A 200th Anniversary Cruise with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Join the world famous Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra on board TUI Cruises’ new ship,
and experience an extraordinary cruise on the Baltic Sea. Special guests are conductors Valery Gergiev and Christian Thielemann and soloists: Rudolf Buchbinder, piano
Ildikó Raimondi, Soprano.
Kaliningrad (Königsberg) was, in 1810, the birthplace of the German composer and conductor Otto Nicolai, the Vienna Philharmonic’s illustrious founder. Kaliningrad has been chosen as the ultimate setting in which to celebrate the 200th birthday of this extraordinary artist. Classical music’s rising star Christian Thielemann will conduct works by Nicolai and Beethoven on this momentous occasion. This will be one of the three major concert performed on this cruise. The other two will be in the Finlandia Hall in Helsinki and in the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg where it will be conducted by Valery Gergiev.
Rudolf Buchbinder will perform all five Beethoven piano concertos during the cruise. In addition, soprano Ildiko Raimondi will perform a concert, in the Estonian capital Tallinn, accompanied by an ensemble of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
As well as the privileged opportunity of watching the Vienna Philharmonic during informal rehearsals, guests will also enjoy four chamber concerts, performed by members of the Vienna Philharmonic.
Special Guests:
Valery Gergiev - Valery Gergiev became associate conductor of the Mariinsky Theatre in 1978 when he was 25. He became general director in 1996 and has established it as one of the foremost orchestras of the world.
Christian Thielemann - Born in Berlin, Christian Thielemann is currently serving as principal conductor of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also the regular conductor of the Ring Cycle in Bayreuth.
Rudolf Buchbinder - Rudolf Buchbinder began his career as chamber musician. He has performed as a soloist with all great orchestras and conductors and is regular guest at the Salzburg Festival.
Ildiko Raimondi - A member of the Vienna State Opera, Ildikó Raimondi has performed more than 40 opera roles and she appears in leading roles in Berlin, Dresden, Munich and Viennahe.
A Luxury Life On Board 'Mein Schiff'
The ship has recently been refurbished and was specifically designed a s luxurious cruise liner for passengers to enjoy some of the world’s greatest food, service and entertainment. It has 13 decks and has an expansive 2,200 M2 around the swimming pool. There are 10 differently themed restaurants and a wide choice of bars and bistros to suit all tastes. A special feature of dining aboard ‘Mein Schiff’ is the policy of unrestricted meal times with open sittings to suit passengers’ convenience. Guests can choose at any time between buffet restaurants and restaurants with table service. In addition, the ship offers a luxurious 1,700 M2 spa area that includes a spectacular Finnish Sauna with an unbeatable panoramic view of the ocean. The languages on board are English and German.
Itinerary
Wednesday 7 July 2010 – Fly to Hamburg. Transfer to Mein Schiff in Kiel.
Thursday 8 July 2010 – Relax at sea.
Friday 9 July 2010 – Located on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, Tallinn was a flourishing Hanseatic city in the Middle Ages and much of the walled city has remained unspoilt to the present day. Within the Old Town are winding cobbled streets, old churches, guild halls and gabled merchants' residences as well as one of the finest Town Halls.
There will be a concert by Ildikó Raimondi of Mozart and Strauss, in the main square, with an ensemble of the Vienna Philharmonic.
Saturday & Sunday 10 - 11 July 2010 - St Petersburg - St Petersburg was for two centuries the capital of the Russian Empire. It was the centre of cultural life, and many of the great Russian composers, artists and writers studied, lived and worked in the city, among them Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoyevsky, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. The great collections of the Hermitage contain Western Art collected by Catherine the Great and the rich merchants.
Valery Gergiev will conduct the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre.
Monday 12 July 2010 - Helsinki - Made up of a series of peninsulas and large bays; Helsinki is an ordered symmetry of streets and straight boulevards. The dominant architecture is neo-classical and Art Nouveau with wll planned modern additions.
The Second concert with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra takes place in the Finlandia Hall, where Rudolf Buchbinder will play Beethoven piano concertos. The Hall is one of the most important buildings designed by Alvar Aalto.
Tuesday & Wednesday 13 -14 July 2010 - Stockholm - Explore the magnificent 'Old Town’, with splendid Baroque and 19th-century buildings with distinctive green copper roofs and gleaming towers or visit the magnificent Vasa ship, preserved intact by an accident of history in the harbour waters after capsizing on its maiden voyage nearly four hundred years ago.
Rudolf Buchbinder will play Chopin and Beethoven in Stockholm’s grand Konserthuset.
Thursday 15 July 2010 - Klaipeda Kaliningrad – The Russian enclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea is situated between Poland and Lithuania. Kaliningrad, previously known as Königsberg, is the former capital of the German province of East Prussia.
The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra has chosen Kaliningrad for their special celebratory concert, in homage to the Orchestra’s founder, Otto Nicolai, who was born here 200 years ago. Christian Thielemann will conduct this concert.
Friday 16 July 2010 – Relax at sea.
Saturday 17 July 2010 – Disembarkation in Kiel, transfer to Hamburg for flight to London.
The itinerary, timings and musical programme are subject to change. Please see Booking Conditions
Classical Music Cruise with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Departure: 7 July - 17 July 2010
Cabin Category & Type |
Cabin Size in m2 |
Deck |
Price £ |
D – Inside Cabin |
16 |
4 |
2,679 |
C – Inside Cabin |
16 |
4, 5 |
3,419 |
B – Inside Cabin |
16 |
5, 8 |
4,099 |
A – Inside Cabin |
16 |
9, 10, 12 |
4,649 |
E – Outside Cabin |
17 |
4, 5 |
4,869 |
D – Outside Cabin |
17 |
4 |
5,049 |
C – Outside Cabin |
17 |
5 |
5,259 |
B – Outside Cabin |
17 |
8 |
5,389 |
A – Outside Cabin |
17 |
5, 9 |
5,499 |
B – Balcony Cabin |
17 |
8 |
5,869 |
A – Balcony Cabin |
17 |
9 |
6,089 |
B – Veranda Cabin |
16 |
9 |
6,359 |
A – Veranda Cabin |
16 |
10, 12 |
6,459 |
Family Veranda Cabin |
20 |
8, 10 |
6,559 |
Junior Suite |
22 |
10, 12 |
7,209 |
XXL Suite |
49 |
10 |
8,319 |
Price shown is per person in £ based on double occupancy.
Single use surcharge: 50% Inside Cabin, 70% Outside Cabin, 90% Balcony and Veranda cabin
What the price includes:
Return economy BA flights from London Heathrow to Hamburg
Transfer to and from ship
10 nights full board accommodation on 4-star TUI cruise ship ‘Mein Schiff’
Three onshore concerts with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra - Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg, Finlandia Hall. Helsinki, Kaliningrad – Anniversary concert
Two additional onshore concerts
Performances by Valery Gergiev, Christian Thielemann, Rudolf Buchbinder and Ildiko Raimondi
Four Chamber concerts by ensembles of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra on board
Access to some public rehearsals on board
On board lecturer
Excursion in Kaliningrad
All gratuities and all port taxes
All visas for onshore concerts or as part of an organised excursion
Please Note: Regional flights available on request at a supplement, included restaurants are Restaurant Atlantik (waiter service), Restaurant Anckelmannsplatz (buffet), Cliff 24 Grill (pool grill), La Vela (bistro). Wine, beer and soft drinks are included with meals in the two main restaurants.
Not Included: Spa treatments and golf, optional excursions, travel insurance.
Terms and Conditions apply. Booking Conditions available on request.
This cruise is operated on our behalf by DERTOUR ATOL 5706.
