Bamberg - Würzburg - Nuremberg Rigoletto & the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra
Look forward to a varied opera and concert trip to the beautiful region of Franconia. Bamberg delights with its historic old town, Würzburg with its magnificent Residence and Nuremberg with its vibrant culture. The musical highlights are Verdi's «Rigoletto» at the Staatstheater Nürnberg and a concert by the world-famous Bamberg Symphony Orchestra in their home town.
Dates and prices
- 2027
| 11.05. - 15.05.2027 | Di. - Sa. | from CHF 1'890.- |
Day 1: Switzerland – Bamberg
Journey by comfortable Car Rouge coach to Bamberg. After checking in, you will enjoy a dinner together in the stylish setting of the Residenzschloss.
Day 2: Bamberg & Nuremberg Opera
The morning is free for you to discover Bamberg at your own pace. In the afternoon, we travel to Nuremberg. After an opera aperitif, you will attend Verdi's masterpiece «Rigoletto» at the Staatstheater Nürnberg. Afterwards, we return to Bamberg.
Day 3: Day trip to Würzburg
Today you will discover Würzburg, the charming residence town on the River Main. On a guided tour, you will visit the magnificent Würzburg Residenz with its impressive rooms. Afterwards, there will be time for an individual stroll through the old town before you return to Bamberg.
Day 4: Bamberg & Concert
On a guided city tour, you will explore Bamberg's historic old town with its winding lanes and significant buildings. The afternoon is free at your leisure. In the evening, a concert by the renowned Bamberg Symphony Orchestra awaits you, a musical highlight of the trip.
Day 5: Bamberg - Switzerland
After breakfast, it is time to say goodbye to Bamberg. With many lovely impressions, you begin your journey back to Switzerland.
CarRouge
The Premium vehicles are state of the art and offer generous space: 3 luxury seats per row, individually adjustable headrests and an interior height of 2.10 m create a unique sense of space.
- 30 wide, luxurious Premium armchairs in a 2+1 seating layout
- Generous seat pitch of 90 cm
- Seat belts at every seat
- Height-adjustable footrest, adjustable backrests and armrests
- A unique sense of space thanks to an interior height of 2.10 metres
- Multichannel sound system at every seat, lane assist and adaptive cruise control
- Free Wi-Fi/internet in Europe
INCLUDED
- Travel by Car Rouge
- Music tour manager from/to Switzerland
- Accommodation in a carefully selected 4* hotel
- 4x B&B (room/breakfast buffet)
- 2 x dinner including drinks
- 1 x opera aperitif
- All guided tours and admission fees
- 1x concert ticket, 2nd category
- 1x opera ticket, 1st category
- Car Rouge audio system
Hotels
You will stay at the elegant 4* Welcome Hotel Residenzschloss Bamberg, in a quiet location close to the old town.
About the opera
Giuseppe Verdi: "Rigoletto" - "La donna è mobile"
The libretto by Francesco Maria Piave is based on the verse drama "Le roi s'amuse" by Victor Hugo (1832). Because of censorship, the setting was moved from Paris to Mantua. The work, commissioned by the Teatro La Fenice, premiered in Venice on 11 March 1851.
The Duca of Mantua tells his courtier, the cortigiano Matteo Borsa, that he has spotted an unknown beauty in church whom he intends to conquer. He also has his eye on the Contessa di Ceprano ("Questa o quella"). Rigoletto, the buffone di corte, the hunchback at court, mocks the jealous Conte di Ceprano. The Cavaliere Marullo announces that Rigoletto, too, has a secret lover. Rigoletto advises the Duca to get rid of the troublesome Ceprano, which the latter overhears, and he swears revenge. Il Conte di Monterone accuses the Duca of abducting his daughter. He too is mocked. The Duca has him arrested. Monterone curses the Duca and Rigoletto.
The curse haunts Rigoletto. The bandit Sparafucile offers him his services as a hired assassin: "Pari siamo" - one kills with the sword, the other with the curse. Rigoletto laments his life as a cripple, which has made him a villain. His daughter Gilda suffers from loneliness. She goes to church and speaks only to her companion Giovanna. Rigoletto tells Gilda about her mother, who died young and who loved him despite his deformity. He urges Giovanna to watch over his daughter. The Duca gains access to Gilda by bribing Giovanna into silence. "T'amo, t'amo" - Gilda's declaration of love to the Duca comes easily to her, even though he introduces himself as a penniless student. She also loves his double name: "Gualtier Maldè, caro nomine".
Marullo tells Rigoletto that he has come with his companions to abduct the Contessa di Ceprano. He holds a mask over the jester's face and abducts Gilda in the process. Faced with the empty room, the Duca believes Gilda has been taken from him ("Ella mi fu rapita"). The seducers took her for Rigoletto's lover and brought her to the palazzo. Her father pleads for his daughter's release, and she confesses to him her love for the young man from the church ("Tutte le feste"). In Sparafucile's inn, Gilda is forced to watch as the Duca, in a soldier's uniform, praises the fickleness of women ("La donna è mobile") and courts Sparafucile's sister Maddalena. Rigoletto orders Gilda to travel to Verona in men's clothes. He pays Sparafucile the first half of the fee in advance for the Duca's body. Maddalena begs her brother to kill someone else instead of the young soldier. Gilda overhears the murder plan and wants to sacrifice herself for the Duca. Sparafucile receives her with the dagger. With the body bag in his hands, Rigoletto hands over the rest of the fee. From afar, the voice of the Duca can be heard. Horrified, Rigoletto realises that Gilda lies dead in the sack in his place and that Monterone's curse has been fulfilled.