Now in its 68th year, the internationally-renowned d’Aix-en-Provence Festival presents the following productions for our visit in 2016 – Mozart’s opera ‘Così Fan Tutte’ conducted by the eminent Mozart specialist Jérémie Rhorer, and Debussy’s opera ‘Pelléas et Mélisande’ under the baton of the internationally acclaimed Esa-Pekka Salonen.
France: a Cultural Tour for Opera at the Aix-en-Provence Festival
An elegant 4 star hotel, with a garden terrace, an outdoor swimming pool and air conditioned rooms, is a comfortable base for our explorations on foot around the charming historic centre of Aix – we admire the distinguished 17C and 18C mansions, see the Cézanne collections of the Musée Granet and appreciate the distinctive cuisine and wines of Provence.
HIGHLIGHTS of our d’Aix-en-Provence Festival and cultural tour include
- 2 opera performances – Debussy’s ‘Pelléas et Mélisande’(conducted by Esa Pekka-Salonen) and Mozart’s ‘Così Fan Tutte’ (conducted by Jérémie Rhorer)
- Staying in an elegant 4 star hotel, with a garden terrace and a swimming pool
- Savouring classic Provençal cuisine, with its emphasis on herbs and vegetables bursting with flavour from the brilliant sunshine
- Exploring the historic centre of Aix with its patrician 18C mansions
- Discovering the art of Paul Cézanne, guided by Delia Gray-Durant, an art historian and Blue Guide to France author
Guests’ comments on this trip:
‘Marvellous! Delia was an excellent and delightful leader. The arrangements all worked well, the hotel was very comfortable and we ate delicious meals in the restaurants. The operas themselves were enjoyable, particularly Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, which was fantastic.’
'It was a thoroughly enjoyable trip, and I really enjoyed the company, the food, the hotel, the operas - everything in fact!'
DAY 1
D included
After meeting in Marseille (accessible by flights or TGV) we have a private transfer into the city by road (45 mins). Once settled into our hotel, we have an introductory stroll through the Cours Mirabeau with its aristocratic mansions, gently splashing fountains and plane tree-lined boulevards. Dinner may well feature such Provençal classic dishes as soupe au pistou (summer vegetable soup with garlic, pine nuts and basil) and lamb roasted with wild herbs over a wood fire.
DAY 2
B, L, D included
After breakfast we stroll through the heart of Viel Aix, with its gracious stone mansions built on Classical lines under the benevolent rule of Archbishop Mazarin in the 18C. After a guided visit to the Cathedral of St. Sauveur with its 4C Baptistry, Nicholas Froment’s masterpiece, the ‘Triptych of the Burning Bush’ (1475) and fine Romanesque cloisters, we have a light lunch and a free afternoon for relaxing by the pool or reading on the terrace. We reconvene for dinner before the first opera performance, Debussy’s ‘Pelléas et Mélisande’, in the Grand Théatre de Provence.
DAY 3
B, L, D included
We set off on foot to explore one of Provence’s most important markets – a veritable assault on the senses, with stalls selling fragrant summer melons and strawberries, baskets of aromatic herbs, spit-roast chickens, pungent goat’s cheeses, a huge array of fresh fish, mounds of garlic and tubs of olives infused with sprigs of fennel – followed by lunch! After visiting the Musée Granet, the main museum of Aix (housed in a 17C former Priory) with a room devoted to works by the artist Paul Cézanne (including his 'Still Life with Sugar-bowl' and 'The Bathers'), we have another relaxing afternoon before dinner and the evening performance – Mozart’s ‘Così Fan Tutte’ - in the courtyard of the mediaeval Archbishop’s Palace.
DAY 4
B included
There is time to pursue individual interest this morning – perhaps visiting the Museum of Tapestries or doing some shopping for Provençal specialities – before we have a private transfer to Marseille for onward flights or the TGV back to London.
