Overview
Salzburg is that rare thing, a tiny city with world-class standards in nearly everything the discerning visitor – and resident – would want. It is miraculous that such charm, and such grandeur, and, above all, such unparalleled weight of musical achievement, should be concentrated in so small a place.
A virtually independent city-state from its origins in the early Middle Ages until its absorption into the Habsburg Empire in the 19th century, Salzburg’s days of glory had all but slipped into the past by the time Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born there. He became the unwitting instigator, post-mortem, of Salzburg’s transformation from minor ecclesiastical seat to the world’s foremost city of music festivals – there are five of them. The Mozartwoche (Mozart Week) held in January every year celebrates Salzburg’s most famous son with musicians famed worldwide for their Mozart interpretations.
Our tour allows the concerts to be interspersed with a gentle programme of walks and visits to see some of the finest art and architecture in the city. But there is also plenty of free time to relax and gather energies for the performances, and for individual exploration.
The city has several fine museums, Mozart’s birthplace and later family home foremost among them. The DomQuartier complex is not to be missed, and includes the state rooms of the Residenz, an excellent picture gallery, the cathedral museum and that of St Peter; the cliff-top Museum of Contemporary Art has a café with peerless views over the city.
Day 1
Fly at c. 10.00am from London Gatwick to Salzburg (British Airways). A private guided tour of the Mozarteum’s Autograph Vault, containing original letters and manuscripts is followed by an introductory lecture and dinner.
Day 2
Morning concert at the Mozarteum, ‘Pasticcio Sinfonico’ with the Academy Orchestra of the Salzburg Mozarteum University, Ion Martin (cond.): Salieri, Sinfonia ‘La Veneziana’; Michael Haydn, Symphony in G, MH 334/KV Anh. A 53 with introduction attributed to Mozart; Joseph Haydn, Symphony in G, Hob. I:88. Free time in Salzburg before an early dinner and evening concert at the Großes Festspielhaus with the Vienna Philharmonic, Thomas Guggeis (cond.), Sonya Yoncheva (soprano): J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No.1 in F, BWV 1046; Handel, Cleopatra’s arias from Giulio Cesare HWV 17, ‘Se pietà di me non senti’, ‘Non disperar, chi sà’, ‘Piangerò la sorte mia’; Mozart, Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K.546 & Symphony No.40 in G minor, K.550.
Day 3
Morning walk through the heart of the old city with a local guide includes a church by the greatest master of Austrian Baroque, Fischer von Erlach, the late-Gothic Franciscan church and the mighty cathedral, the first major Baroque building north of the Alps. Spend the afternoon visiting the former Mozart family home. Evening concert at the Mozarteum with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Mitsuko Uchida (piano & dir.), José Maria Blumenschein (concertmaster & leader.): Mozart: Piano concerto in B, No.18 K.456; Handel: Concerto grosso in B-flat, Op.3/2, HWV 313; Mozart: Piano concerto in C, No.21 K.467.
Day 4
Morning concert at the Mozarteum, ‘Sinfonia Concertante’ with Orquesta Iberacademy Medellín, Thomas Reif (on Mozart’s original violin), Simone Briatore (on Mozart’s original viola): Mozart: Symphony in D, ‘Pariser’, K.297; J.S. Bach, Violin concerto in E, BWV 1042; Mozart: Sinfonia concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra in E-flat, K.364. Free time in Salzburg before an early dinner, followed by an evening opera at the Haus für Mozart: Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo performed by Ensemble L’Arpeggiata, Philharmonia Chor Wien, Christina Pluhar (dir.) Rolando Villazón (Orfeo), Tamara Ivaniš (Euridice), Alice Rossi (La Musica), Céline Scheen (Ninfa & Proserpina).
