COPENHAGEN TO BERLIN: OPERAS & ORCHESTRAS

• Enjoy eight performances in premiere European venues, including the Copenhagen Opera House, Dresden’s storied Semperoper and the Staatsoper Unter den Linden

• Delight in six operas, including two directed by Barrie Kosky, from Handel to Wagner and Strauss

• Appreciate great composers, including Elgar, Grieg and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral”

• Visit outstanding collections of European art and antiquities, in Copenhagen, Frankfurt’s Städel and on Berlin’s Museum Island

• Enhance your appreciation of the performances with talks and post-performance discussions with Limelight’s Clive Paget

Performance 1: Wednesday 21 April 2027
Venue: Copenhagen Opera House
Program: Johann Strauss, Die Fledermaus
Performers: Keren Kagarlitsky (conductor), Barrie Kosky (director), Fredrik Bjellsäter (Eisenstein), Sofie Elkjær Jensen (Rosalinde), Martin Winkler (Frank), Royal Danish Orchestra

Performance 2: Thursday 22 April 2027
Venue: Koncerthuset, Copenhagen
Program: Elgar, The Dream of Gerontius
Performers: Vasily Petrenko (Conductor), John Findon (tenor), Jess Dandy (mezzo-soprano), Danish National Symphony Orchestra, The Danish National Choir

Performance 3: Saturday 24 April 2027
Venue: Opernhaus Frankfurt
Program: Wagner, Das Rheingold
Performers: Thomas Guggeis (Conductor), Nicholas Brownlee (Wotan), Mikołaj Trabka (Donner), Theo Lebow (Froh), Magnus Dietrich (Loge), Simon Bailey (Alberich)

Performance 4: Sunday 25 April 2027
Venue: Opernhaus Frankfurt
Program: Bohuslav Martinů, The Greek Passion
Performers: Thomas Guggeis (Conductor), A J Glueckert (Manolis), Bianca Andrew (Katerina), Michael Porter (Yannakos)

Performance 5: Tuesday 27 April 2027
Venue: Semperoper, Dresden
Program: Ferdinando Paër, Leonora
Performers: Giulio Cilona (conductor), Andrea Moses (director), Simon Esper (Don Fernando), Louise McClelland Jacobsen)

Performance 6: Wednesday 28 April 2027
Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin
Program: Mendelssohn, The Hebrides; Grieg, Concerto for piano & orchestra in A minor; Beethoven, Symphony No.6, “Pastoral”
Performers: Kirill Petrenko (conductor), Leif Ove Andsnes (piano), Berlin Philharmoniker

Performance 7: Friday 30 April 2027
Venue: Schiller Theatre, Berlin
Program: George Friedrich Handel, Semele
Performers: George Petrou (musical director), Barrie Kosky (director), Sarah Brady (Semele), Mingjie Lei (Jupiter/Apollo). Nils Wanderer (Athamas), Komische Oper Berlin Choir, Komische Opera Berlin Orchestra

Performance 8: Saturday 01 May 2027
Venue: Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin
Program: Humperdinck, Königskinder
Performers: Christian Thielemann (musical director), Diama Damrau (The Goose Girl), Sebastian Kohlhepp (The King’s Son), Christian Gerhaher (The Minstrel), State Opera Choir, Children’s Choir of the State Opera, Berlin State Orchestra

TUESDAY 20 APRIL 2027 – ARRIVAL (D)

The tour begins at 5.00pm in the lobby of our hotel in Copenhagen; please note that no arrivals transfers are included in the tour price. After introductions, we undertake an orientation tour of the neighbourhood with our tour leader Clive Paget, before drinks and a welcome dinner. Overnight Copenhagen.

WEDNESDAY 21 APRIL 2027 – NYHAVN, AMALIENBORN PALACE & PERFORMANCE 1 (B)

We begin the day at the Nyhavn waterfront with a leisurely cruise on the canals and harbour, passing the striking Copenhagen Opera House, the venue for tonight’s performance. A gift to the nation from a Danish industrialist, the Henning Larsen-designed building is dominated by expansive glass frontages and crowned with a 32-metre floating cantilevered roof. This afternoon we enjoy a guided tour of the Amalienborg Palace, the seat of the Danish monarchy. Our tour includes access to the sumptuous ballroom and the spectacular objects on display in the Fabergé Chamber. After a talk by Clive at the hotel, we head to our first performance, Barrie Kosky’s exuberant staging of Strauss’s operetta, Die Fledermaus. Overnight Copenhagen.

