The Shostakovich Festival
in Leipzig

• Delight in 16 performances at the Shostakovich Festival, including Andris Nelsons conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Gewandhausorchester

• Gain insight into the music of Shostakovich, through background talks and post-performance discussions, as Clive unravels the tangled truth behind one of music’s most enigmatic composers

• Explore the musical heritage of Leipzig and surrounds, from Bach to Mendelssohn and Schubert

• Enjoy excursions that explore Germany’s cultural heritage, including Wittenberg and the Reformation, and the Bauhaus in Dessau and Weimar

• Admire exceptional art collections, including Old Masters in Leipzig and modern masterpieces in Dresden’s Albertinum

WEDNESDAY 14 MAY – ARRIVAL (CANAPÉS)

The tour commences at 6:00pm this evening, when we meet in the hotel lobby for welcome drinks, canapés and an opportunity to meet your tour leader and fellow travellers. First of fifteen nights in Leipzig.

THURSDAY 15 MAY – THE HISTORY OF LEIPZIG – PERFORMANCE #1 (B, L)

Leipzig is a cultured and thriving provincial city, a little off the tourist radar compared to nearby Dresden, Berlin and Munich. One of the pleasures of our extended stay will be getting to know the city’s many charms. We begin with a guided walking tour of the historic centre, followed by lunch together in a local restaurant. After some time at leisure, tour leader Clive Paget gives an introduction to tonight’s performance, which includes Shostakovich’s delightful Second Piano Concerto and the epic Fourth Symphony, a work the composer suppressed for decades afraid of the consequences of such brutally honest music. There is the opportunity to discuss our impressions together over a debrief in the hotel.

Performance 1
Venue: Grosser Saal, Gewandhaus
Program: Dmitri Shostakovich, Festive Overture in A Major, Op. 96; Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major, Op. 102; Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 43
Performers: Andris Nelsons (conductor), Daniil Trifonov (piano) and the Gewandhausorchester

FRIDAY 16 MAY – LEIPZIG’S MUSICAL LEGACY – PERFORMANCES #2 & #3 (B)

We begin the day with a talk from Clive, an introduction to today’s varied performance program. Afterwards, we have a walking tour with a local guide, in order to explore the extraordinary musical legacy of the city. JS Bach’s 27 years as music director of St Thomas’ Church, for example, and Felix Mendelssohn returned to the city multiple times, as director of the Gewandhausorchester but also for the final two years of his life. The legacy of these musical giants is still felt. After lunch at leisure, we have a matinee performance and some time to relax before Andris Nelsons conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Shostakovich’s dramatic First Violin Concerto and is underappreciated, cinematic Eleventh Symphony.

Performance 2
Venue: Mendelssohn Saal, Gewandhaus
Program: Selection of Shostakovich’s quirky works for the theatre
Performers: Salonorchester CAPPUCCINO with Albrecht Winter (first violin)

Performance 3
Venue: Grosser Saal, Gewandhaus
Program: Dmitri Shostakovich, Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77; Symphony No. 11 in G minor, Op. 103 (“The Year 1905”)
Performers: Andris Nelsons conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Baiba Skride (violin)

SATURDAY 17 MAY – LEIPZIG FINE ARTS – PERFORMANCES #4 & #5 (B)

We begin the day with a guided introduction to the Leipzig Museum of Fine Arts, a comprehensive gallery with fine works by Frans Hals, Caspar David Friedrich and many more. A significant part of the collection traces the development of French painting from the Barbizon School to Impression, with artists Corot, Millet, Degas and Monet all represented. After time for lunch at leisure, we continue to the Gewandhaus for performances of three of Shostakovich’s string quartets performed by the celebrated Quartuor Danel, and in the evening, the lively First Cello Concerto and the Eighth Symphony where, as opposed to the triumphal Leningrad Symphony, the composer tells us what he really thought about war. Afterwards, we enjoy an opportunity to discuss our impressions together over a drink in the hotel bar.

