European Classical Tour
December 31, 2022 9:55 AM Subscribe
I'm planning to take a trip to Europe for a classical music concert tour. The tour is to travel to different European cities by train, and attend a classical concert in each.
My current itinerary is:
Rome > Vienna > Munich or Prague > Berlin > Copenhagen > Paris
Any suggestions for the city list above? What is the best time of year to do this? I'm thinking late winter or early spring.
My current itinerary is:
Rome > Vienna > Munich or Prague > Berlin > Copenhagen > Paris
Any suggestions for the city list above? What is the best time of year to do this? I'm thinking late winter or early spring.
Since so much of your trip is already more northerly, I’d swap out Rome for Venice, and catch an opera at La Fenice. But that’s me, I love opera.
The natural thing to do in Berlin would be to catch a performance of the Berlin Philharmonic
Beyond these, I have no suggestions, but think this is a wonderful idea.
posted by dbmcd at 11:35 AM on December 31, 2022 [5 favorites]
The natural thing to do in Berlin would be to catch a performance of the Berlin Philharmonic
Beyond these, I have no suggestions, but think this is a wonderful idea.
posted by dbmcd at 11:35 AM on December 31, 2022 [5 favorites]
Do you have any specific music (genres, periods, ensembles) you especially want to hear? How long do you think you'll spend in each city (and what are you hoping to do besides the concerts)? You can find some kind of classical concert or recital worth listening to in every one of those cities on pretty much any day/night of the year, but personally I would plan around at least a couple of concerts I was really excited about and then fill in the rest of the cities/concerts.
If I were in your shoes I might choose Milan instead of Rome - La Scala! and it's a bit closer to Vienna. You could go even go from Milan to Vienna via Salzburg and catch some amazing music in Salzburg as well. (You could also very easily add Salzburg between Vienna and Munich. Salzburg is tourist-trap-ish, but OMG the church music, the Mozart and Haydn(s) of it all.) (Venice is another good option, as dbmcd suggests.)
(Ooh looks like the Berliner Philharmoniker has a biennale festival in mid-February (cool) and it's focusing on modernist music of the 50s and 60s (cool if you like that kind of music!).)
posted by mskyle at 11:41 AM on December 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
If I were in your shoes I might choose Milan instead of Rome - La Scala! and it's a bit closer to Vienna. You could go even go from Milan to Vienna via Salzburg and catch some amazing music in Salzburg as well. (You could also very easily add Salzburg between Vienna and Munich. Salzburg is tourist-trap-ish, but OMG the church music, the Mozart and Haydn(s) of it all.) (Venice is another good option, as dbmcd suggests.)
(Ooh looks like the Berliner Philharmoniker has a biennale festival in mid-February (cool) and it's focusing on modernist music of the 50s and 60s (cool if you like that kind of music!).)
posted by mskyle at 11:41 AM on December 31, 2022 [3 favorites]
If you're open to going to Liepzig in June, the Bach Festival is happening. https://www.bachfestleipzig.de/en/bachfest
Vikingur Olafsson is in Berlin in April performing his Mozart and Contemporaries album. I saw this concert in Toronto last year and I loved it. Highly recommend. https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/konzerte/kalender/details/54527/
Alice Sara Ott is in Munich in May, she's another brilliant pianist. https://www.muenchenmusik.de/mm/veranstaltungen/camerata-salzburg-14523
The Vienna Musikverein has sooo many good concerts... In June there's Carmina Burana and Maurizio Pollini, who is a piano legend. https://tickets.musikverein.at/Events?lang=de&venuesubid1=1
Martha Argerich is in Paris in June, another piano legend https://philharmoniedeparis.fr/en/activity/musique-de-chambre/23780-ivry-ever?itemId=120726
If these months don't work for you, then these concert halls will still have amazing concerts in winter and early spring.
posted by foxjacket at 12:32 PM on December 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Vikingur Olafsson is in Berlin in April performing his Mozart and Contemporaries album. I saw this concert in Toronto last year and I loved it. Highly recommend. https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/konzerte/kalender/details/54527/
Alice Sara Ott is in Munich in May, she's another brilliant pianist. https://www.muenchenmusik.de/mm/veranstaltungen/camerata-salzburg-14523
The Vienna Musikverein has sooo many good concerts... In June there's Carmina Burana and Maurizio Pollini, who is a piano legend. https://tickets.musikverein.at/Events?lang=de&venuesubid1=1
Martha Argerich is in Paris in June, another piano legend https://philharmoniedeparis.fr/en/activity/musique-de-chambre/23780-ivry-ever?itemId=120726
If these months don't work for you, then these concert halls will still have amazing concerts in winter and early spring.
