Schubert in Schwarzenberg | August 2024

There are few more idyllic settings to appreciate the world’s best song, chamber and piano concerts than the Vorarlberg region in Austria, where the village of Schwarzenberg commands panoramic views across lush meadows to the soaring Alps. Each summer, amidst the tranquil mountain scenery of the Bregenz Forest, a select group of musicians – from well-known performers to up-and-coming artists – gather to present a dynamic selection of Schubert’s music alongside works by other composers.

 
Our venue is the Angelika Kauffmann Hall, named after the 18th century Swiss-born painter and founding member of the Royal Academy in London. Kauffmann spent her early years in Schwarzenberg, where, aged 16, she composed medallions of the apostles in the village church – returning 44 years later to paint the picture above the high altar.

 
Our tour to the 2024 festival will take in a mixture of daytime and evening concerts ranging from intimate piano works to lively song recitals and string quartets. Chamber highlights will include a rendition of ‘The Trout’ by award winning French violinist Renaud Capuçon and fellow instrumentalists, and ‘Der Tod und das Mädchen’ performed by the excellent Quatuor Modigliani, who also bring us quartets by Ravel and Beethoven.

 
Lieder naturally forms a core focus, with German lyric tenor Christoph Prégardien, tenor Ilker Arcayürek, operatic soprano Julia Kleiter and baritone Andrè Schuen all contributing their unique interpretations to songs by Schubert, Mahler, Schumann, Brahms and Liszt. Arcayürek – whose voice was described as “golden” by Opera Now – is sure to lend particular poignancy to our tour with his rendition of Schubert’s haunting song cycle Die schöne Müllerin. Conductor and pianist Christian Zacharias, meanwhile, will round things off with Schubert’s Six Moments Musicaux alongside the composer’s Piano Sonata in D ‘Gasteiner’ and a piano sonata by Haydn.

 
Alongside the music, we will enjoy a guided tour of Schwarzenberg as well a selection of cultural excursions to sites including the splendid Rieger Orgelbau workshop and the charming town of Lindau in the Lake Constance area. In Liechtenstein’s capital of Vaduz we will explore the city’s fantastic Kunstmuseum: architecturally impressive, the gallery is home to modern and contemporary art as well as collections ranging from the classical modern era onwards at the connected Hilti Art Foundation. The stunning Baroque Library at St Gallen, home to the oldest library collection in Switzerland, will provide a suitable rest point as we travel back to the airport – a Greek inscription above the entrance reads “healing place for the soul”.

Tour Director Nicholas Wearne, BA, MPhil, is an organist and international competition prize-winner who was previously Assistant Organist at New College, Oxford and Organist at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square. Nicholas is a former ACE Bursary student and currently holds the position of Senior Tutor at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

Accommodation 
We will stay at the four-star Hotel Die Wälderin, a luxurious modern hotel situated in the scenic surroundings of Mellau in the Bregenz Forest. Rooms are of a premium standard with balconies, and include access to swimming pools and sauna facilities. The hotel is a 10-15 minute walk from the centre of Mellau and a short drive from Schwarzenberg.

"Great hotel with very comfortable, spacious rooms and friendly, helpful staff"

"My first visit to the [Hotel Die Wälderin], an excellent choice"

- ACE customers on previous tours staying at the Hotel Die Wälderin

Included: return airfare, accommodation based on sharing a premium twin or double bedded room, performances as described, seven breakfasts, four lunches (one light, one packed), seven dinners with water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities & all taxes.

Not Included: travel insurance, premium double room for single use supplement £235.