Performance 4
Venue: Mendelssohn Saal, Gewandhaus
Program: Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 2 in A major, Op. 68; Unfinished String Quartet; String Quartet No. 9, Op. 117
Performers: Quatuor Danel quartet, with Marc Danel and Gilles Millet (violin), Vlad Bogdanas (viola) and Yovan Markovitch (cello)

Performance 5
Venue: Grosser Saal, Gewandhaus
Program: Dmitri Shostakovich, Cello Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 107; Symphony No. 8 in C minor, Op. 65
Performers: Andris Nelsons conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra, with Gautier Capuçon playing cello

SUNDAY 18 MAY – PERFORMANCES #6 & #7 (B)

Our day begins back in the Grosser Saal of the Gewandhaus with a matinee performance as Andris Nelsons conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the Sixth Symphony (a neglected masterpiece) and the mysterious Fifteenth, Shostakovich’s sometimes bizarre final symphonic utterance. There is time afterwards, for lunch and to enjoy a stroll in Leipzig’s historic centre, before we return to the Gewandhaus for a recital by Daniil Trifonov and Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider.

Performance 6
Venue: Grosser Saal, Gewandhaus
Program: Dmitri Shostakovich, Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 54; Symphony No. 15 in A major, Op. 141
Performers: Andris Nelsons conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Performance 7
Venue: Grosser Saal, Gewandhaus
Program: Dmitri Shostakovich, Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 12; Piano Sonata No. 2 in B minor, Op. 61; Unfinished Sonata for Violin and Piano; Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 134
Performers: Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider (violin) and Daniil Trifonov (piano)

MONDAY 19 MAY – WITTENBERG – PERFORMANCE #8 (B)

Today we take an excursion to Wittenberg, a pleasant town located on the River Elbe. As we discover on our guided walking tour, the city is principally known as the cradle of the Reformation, with many sites still associated with Martin Luther and with the family of his wife, Katharina von Bora. We visit the castle church where Luther nailed his 95 theses in 1517, and the Lutherhaus. In the afternoon, we return to Leipzig for the evening performance as rising star conductor Anna Rakitina conducts the penetrating Second Cello Concerto with Gautier Capuçon and the ever-popular Fifth Symphony, Shostakovich’s so-called ‘answer to his critics’.

Performance 8
Venue: Grosser Saal, Gewandhaus
Program: Dmitri Shostakovich, Cello Concerto No. 2, Op. 126; Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47
Performers: Anna Rakitina (conductor), the Festivalorchester and Gautier Capuçon (cello)

TUESDAY 20 MAY – THE GRASSI MUSEUM OF APPLIED ARTS – PERFORMANCE #9 (B)

We begin the day with a guided introduction to the Grassi Museum of Applied Arts, one of the world’s best collections of decorative arts. Our tour focuses on works from the 1920s and 1930s, a particular strength of the museum, but there is time afterwards to continue your visit at leisure. We meet again in the late afternoon for a talk by Clive. The evening performance features Daniil Trifonov, Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider and Gautier Capuçon in Shostakovich’s coruscating Piano Trios, perhaps the 20th-century’s most important examples of the genre.

Performance 9
Venue: Grosser Saal, Gewandhaus
Program: Dmitri Shostakovich, Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, Op. 8; Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor, Op. 40; Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 67
Performers: Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider (violin), Gautier Capuçon (cello) and Daniil Trifonov (piano)

WEDNESDAY 21 MAY – DESSAU – PERFORMANCE #10 (B, L)

We take another short excursion today, this time to the renowned Bauhaus in Dessau, a celebrated example of European modernist architecture. After our guided tour and lunch together in a local restaurant, we also have time to enjoy the lakeside palaces and gardens of the Dessau-Wörlitz ‘Gartenreich’. We return to Leipzig in time to hear five of the world’s finest chamber musicians, including a performance of Shostavovich’s masterpiece, the Piano Quintet, with its echoes of Jewish folk music.

Performance 10
Venue: Grosser Saal, Gewandhaus
Program: Dmitri Shostakovich, Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 147; Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57
Performers: Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider (violin), Baiba Skride (violin), Antonoine Tamestit (viola), Gautier Capuçon (cello) and Daniil Trifonov (piano)

THURSDAY 22 MAY – DRESDEN (B)

Dresden, seat of the former rulers of Saxony, is one of Europe’s cultural gems, crammed with fine architecture, galleries and museums. On our excursion today we will have the chance to sample just a few of the city’s many delights. We begin with a walking tour of the historic centre, to understand the city’s extraordinary rise from the ashes of World War II. After time for lunch, we continue to the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, where the time is at leisure for you to concentrate on the works that most draw you in this fine collection of European Old Masters. A local guide is on hand throughout and there is no performance tonight, so we can make a relaxed visit.