Day 5
A second guided walk includes a visit to the 18th-century Mirabell Gardens. Spend the afternoon visiting the Museum der Moderne with stunning views of Salzburg. Evening concert at the Großes Festspielhaus with the Vienna Philharmonic, Oksana Lyniv (cond.), Juan Diego Flórez (tenor), Rainer Honeck (violin): Bortniansky, Suite from Alcide; Mozart, Concert aria ‘Misero! O sogno, o son desto?’ K.431 & two of Tito’s arias from La clemenza di Tito, K.621; Mozart, Symphony in G, No. 32 K.318; Mozart, Violin concerto in D, K.218; Handel, Water Music Suite No. 3 in G, HWV 350; Mozart, Symphony in G minor, No.25 K.183.
Day 6
Morning concert at the Mozarteum with La Cappella Andrea Barca, Sir András Schiff (piano and cond.), Wolfgang Breinschmid (flute), Wally Hase (flute), Erich Höbarth (violin): J.S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D, BWV 1050; Mozart, Piano concerto in C, K.503; J.S. Bach; Triple concerto in A minor for flute, violin, harpsichord and string orchestra, BWV 1044; Mozart, Piano concerto in C minor, No.24 K.491. Break for some free time before an evening concert in the Mozarteum with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Andreas Ottensamer (cond.), Robert Levin (piano), Ya-Fei Chuang (piano), Rolando Villazón (moderator): Mozart, Symphony in A, No.29 K.201; J.S. Bach, Concerto for two pianos in C, BWV 1061; Haydn, Overture from L’anima del filosofo, Hob. XXVIII:13; Mozart, Excerpts from ballet music, ‘Chaconne’ & ‘Pas seul’ from Idomeneo K.367; Haydn, Symphony in G, ‘Oxford’, Hob. I:92.
Day 7
Free morning for independent exploration. The flight from Salzburg arrives at London Gatwick c. 7.00pm.
Richard Wigmore
Music writer, lecturer and broadcaster for BBC Radio 3. He writes for BBC Music Magazine and Gramophone and has taught classes in Lieder history and interpretation at the Guildhall, Trinity College of Music and Birkbeck College. He read French and German at Cambridge and later studied Music at the Guildhall. His publications include Schubert: The Complete Song Texts and Pocket Guide to Haydn. Twitter: @wigmoresworld | Website: wigmoresworld.co.uk
Price, per person
Two sharing: £4,910 or £4,750 without flights. Single occupancy: £5,510 or £5,350 without flights.
Included
air travel (Euro Traveller) with British Airways (Airbus A319); accommodation as described below; breakfasts, 1 lunch and 4 dinners with wine; private coach for the airport transfers; all admissions to museums; tips for waiters, drivers and local guides; all state and airport taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager.
Music
Tickets to 8 perofrmances are included, costing c. £1,270. Tickets are a mixture of 1st, 2nd and 3rd category.
Accommodation
Hotel Bristol: 5-star family-run hotel, excellently located two minutes’ walk from the Mozarteum and just across the river from the Festspielhaus (600 metres). Single rooms are doubles for sole use.
How strenuous?
There is a moderate amount of walking within the old town centre where vehicular access is restricted. The tour is planned on the expectation that participants walk to and from the concert venues.
Are you fit enough to join the tour?
Group size
Between 10 and 22 participants.
Travel advice
Before booking, please refer to the FCDO website to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting.
Combine with
Palermo Revealed, 21–26 January 2025
Opera in Paris, 5–10 February 2025
Renaissance Rivals, 11–18 February 2025
'This was for me the best Martin Randall Tour, and that’s saying a lot.'
'The balance of sightseeing and concerts was well thought out, and made for an educational and entertaining experience that was rich and satisfying.'
'Richard did a wonderful job of preparing us for the concerts. He was interesting and enjoyable company.'
'Richard Wigmore transformed the experience for me – giving depth to my shallow knowledge. There was no musical subject on which he was unable to converse; he made his expertise accessible with enormous fluency and enthusiasm. His lectures flashed by, full of insights and jokes in equal measure. He was always friendly, cheerful and approachable.'