TOUR TO THE KÖTHEN AUTUMN FESTIVAL (KÖTHENER HERBST)
Leipzig – Köthen (75 km)
August 31 – September 4, 2023, 5 days
Try out Bach by Bike: this short tour begins in Leipzig, where Bach spent a large portion of his life as director of music at St. Thomas, and continues in two cycling stages via Halle on the river Saale to Köthen, where we will attend two concerts and a cantata church service at the Köthen Autumn Festival with the theme “Bach´s musical legacy”. Köthen has much to discover about Bach, who worked here for many years as court music director. Immerse yourself in Bach’s life for a short but intensive time: in addition to museums and churches, Köthen has in store for you a baroque evening meal, at which you can indulge in culinary dimensions of the baroque Köthen times.
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ITINERARY
DAY 1, INDIVIDUAL ARRIVAL AND LEIPZIG
We meet at the hotel in Leipzig at 1 pm. Johann Sebastian Bach spent the second half of his life here. After an extensive tour around the city’s many Bach sites there is an opportunity to visit the Bach Museum.
DAY 2, LEIPZIG – HALLE A.D. SAALE, 40 KM
In the morning we start cycling. We leave Leipzig behind and cycle along the dikes of the river White Elster, including a swimming stop at a lake if the weather is nice, until we reach the city center of Halle. Here, we visit the Museum of the eldest Bach son, Wilhelm Friedemann-Bach-House, and the Handel-House, Handel being one famous Bach contemporary. Kantor Irènèe Peyrot will introduce us to the organs of Market Church Halle in the evening.
DAY 3, HALLE A.D. SAALE – KÖTHEN, 35 KM
We continue to the second stage of the trip to the residential city of Köthen. If the weather allows, we stop off at a lake. We spend the late afternoon discovering the Bach exhibition at City Palace Köthen before visiting a concert of Köthen Autumn Festival with Ton Koopman and Bach´s “Musical offering” and an orchestra suite with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra.
DAY 4, KÖTHEN AUTUMN FESTIVAL
We begin the Sunday with a festive church service in St. Agnus. We then will discover Bach’s traces during a tour of the city. We finish our tour with the final concert of the Köthen Autumn Festival in St. Jacob Church at 5 pm with Barockorchester L´Arco Hannover and Hannover Boys´Choir. In the evening we will have a special baroque dinner like in Bach`s time, allowing you to enjoy the end of the baroque journey culinarily.
DAY 5, INDIVIDUAL DEPARTURE
After breakfast, everyone will embark on their individual journey home. We wish all guests a safe journey home!
We have developed a sustainable tour concept and pay our tour guides, musicians and local partners fair wages.
INCLUDED IN THE PRICE:
- 4 nights at mid-range hotels incl. breakfast
- Lunch packs (on cycling days)
- 1 dinner in Köthen: Bach-menu in baroque style
- Guided tour
- Luggage transport from first to last hotel
- All entrance fees to museums and churches: Bach Museum Leipzig, Handel-House Halle, Wilhelm-Friedemann-Bach-House Halle, City Palace Köthen
- Organ tour at Market Church Halle
- City tours in Leipzig and Köthen
- 2 concerts of Köthen Autumn Festival (Köthener Herbst):
- Saturday, September 2, 2023, 8 pm: Chamber concert with “Musikalisches Opfer” and Ouvertüre (Suite) b-Minor, Ton Koopman, harpsichord and Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra; Bach-Saal
- Sunday, September 3, 2023, 5 pm: Final Concert with Mass G-Major, Cantata BWV 30.2 and two Motets, Boys´Choir and l´Arco Hannover; Church St. Jakob
- List of equipment
Changes reserved!
PRICES:
Double room per Person: 1190,- €
Single room supplement: 115,- €
Optional extras:
- Rental touring bike: 80,- €
- rental e-bike: 110,- €
GROUP SIZE AND MINIMUM NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS:
The minimum number of participants for our tours is 15. If the minimum number is not reached, we reserve the right to withdraw from the tour contract. The corresponding declaration must be sent to you at least 29 days before the scheduled beginning of the tour.
The average group size is approximately 15 to 25 people.
