnberg and became the founder of today's Salzburg. Under Charlemagne Salzburg became an archbishopric, sovereign over all of the Bavarian dioceses. The first cathedral erected by St. Virgil was one of the largest in the mighty Franconian Empire. The archbishops used their privileged positions as papal legates and primas germaniae to expand the archiepiscopal territory, ending in the 13th century, and had a decisive influence on the history of the Empire. The extension of the Cathedral, revealed by recent excavations, was a sign of their religious and secular power.

Many of the townspeople became quite wealthy as a result of the flourishing trade between Italy and Germany, the town, however, remained under the archbishop's rule. Whereas the archbishops of the Middle Ages were primarily involved in politics, their successors during the 17th and 18th centuries were mainly preoccupied with beautifying their residence. Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, Markus Sittikus and Paris Lodron gave Salzburg the appearance it has today. Through Paris Lodron's clever diplomacy, the city was able to escape most of the hardships of the Thirty Years' War.

The city was further perfected through buildings designed by Fisher von Erlach. The turmoils of the Napoleonic Wars abruptly ended the long line of prince archbishops and Salzburg was secularized. After being passed back and forth, the city was finally given over to Austria in 1816. This not only resulted in complete political irrelevance but also in the loss of the most valuable objects of art. After emerging from a lengthy Rip van Winkle sleep, Romantic painters discovered the beauty of the city and its environs and made the city known throughout the world through their works. On a political basis Salzburg succeeded in regaining a certain independence in 1850 as a province of the monarchy with its own government and administration. This independence was to continue through the First and Second Republics. The establishment of the Salzburg Festival in 1920 was a decisive step towards the burgeoning of the city.

Above text courtesy of: Tourismus Salzburg GmbH, Auerspergstrasse 6, A-5020 Salzburg