Performance 1
Venue: Copenhagen Opera House
Program: Johann Strauss, Die Fledermaus
Performers: Keren Kagarlitsky (conductor), Barrie Kosky (director), Fredrik Bjellsäter (Eisenstein), Sofie Elkjær Jensen (Rosalinde), Martin Winkler (Frank), Royal Danish Orchestra

THURSDAY 22 APRIL 2027 – STATENS MUSEUM, GLYPTOTHEK & PERFORMANCE #2 (B)

The Statens Museum for Kunst (National Gallery of Denmark) houses the nation’s largest art collection, as we discover on a guided tour this morning. Originally the private collection of Danish Kings, gifted to the people with the introduction of democracy in the mid-1800s, the royal collection features Danish and international art from the past seven centuries and is famed for its assemblage of works from the Danish Golden Age. After free time for lunch we visit the nearby Glyptotek, which displays a fine collection of Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquities, as well as Danish and French art and sculpture of the nineteenth century. Clive gives a pre-performance talk in the hotel before we attend the Koncerthuset for Elgar’s monumental choral and orchestral masterpiece, The Dream of Gerontius, set to John Henry Newman’s poem exploring themes of mortality and the afterlife. Overnight Copenhagen.

Performance 2
Venue: Koncerthuset, Copenhagen
Program: Elgar, The Dream of Gerontius
Performers: Vasily Petrenko (Conductor), John Findon (tenor), Jess Dandy (mezzo-soprano), Danish National Symphony Orchestra, The Danish National Choir

FRIDAY 23 APRIL 2027 – TO FRANKFURT (B, D)

We check out of our hotel this morning and take a private transfer to Copenhagen airport. Our direct flight to Frankfurt takes just under 2 hours, and we arrive in the early afternoon. On arrival, we travel by private coach to our hotel, where there is time to check in and freshen up before dinner together in a restaurant near our hotel. Overnight Frankfurt.

SATURDAY 24 APRIL 2027 – FRANKFURT’S MUSEUMS & PERFORMANCE #3 (B)

Frankfurt’s Städel Museum, the legacy of wealthy banker Johann Friedrich Städel, presents masterworks from Vermeer and Botticelli to Monet, Warhol and Francis Bacon. Our guided tour takes in the best of the expansive collection with time for individual exploration and lunch in the café. This afternoon, we explore the diverse collections at the Historisches Museum, including everyday household items of the early nineteenth century, fashion, musical instruments and the early history of photography. Following a talk in the hotel on tonight’s performance, we head to the Frankfurt Opera House where Thomas Guggeis conducts Wagner’s Das Rheingold. Overnight Frankfurt.

Performance 3
Venue: Opernhaus Frankfurt
Program: Wagner, Das Rheingold
Performers: Thomas Guggeis (Conductor), Nicholas Brownlee (Wotan), Mikołaj Trabka (Donner), Theo Lebow (Froh), Magnus Dietrich (Loge), Simon Bailey (Alberich)

SUNDAY 25 APRIL 2027 – MAINZ & PERFORMANCE #4 (B)

Located just outside of Frankfurt, the town of Mainz is the birthplace of Johannes Gutenberg, inventor and craftsman. His moveable type printing press triggered a revolution in media that is still evident today, as we appreciate on our guided tour of the Gutenberg Museum. We view a replica of the Gutenberg Press and the museum’s greatest treasures, two original Gutenberg Bibles from the fifteenth century. After free time for lunch, we visit St Stephen’s Church. Heavily damaged in World War II, the Gothic church was rebuilt with nine brightly coloured stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall. We return to Frankfurt with time to freshen up before attending the premiere of Bohuslav Martinů’s The Greek Passion, a timely allegory addressing themes of Christian values and human displacement. Overnight Frankfurt.

Performance 4
Venue: Opernhaus Frankfurt
Program: Bohuslav Martinů, The Greek Passion
Performers: Thomas Guggeis (Conductor), A J Glueckert (Manolis), Bianca Andrew (Katerina), Michael Porter (Yannakos)

MONDAY 26 APRIL 2027 – TO DRESDEN (B, L)

We travel to Dresen today, breaking our journey in Eisenach, the birthplace of Johann Sebastian Bach in 1685. After a light lunch there is a guided tour of the Bach House, where the Baroque composer spent the first ten years of his life. We enjoy a short performance on the Baroque instruments and see some of Bach’s personal items, including eyeglasses and original musical manuscripts. Continuing to Dresden, we check into our hotel in the late afternoon. The evening is at leisure. Overnight Dresden.

TUESDAY 27 APRIL 2027 – DRESDEN & PERFORMANCE #5 (B)

In the late morning a local guide takes us on a short walking tour of the historic centre of Dresden. The Baroque city centre is essentially the work of Saxony’s great eighteenth-century ruler, Augustus the Strong. Augustus was also King of Poland and Lithuania and envisioned Dresden as an imperial capital; although much damaged in World War II, the reconstruction of the city showcases Augustus’s extraordinary vision. This evening we head to the historic Semperoper near our hotel, for a new production of Ferdinando Paër’s Leonora. It premiered on this same stage in 1804! Overnight Dresden.

Performance 5
Venue: Semperoper, Dresden
Program: Ferdinando Paër, Leonora
Performers: Giulio Cilona (conductor), Andrea Moses (director), Simon Esper (Don Fernando), Louise McClelland Jacobsen)

WEDNESDAY 28 APRIL 2027 - TO BERLIN & PERFORMANCE #6 (B)

This morning we travel by coach to Berlin, with a break for refreshments on the way. After checking in, we take an orientation stroll with our tour leader to familiarise ourselves with the vibrant Mitte district where our hotel is located. This evening Kirill Petrenko conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in a program of symphonic landscapes, with works by Mendelssohn, Grieg and Beethoven. Overnight Berlin.

