For the second time this year the musical city of Leipzig was on the program. The city was fantastic, with lots of blossoms, pleasant temperatures, terraces, a friendly atmosphere and an impressive music scene. For our group this meant a piano recital by Yingshan Hu in the Schumannhaus, the Johannes Passion (Bach) on Good Friday in the Thomaskirche and Der Freischütz (von Weber) in the Opera of the city. We also visited the Blüthner piano factory and the Mendelssohnhaus. For those who missed it: in 2020 and 2021 we will go to Leipzig again.

A trip to Leipzig. This time with students and teachers from the Young Talent Class of the Maastricht Academy of Music, joined by music lovers from all over the country. The young musicians performed very successfully in the houses/museums of Schumann, Mendelssohn and Bach and the performances in the Oper and the Gewandhaus made a deep impression. There were also interesting excursions to the Bach House in Eisenach (his birthplace) and the Musikhochschule in Leipzig. Attending the rehearsal of the Thomanerchor was an unforgettable experience.

The concerts in the Philharmonie of Luxembourg city were memorable. For example, the Amatis Piano Trio impressed with compositions by Haydn, Shostakovich, Mendelssohn Bartholdy and the brand new Moorlands by Andrea Tarrodi. The performance of The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields was sublime. Jan Lisiecki (23), who replaced the sick Murray Perahia and played Beethoven's piano concerts 1 and 3, rightly received ovational applause from the audience. There were also several excursions on the programme: -city tour -trips to Echternach and Trier -Slag om de Ardennen (WO ll) - photo exhibition The Family of Man (Unesco) in Clervaux.

Above some pictures of the trip. Too bad, it's over again.

The visit to Prague and Dresden provided great moments for the music lovers who travelled along. The operas Werther (Massenet) in Prague and Carmen (Bizet) in the Semper Opera of Dresden were brilliant. The Dresdner Philharmonie by Bertrand de Billy impressed with romantic compositions by Schoenberg, R. Strauss and Korngold.

Furthermore, the participants visited the many historical and cultural sites of these cities, in Prague also with the help of an expert and Dutch speaking guide. So sad, it's over again. Check out some of the impressions of this musical journey in the photo gallery.

This trip was too short, according to the participants. There is much to see and experience in that city, especially the Manhattan-like skyline is striking. For art lovers there are many museums, for hikers the green strips along the Main and of course there are plenty of dining and shopping opportunities. We attended two music performances, first Rossini's opera La Cenerentola in the (new) Oper: beautiful staging, high musical level (singing and playing). Thanks to the Limburg horn player Stef van Herten (working at the Oper) for the view behind the scenes.
Lars Vogt played and conducted the Piano Concerto by Grieg, Mozart's 25th symphony and Schumann's first 'Frühling' at the Alte Oper. Perfect versions of these classic-romantic works. After a beautiful bus trip along the Rhine, the trip was rounded off with an afternoon in the sun-drenched Koblenz.

The musical and cultural journey to Porto and Portugal was one with many impressions. With two excellent guides we have learned a lot about the history, culture and nature of Portugal and the lifestyles of the Portuguese. The weather was also very pleasant with radiant blue skies and temperatures rising to 16 / 17 degrees. The biblical songs of Dvořák by Thomas Hampson and Ein deutsches Requiem by Brahms (soloists Miah Persson and Thomas Hampson) in the Gulbenkian theatre made a deep impression. We will never forget Kathia Buniatishvilli's piano recital, with her virtuosity and musicality go hand in hand. Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Liszt loosened a lot in the hall and after two encores (Liszt and Schubert) the audience floated outside.

The trip to Poland has already come to an end, it was an impressive experience in all respects. With help of excellent guides, we took a look at Poland’s history (particularly that of the 20th century), Auschwitz-Birkenau, Krakau and Warsaw, the Wieliczka salt mines and Czestochova monastery. Undoubtedly, we also paid attention to the recent political and social developments in the country.

The three scheduled musical performances were extraordinary, such as the living room concert by young Airis Kwartet with works by Beethoven, Dvorák, Tansman and Meyering. The Philharmonie of Warsaw played a great Bruckner 2 and we had eyes and ears short regarding the ballet performance with Le Sacre du Printemps and Krzesany.