FRIDAY 23 MAY – WEIMAR (B)

From the European Enlightenment through to the eponymous republic of the twentieth century, the beautiful city of Weimar played a key role in German culture, and is a must-see destination for travellers seeking to enrich their understanding of German musical heritage. Today we travel to Weimar by coach to undertake a walking tour with a local guide, then stop for lunch at leisure and free time to wander. In the evening there is the option of attending a screening of Tony Palmer’s Testimony – The story of Shostakovich starting at 9.30pm. Please contact Limelight Arts Travel if you are interested in attending.

SATURDAY 24 MAY – PERFORMANCE #11 (B)

We begin the day with a talk in the hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure, before we return to the Gewandhaus to hear the Boston Symphony Orchestra perform the Chamber Symphony in C Minor, Rudolf Barshai’s searing arrangement of Shostakovich’s Eight String Quartet, and the Leningrad Symphony, a superb example of wartime propaganda.

Performance 11
Venue: Grosser Saal, Gewandhaus
Program: Dmitri Shostakovich, Chamber Symphony for Strings in C Minor, Op. 110a; Symphony No. 7, Op. 60 (“Leningrad”)

SUNDAY 25 MAY – PERFORMANCES #12 & #13 (B, L)

We begin today with a matinee performance of a different tenor, exploring some of Shostakovich’s rarely performed choral works, including the Satirical Cantata for Four Basses, with the excellent MDR Radio Choi Afterwards, there is time to enjoy lunch together before an early evening performance of Shostakovich’s visceral opera, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. After Stalin reportedly walked out, the composer’s life took a major turn for the worse.

Performance 12
Venue: Grosser Saal, Gewandhaus
Program: Dmitri Shostakovich, “Loyalty” (Op. 136); Learner’s Manual, Satirical Cantata for Four Basses, Choir and Piano; Concertino in A Minor for 2 Pianos, Op. 94; Symphony of Psalms
Performers: Philipp Ahmann (conductor), MDR Rundfunkchor, Maki Namekawa and Dennis Russell Davies (piano)

Performance 13
Venue: Opera House, Leipzig
Program: Dmitri Shostakovich, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk
Performers: Andris Nelsons (conductor), Gewandhausorchester and Choir of Oper Leipzig; Kristine Opolais (Katerina Ismailowa) and Pavel Černoch (Sergej)

MONDAY 26 MAY – NAUMBURG – PERFORMANCE #14 (B)

Just an hour from Leipzig, the town of Naumburg has a history stretching back over 1,000 years, reflected in the fine Romanesque cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We visit the cathedral and spend some free time in the town’s historic centre. On our journey back to Leipzig, we stop in to visit a local wine producer and sample the sparkling wine which is characteristic of the region. We return to Leipzig to rest before this evening’s performance as an all-star line-up performs Shostakovich’s scintillating and tuneful, From Jewish Folk Poetry and his powerful setting poems by Michelangelo

Performance 14
Venue: Mendelssohn Saal, Gewandhaus
Program: Dmitri Shostakovich, “Satires”, Op. 109; From Jewish Folk Poetry, Op. 79; Suite on Verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti, Op. 145
Performers: Elena Stikhina (soprano), Marina Prudenskaya (alto), Bogdan Volkov (tenor), Günther Groissböck (bass), Elena Bashkirova (piano)

TUESDAY 27 MAY – CHEMNITZ – PERFORMANCE #15 (B)

Today we take an excursion to Chemnitz, an important imperial city that was rapidly industrialised during the Weimar era. As a result, it became an important centre for the development of new socialist political thought, and it has been renamed “Karl Marx City”. Our guided tour concentrates on the Museum Gunzenhauser, one of Germany’s pre-eminent museums of modern art. Over 2,000 works were collected by art dealer Alfred Gunzenhauser, with Blue Rider artist Gabriele Münter and Otto Dix well represented. In fact, the museum contains the world’s largest collection of works by Dix. Returning to Leipzig, we enjoy a piano and song recital at the Gewandhaus.