Performance 6
Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin
Program: Mendelssohn, The Hebrides; Grieg, Concerto for piano & orchestra in A minor; Beethoven, Symphony No.6, “Pastoral”
Performers: Kirill Petrenko (conductor), Leif Ove Andsnes (piano), Berlin Philharmoniker

THURSDAY 29 APRIL 2027 – MUSEUM ISLAND (B)

After a talk in our hotel, we walk to Berlin’s outstanding Museum Island complex and explore the impressive Egyptian collection at the Neues Museum on a guided tour. Our tickets also allow access to all the museums on the island, including the Classical antiquities housed in the Alte Museum and the extensive collection of sculpture and Byzantine art in the Bode Museum. The afternoon and evening are at leisure. Overnight Berlin.

FRIDAY 30 APRIL 2027 – BERLIN & PERFORMANCE #7 (B, L)

Today we explore the Hamburger Bahnhof, a national gallery of contemporary art in a reimagined nineteenth-century railway terminus. The museum exhibits work by artists such as Andy Warhol, Cy Twombly, Roy Lichtenstein, Anselm Kiefer and Sol LeWitt. (Another contemporary art museum may be substituted, pending temporary exhibition schedules.) The afternoon is at leisure before Clive gives a talk in the hotel. Tonight at the Schiller Theatre, the Komische Oper Berlin takes to the stage to perform Barrie Kosky’s moving production of Handel’s Semele, with Irish soprano Sarah Brady in the title role. Overnight Berlin.

Performance 7
Venue: Schiller Theatre, Berlin
Program: George Friedrich Handel, Semele
Performers: George Petrou (musical director), Barrie Kosky (director), Sarah Brady (Semele), Mingjie Lei (Jupiter/Apollo). Nils Wanderer (Athamas), Komische Oper Berlin Choir, Komische Opera Berlin Orchestra

SATURDAY 01 MAY 2027 – BERLIN & PERFORMANCE #8 – PUBLIC HOLIDAY (B, L)

This morning we enjoy Berlin from a different perspective, as we take a relaxing cruise on the River Spree. Afterwards, we head to Norman Foster’s remarkable reconstruction of the Reichstag building. Ascending to the rooftop terrace restaurant, adjacent to Foster’s 800-ton steel and glass dome, we dine on modern German cuisine at our farewell lunch and enjoy expansive views over the city. This afternoon Clive gives a talk at the hotel before our final performance, a premiere of Engelbert Humperdinck’s fairytale opera, Königskinder, conducted by Maestro Christian Thielemann. Overnight Berlin.

Performance 8
Venue: Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin
Program: Humperdinck, Königskinder
Performers: Christian Thielemann (musical director), Diama Damrau (The Goose Girl), Sebastian Kohlhepp (The King’s Son), Christian Gerhaher (The Minstrel), State Opera Choir, Children’s Choir of the State Opera, Berlin State Orchestra

SUNDAY 02 MAY 2027 – DEPARTURE (B)

Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast in our hotel; please note that no departure transfers are included in the tour price. Contact us if you require assistance with your travel arrangements, including local transfers, flights and comprehensive international travel insurance (a condition of joining our tours).

Hotel Phoenix 4* Copenhagen, 3 nights

https://www.phoenixcopenhagen.com/

This updated hotel is perfectly located and our rooms in the Superior category are an average of 19sqm in size.

Hotel Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof 5* Frankfurt, 3 nights

https://hrewards.com/en/steigenberger-icon-frankfurter-hof

Superior rooms in this stylish hotel are at least 25sqm in size and are in walking distance of the performance venues.

Hotel Steigenberger de Saxe 4* Dresden, 3 nights

https://steigenberger-hotel-de-saxe-dresden.h-rez.com/

Our rooms are in the Superior category, a generous 28sqm in size. A short walk brings us to the Semperoper.

Hilton Hotel 5* Berlin, 4 nights

https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/berhitw-hilton-berlin

This modernised hotel has an excellent location. The Hilton Guest Room category is on average 26sqm in size.

NB: hotels of a similar standard may be substituted.

• 12 nights’ accommodation at 4* and 5* hotels

• All breakfasts and 5 lunches or dinners

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

• Please note that no arrival or departure transfers are included in the tour price

• 8 tickets to performances: 6 in Category 1, 2 in Category 2 (Koncerthuset Copenhagen & Königskinder Berlin)

• One-way flight from Copenhagen to Frankfurt in Economy class, with checked baggage limit of 23kg pp

• Talks by and expertise of a tour leader throughout

• Assistance of a German-speaking tour manager throughout

A $2,000pp deposit is required at the time of booking to hold your place on tour.

A second deposit of $2,500pp is due on 14 December 2026.

We will invoice you for final payment for the tour, due on 04 February 2027.

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