Medea - Cherubini

jennifer lardmore

The title role in Cherubini's Medea, once vividly portrayed by Maria Callas will be sung here by the amazing Jennifer Larmore.


Diana Damrau Sings Richard Strauss


diana damrau

One of the most celebrated and sought-after sopranos in the world, Diana Damrau will sing Richard Strauss in recital in Geneva.


Solaris - Dai Fujikura

We will see the exciting creation "Solaris" by Japanese composer Dai Fujikura. A huge multimedia experience, this opera brings to the stage the science fiction novel by Stanislas Lem that was turned into films by both Andrei Tarkovski and Steven Soderbergh. It will be played by the renowned Ensemble Intercontemporain from Paris.

 

Opera in La Suissse Romande – April 20-25, 2015!

Spend a spring week in Geneva and Lausanne, both lovely cities filled with beautiful music and beautiful scenery. We will see two operas and one recital during our time together. The first performance will be Cherubini’s Medea in Geneva. The title role, once vividly portrayed by Maria Callas, will be sung here by the amazing Jennifer Larmore. Then we will hear a recital by Diana Damrau, one of the most celebrated and sought-after sopranos in the world, in songs by Richard Strauss. Finally, in Lausanne, we will see the exciting creation Solaris by Japanese composer Dai Fujikura. A huge multimedia experience, this opera brings to the stage the science fiction novel by Stanislas Lem that was turned into films by both Andrei Tarkovski and Steven Soderbergh. It will be played by the renowned Ensemble Intercontemporain from Paris. An amazingly varied trio of vocal treats!!


About the Instructor

Larry Axelrod has traveled to four continents for fun and cultural purposes. He has been arranging Opera Adventures in the United States and abroad for more than three years. He taught at the Music Center of the North Shore (now Music Institute of Chicago), different Elderhostel venues and Renasan. He taught many different classes over the course of fifteen years at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe, including an opera class and music theory at Columbia College in Chicago. Larry is a composer, pianist and conductor, whose musical activities have taken him around the United States and Europe. His compositions have been performed on composers’ festival concerts around the United States.

For more information please call Larry at (773) 680-8811 or email larry223@aol.com.


About The Class

We will be attending:
Tuesday, April 21 - Medea (Cherubini)
Thursday, April 23 - Diana Damrau sings Richard Strauss
Friday, April 24 - Solaris (Fujikura)

Wednesday, we will have a private group tour in and around Geneva.
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings from 9 AM to about noon, we will gather to watch DVD performances, listen to CDs and learn about that evening’s performance. There will be time for discussion and questions. Class participation is encouraged! The class will be held in a meeting room in the hotel. Medea and the Damrau recital begin at 7:30. Solaris begins at 8. We will share a group dinner Friday evening in Lausanne before the start of the opera.

Useful links:
Geneva Opera: www.geneveopera.com
Lausanne Opera: www.lausanne-opera.ch

Hotel and Amenities

Our hotel will be the Best Western Hôtel Strasbourg, conveniently located close to the main train station and easy walking distance from the Mont Blanc pedestrian precinct and Lac Leman. It is about 5 km from the airport. The hotel will provide a transit pass for the entire stay that allows for free travel on all public transit in the city of Geneva.


About Your Arrival and Departure

Arrival in Geneva will be on Monday, April 20. We will meet briefly in the late afternoon to greet one another and discuss the logistics of our stay. Check out will be on Saturday, April 25. If you wish to add nights at the beginning or the end of our trip, please contact me directly and I will make sure through the group reservations personnel that it is handled properly.

There are non-stop flights to Geneva from New York area airports. You might, however, consider flying to Zürich, where there are many more non-stop options, and then taking the train. It takes about three hours and trains leave every 30 minutes directly from the airport to the heart of Geneva and close to our hotel.


Other Activities

Geneva is an important city for business and international affairs. It also happens to have an utterly lovely location on the banks of Lac Leman (Lake Geneva), ringed by mountains. It is a safe, walkable city with art and cultural attractions that match its international stature. The other picturesque lake towns of Montreux, Vevey and Lausanne are close by. You will have Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons free to explore on your own.


Transportation to the Performances

The Grand Théâtre de Genève is less than a kilometer from the hotel. We will take the short train ride to and from Lausanne together. The opera there only lasts 90 minutes, so we will not get back to Geneva terribly late.


Transportation to/from the Airport

The airport in Geneva is closer to the center than in many cities. It is only 6 minutes by train, which leaves every 12 minutes at busy times. The main train station in Geneva is walking distance from our hotel.

The city offers a free transport ticket for a period of 80 minutes for all passengers arriving at the airport.


Fee and fee schedule

Double occupancy will be $1600 per person. Single occupancy will be $2000. This includes three opera tickets, five nights hotel stay, daily breakfast, one lunch, one dinner and one private walking tour.
A 50% deposit ($800 per person double, $1000 single) will hold your place. The balance will be due on or before February 20, 2015.

Cancellation policy: Before February 20, a full refund minus a $25 administrative fee will be issued. Before March 20, a 50% refund will be issued. Before April 10, a 25% refund will be issued. Any cancellation later than April 6, no refund will be issued.

Not included: Four dinners, four lunches, all air travel, airport transfers, transport to/from performances, admission to attractions/museums on the day tours.


Travel Insurance

Sometimes our personal libretti give opera a run for its money. Plans need to change quickly, forcing cancellation of an eagerly anticipated trip. I try to make my refund policy as clear, fair and straight-forward as possible, in line with what I see on other travel sites. However, as a single-person enterprise, I have little leeway with goods and services already purchased and time already invested.

For this reason, I recommend travel insurance for those “just in case” moments. I can promise I really don’t want you to cancel once you have signed up for one of my great opera adventures. I also don’t want you to lose money. However I really must stay with my refund policy. So, consider travel insurance. It’s a small investment that you really hope you won’t need, but might be very worthwhile.

www.insuremytrip.com
www.travelguard.com


Registration

To register for Opera in La Suisse Romande 2015, click on the link here and download the registration form. Completed forms can be mailed to:
Lawrence Axelrod
5111 N. Monticello Ave.
Chicago, IL 60625

 

 

©Lawrence Axelrod 2011-2014 | www.lawrenceaxelrod.com | 773. 680. 8811 | Email