Opera details:
Debussy’s ‘Pelléas et Mélisande’, premiered in 1902 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris
A new Festival production with the Philharmonia Orchestra
Conductor: Esa Pekka-Salonen
Director: Katie Mitchell
Soloists: Barbara Hannigan, Stéphane Degout
Mozart’s ‘Così Fan Tutte’, premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna in 1790
A new Festival production with the Freiburger Barockorchester & the Cape Town Opera Chorus
Conductor: Jérémie Rhorer
Director: Christophe Honoré
Soloists: Sandrine Piau, Lenekke Ruiten, Kate Lindsey
Caveat:
The performances described are (very rarely) subject to change by the organizers. Actual activities or their order may therefore vary from those described in the itinerary. Please note that the opera venue is outdoors and in the unlikely event of adverse weather only the ticket price is reimbursed.
TBC per person sharing
TBC deposit per person
TBC double for single supplement
Please note that the double room for single use supplement is imposed by the hotel and not by Kudu Travel. If you are willing to share but no other suitable guest books on the trip, we regret that the supplement will be payable.
TBC deposit per person
TBC double for single supplement
Please note that the double room for single use supplement is imposed by the hotel and not by Kudu Travel. If you are willing to share but no other suitable guest books on the trip, we regret that the supplement will be payable.
Price includes
- All accommodation for Days 1 through 4, on a twin shared basis
- All meals (with wine at lunches and dinners) as listed in the daily notation
- Marseille airport to hotel transfers in a private vehicle as described
- All entrance and sightseeing fees except during free periods
- Tickets for 2 opera performances (top category €520)
- Gratuities for hotel and restaurant staff (appreciation for tour leaders is entirely at your discretion)
Price does not include
- Trip cancellation, medical or other insurance
- Immunisations, prescriptions or other medical requirements
- Passport, visa and health documentation
- Personal expenses (laundry, alcohol besides wine with group lunches and dinners, free time activities, etc.)
- Meals noted as excepted in the daily notation
- Transport and transfer of excess baggage
VALUE FOR MONEY - SO MUCH IS INCLUDED
On Kudu trips you will only need money for postcards, presents to take home, the odd G & T or an irresistible ice cream. Festival and opera tickets, museum and gallery entrances, National Park fees, all meals (with a very few exceptions specified in individual itineraries), wine with lunch and dinner, access to specialist books carried by the guides, gratuities for porters and hotel and restaurant staff, boat rides, train trips, internal flights, wine tastings, 4WDs with drivers, the services of skilled local guides and trackers etc are ALL INCLUDED in the cost of your holiday.
We are confident that, like previous very satisfied guests, you will discover that our tours give you excellent value for money.
- 3 nights in an elegant 4 star hotel, with a garden terrace, an outdoor swimming pool and airconditioned rooms
International Opera Awards 2014 – Best Opera Festival, Aix-en-Provence
PLEASE NOTE THAT EARLY BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR MUSIC AND OPERA TRIPS. Kudu Travel reserves a block of seats for each performance, approximately 1 year in advance, and unsold seats will eventually be released. Once released, it may not be possible to retrieve seats in the same category, or indeed, to obtain any tickets at all for sold out performances.
Tour leader
Delia Gray-Durant is a Blue Badge guide for Oxford with an academic background mainly in History of Art and French – since 1993 she has been leading tours in France and writing for the Blue Guide series, including Southwest France; Paris; and Art, Shop, Eat Paris.
Visa and Health Requirements
Visitors from the EU, USA, Canada, Australia & New Zealand currently require a valid passport, but not a visa, for entry to France. If you are a national of any other country, please check visa regulations with your nearest Embassy of France.
At present there are no specific and compulsory health requirements for entry to France. Residents of countries in the EU can only claim free (emergency) medical treatment in France by presenting their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). You may also wish to check the advice given to travellers by the Department of Health and the FCO.
Insurance
It is essential, and a condition of booking, that you protect yourself with a suitable travel insurance policy as soon as you book a trip. Follow this link for a quote for a policy available to UK residents. If you are already insured, or a non-UK resident, please inform us of your policy at the time of booking.
Size of party
This trip will run with a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 14 guests.