posted by foxjacket at 12:32 PM on December 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
If you're not already aware of BachTrack it might be useful in the planning process.
posted by Johnny Assay at 1:48 PM on December 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Johnny Assay at 1:48 PM on December 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
(I've been working on this comment for a while, so apologies for the points other people have already made)
I guess I would ask before giving advice: what aspect of classical music are you focusing on?
Opera? Baroque? Symphony orchestra? Church/choral music?
Either way, I'd say London (for the Royal Opera, Glyndebourne, the LSO, the Hallé, the OAE), Leipzig (the Gewandhaus is well worth it), Dresden (Staatskapelle) and Amsterdam (Concertgebouw plus a great early music scene) ought to be considered.
Berlin, Vienna and Paris I'd definitely keep.
Prague is an amazingly beautiful city and you can see the opera house where Don Giovanni was premiered but, candidly, the classical music is B-grade. (Unless you luck into hearing Czech or Slovak musicians with a Czech or Slovak conductor playing Czech or Slovak music, in which case it might be lifechanging.)
Munich has the opposite thing: the opera and orchestra are great but the city is kind of dull.
Rome is honestly skippable unless you're a history buff, or you're longing to hear choral music in the Vatican.
Leipzig and Dresden are a short distance apart by train and can be seen on consecutive days. Dresden has an amazing history museum in its Baroque palace. Leipzig is less scenic, but you can see the church where Bach was a cantor, go round the Schumanns' apartment and have lunch in a restaurant where Wagner went to school (depending on how you feel about Wagner).
When to go: Maybe go to your favourite ensembles' websites and identify your can't-miss concerts, then plan around those.
Once you have those concert dates in place, have a look at your other destination cities. Remember that your high profile orchestras will tour. This can work in your favour as well as against you: you might hit Vienna when the Vienna Phil are out of town but another two great groups are visiting.
Also, keep an eye out for festivals in your destination cities. I've been to Leipzig during the Bachfest and the Wagnerfest; both are super fun though I'd say the Bachfest has better music. Salzburg during the Festival is high-octane amazing. (Festivals tend to be late spring and summer, though)
Late winter or early spring: Carnival this year is 22 February, and will cover the preceding week or so. Venice is the best known, but many cities will have colourful traditions. (Venice will be EXTREMELY crowded but also very exciting. If you decide to go, book your accommodation *now*. La Fenice's standard has got steadily better and they are now sometimes great.)
February would also put you in Vienna during ball season, where even if you don't dance, the people-watching in the streets can be fun.
Or if your tastes are for church music, push it a little later to Holy Week and Easter (9 April) and hear a Bach passion sung somewhere nice. You would probably have several to choose from.
posted by Pallas Athena at 2:53 PM on December 31, 2022 [5 favorites]
I guess I would ask before giving advice: what aspect of classical music are you focusing on?
Opera? Baroque? Symphony orchestra? Church/choral music?
Either way, I'd say London (for the Royal Opera, Glyndebourne, the LSO, the Hallé, the OAE), Leipzig (the Gewandhaus is well worth it), Dresden (Staatskapelle) and Amsterdam (Concertgebouw plus a great early music scene) ought to be considered.
Berlin, Vienna and Paris I'd definitely keep.
Prague is an amazingly beautiful city and you can see the opera house where Don Giovanni was premiered but, candidly, the classical music is B-grade. (Unless you luck into hearing Czech or Slovak musicians with a Czech or Slovak conductor playing Czech or Slovak music, in which case it might be lifechanging.)
Munich has the opposite thing: the opera and orchestra are great but the city is kind of dull.
Rome is honestly skippable unless you're a history buff, or you're longing to hear choral music in the Vatican.
Leipzig and Dresden are a short distance apart by train and can be seen on consecutive days. Dresden has an amazing history museum in its Baroque palace. Leipzig is less scenic, but you can see the church where Bach was a cantor, go round the Schumanns' apartment and have lunch in a restaurant where Wagner went to school (depending on how you feel about Wagner).
