The Musical Landscape of Saxony
At the invitation of the Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft Sachsen, a selection of music and travel journalists and tour operators, myself included, were able to discover the fascinating musical landscape of Saxony from 16 to 19 May 2019. The occasion was the opening of the 42nd Dresden Music Festival.
The Festival Orchestra under the baton of Ivor Bolton opened with the overture to the opera Euryanthe by C. M. von Weber, the Dresden opera singer René Pape performed songs by G. Mahler, and, fittingly for the season, we listened to Robert Schumann's Spring Symphony.
Our stay was marked by a succession of highlights: in the Elbe Valley we visited the house of Carl Maria von Weber, and in Leipzig the Mendelssohn House and the Bach Archive. In the Thomaskirche we enjoyed the music of Bach with the Thomanerchor. The Gewandhaus Orchestra, known for the exceptional sound of its strings, played Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony, among other works. We too are now infected by that unmistakable sound. Incidentally, the new Gewandhaus Kapellmeister, Andris Nelsons, was on the podium. The Elbe Valley, the royal city of Dresden and the music city of Leipzig completely won us over.
Also worth mentioning are the excellent first-class hotels in the most central locations, the superb regional cuisine and the knowledgeable guides.