Performance 15
Venue: Mendelssohn Saal, Gewandhaus
Program: Dmitri Shostakovich, Preludes & Fugues, Op. 87, No. 21a; Six Poems of Marina Tsvetaeva, Op. 143; Sketches for The Black Monk; Seven Romances, Op. 127
Performers: Elena Stikhina (soprano), Marina Prudenskaya (alto), Bogdan Volkov (tenor), Sebastian Breuninger (violin), Christian Giger (cello), Elena Bashkirova (piano)

WEDNESDAY 28 MAY – FAREWELL & PERFORMANCE #16 (B, L)

After a morning at leisure, perhaps to pack or undertake last-minute shopping, we meet for a farewell lunch in a local restaurant. This is followed by a talk by Clive in the hotel, contextualizing for us our final performance tonight. The enthralling Second Violin Concerto is followed by Shostakovich’s Thirteenth Symphony, subtitled Babi Yar, his fearless rebuttal of Soviet policy in settings of poems by Yevgeny Yevtushenko.

Performance 16
Venue: Grosser Saal, Gewandhaus
Program: Dmitri Shostakovich, Passacaglia from Lady Macbeth of Mstensk, Op. 29; Violin Concerto No. 2 in C-sharp minor, Op. 129; Symphony No. 13 in B-flat minor, Op. 113 (“Babi Jar”)
Performers: Andris Nelsons (conductor), Gewandhausorchester and members of the MDR-Rundfunkchores, Oper Leipzig Chorus and Gewandhaus Chorus

THURSDAY 29 MAY – DEPARTURE (B)

Tour arrangements conclude this morning after breakfast in our hotel. We are holding limited accommodation and ticket packages, for those who might wish to stay on for the subsequent performances in the Festival. Contact us for further information.

Hotel Capri by Fraser Leipzig 4*, 15 nights

https://www.frasershospitality.com/en/germany/leipzig/capri-by-fraser-leipzig/

For this long-stay tour, we have chosen Deluxe Studio apartments in a serviced apart-hotel. Breakfast is provided every day in the hotel dining room, but the 29sqm rooms, decorated in a bright contemporary style, offer more comfort than a standard hotel room and a small kitchenette allows you to prepare simple meals.

We used this hotel for our long-stay tour to the Mahler Festival in 2023, and it was well-received by tour members.

NB: hotels of a similar standard may be substituted

• 15 nights’ accommodation in a 4* serviced-aparthotel

• All breakfasts, 4 lunches or dinners including drinks, and welcome drinks and canapes

• Tickets to 16 performances

• All ground transport, guided tours and entrance fees to sites as mentioned in the itinerary, and tipping

• Talks by and expertise of a tour leader throughout

• Services of an experienced, German-speaking local tour manager throughout

A $1,500pp refundable deposit is required at the time of booking to hold your place on tour.

Should you decide to proceed, a second deposit of $2,000pp will be due on 14 January 2025.

We will invoice you for final payment for the tour, due on 28 February 2025.

If you are interested in staying on in Leipzig for the remaining four nights of the festival, then an optional extension package is available. This package includes accommodation at the Capri by Fraser and tickets to each evening’s performance only.

Price: $1,650 pp twinshare
Single Supplement: $550

Inclusions:

• 4 nights accommodation in the Capri by Fraser

• Tickets to 4 performances

  • Venue: Grosser Saal, Gewandhaus Program: Dmitri Shostakovich, Symphony #2, Op. 14 , Symphony #3, Op 20, Symphony #1, Op. 10 Performers: Andris Nelsons (conductor), Anna Rakitina (conductor) and the Festival Orchester (29 May 11am)

  • Venue: Grosser Saal, Gewandhaus Program: Dmitri Shostakovich, Preludes and Fugues for Piano, Opus 87, Performers: Iulianna Avdeeva (pianist) (30 May 7.30pm)

  • Venue: Grosser Saal, Gewandhaus Program: Dmitri Shostakovich, Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and String Orchestra, Op. 35, Performers: Andris Nelsons (conductor), Daniil Trifonov (pianist), Thomas Rolfs (Trumpet), and the Festival Orchester (31 May 7.30pm)

  • Venue: Grosser Saal, Gewandhaus Program: Dmitri Shostakovich, Symphony #14, Op. 135 , Symphony #10, Op 93, Performers: Andris Nelsons (conductor), Kristine Opolais (soprano), Dmitri Belosselskiy (bass), Gewandhusorchester (1 June 11am)

Please note that the extension package does not include the services of a tour leader or tour manager.

When you book on one of tours, we ask you to accept our terms and conditions. You can read our terms and conditions here.