When to go: Maybe go to your favourite ensembles' websites and identify your can't-miss concerts, then plan around those.
Once you have those concert dates in place, have a look at your other destination cities. Remember that your high profile orchestras will tour. This can work in your favour as well as against you: you might hit Vienna when the Vienna Phil are out of town but another two great groups are visiting.
Also, keep an eye out for festivals in your destination cities. I've been to Leipzig during the Bachfest and the Wagnerfest; both are super fun though I'd say the Bachfest has better music. Salzburg during the Festival is high-octane amazing. (Festivals tend to be late spring and summer, though)
Late winter or early spring: Carnival this year is 22 February, and will cover the preceding week or so. Venice is the best known, but many cities will have colourful traditions. (Venice will be EXTREMELY crowded but also very exciting. If you decide to go, book your accommodation *now*. La Fenice's standard has got steadily better and they are now sometimes great.)
February would also put you in Vienna during ball season, where even if you don't dance, the people-watching in the streets can be fun.
Or if your tastes are for church music, push it a little later to Holy Week and Easter (9 April) and hear a Bach passion sung somewhere nice. You would probably have several to choose from.
posted by Pallas Athena at 2:53 PM on December 31, 2022 [5 favorites]
Response by poster: Thank you so much for your thorough answers.
More information about my current choices:
Rome was at the beginning purely for personal reasons. When I first visited Rome it was only for two nights. I loved it and over the years have recounted numerous stories from the 48 hours I was there. I want to go back for the joy of being there for a week.
Which brings me to timing: I want to spend a week in Rome before moving on to other cities, where I'll spend two to three nights in each until Paris. So total trip time is around three weeks...one week in Rome, and two weeks doing the rest of the tour.
The idea of Salzburg and Dresden is appealing, but because of the timing, I have to be careful of what I'm after in music.
SO, I'm looking for Mahler Symphonies. I'm looking for Bach, and I'm looking for new music. But anything goes really, however, I'm partial to what I've listed.
Because of the excellent suggestions above, Copenhagen is OUT. Off the itinerary. Amsterdam is IN. Munich is still a possibility but Prague is looking better. I need much more feedback before giving up on Rome. I love the idea of bombing through Salzberg and Dresden, though.
posted by In The Annex at 6:35 PM on December 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
More information about my current choices:
Rome was at the beginning purely for personal reasons. When I first visited Rome it was only for two nights. I loved it and over the years have recounted numerous stories from the 48 hours I was there. I want to go back for the joy of being there for a week.
Which brings me to timing: I want to spend a week in Rome before moving on to other cities, where I'll spend two to three nights in each until Paris. So total trip time is around three weeks...one week in Rome, and two weeks doing the rest of the tour.
The idea of Salzburg and Dresden is appealing, but because of the timing, I have to be careful of what I'm after in music.
SO, I'm looking for Mahler Symphonies. I'm looking for Bach, and I'm looking for new music. But anything goes really, however, I'm partial to what I've listed.
Because of the excellent suggestions above, Copenhagen is OUT. Off the itinerary. Amsterdam is IN. Munich is still a possibility but Prague is looking better. I need much more feedback before giving up on Rome. I love the idea of bombing through Salzberg and Dresden, though.
posted by In The Annex at 6:35 PM on December 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Nthing Leipzig....Felix Mendessohn's house and the Grassi museum of musical instruments are also there.
posted by brujita at 7:13 PM on December 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by brujita at 7:13 PM on December 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
chiming in to say YAY for Amsterdam and the Concertgebauw. it’s the best hall i’ve heard anywhere, ever, and not to be missed.
halls that should be good but aren’t: Munich’s Musikverein and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie. both halls were designed to be acoustically superior and unfortunately miss the mark, the latter especially. i did hear Mahler 3 in Munich and it was wonderful, but not because of the hall.
posted by hollisimo at 7:15 PM on December 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
halls that should be good but aren’t: Munich’s Musikverein and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie. both halls were designed to be acoustically superior and unfortunately miss the mark, the latter especially. i did hear Mahler 3 in Munich and it was wonderful, but not because of the hall.
posted by hollisimo at 7:15 PM on December 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
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