Munich - Grand Opera, Great Voices Carmen at the Bavarian State Opera
Experience Munich in spring and a glittering evening of opera at the Bavarian State Opera. In Bizet's «Carmen», the celebrated mezzo-soprano Maria Barakova takes the title role, with the French star tenor Benjamin Bernheim delighting audiences alongside her as Don José. Enjoy opera at its finest while discovering Munich's magnificent architecture, vibrant culture and distinctively Bavarian way of life.
Dates and prices
- 2027
| 20.04. - 22.04.2027 | Di. - Do. | from CHF 1'650.- |
Day 1: Switzerland – Munich
Journey via Memmingen to Munich, arriving in the early afternoon. Your excellent hotel is located in the heart of Munich's old town. Enjoy the free afternoon in the Bavarian metropolis and stroll across its beautiful squares. Dinner together in a carefully selected restaurant.
Day 2: Munich & Opera
Experience the charm of the former royal residence city and let the many sights enchant you on the city tour. A special guided tour of the opera house offers you a glimpse behind the scenes. You will receive plenty of fascinating information about the daily artistic life of the opera house (subject to rehearsal schedule). Before the performance, you will be treated to culinary delights from kitchen and cellar. The opera performance begins at 19.00.
Day 3: Munich - Switzerland
The return journey to Switzerland departs at 11.00. Free time for lunch in the lakeside harbour town of Lindau on Lake Constance.
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
- Journey by Car Rouge coach, 2+1 seating
- Music tour manager from/to Switzerland
- Accommodation in a carefully selected 4* hotel
- 2 x BB (room/breakfast buffet)
- 1 x dinner including drinks
- 1 x opera aperitif with wine and canapés
- 1 x 1st category opera ticket
- City walk
- Special guided tour of the opera house
- Car Rouge audio system
Hotels
You will stay at the 4* Superior Hotel Platzl in the very heart of Munich. The opera house is just a two-minute walk away.
About the opera
Georges Bizet: "Carmen" – Opéra comique in four acts
"L'amour est un oiseau rebelle"
The libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy is based on the novella "Carmen" by the Parisian author Prosper Mérimée. The gallant dandy travelled through Spain and studied the life of the Gypsies in Andalusia. The colour of dance, bullfighting and castanets also fascinated the Parisian composer Georges Bizet, who was swept up by "Hispanismo". The premiere on 3 March 1875 at the Opéra Comique received little attention, and the French opera only became a success after its first performance in Vienna, sung in German. The settings in Seville are a tobacco factory, the tavern of Lillas Pastia, smugglers' paths and a bullring.
Sergeant Don José from Navarre loves the orphan Micaela, whom his mother had taken in. In Seville, his superior officer Lieutenant Zuniga orders him to take the Gypsy woman Carmen to prison. She has started a fight in the cigarette factory and injured a colleague. In prison she persuades Don José to let her escape. This earns him a spell under arrest. In the tavern, Carmen dances and sings with her friends Mercedes and Frasquita. The toreador Escamillo is celebrated for his victory. Carmen initially turns her attention to Don José, who has to return to barracks at the tattoo and escapes her. The smugglers Dancairo and Remendado are travelling with Don José from Gibraltar to Seville. Carmen rejects reconciliation with Don José. The cards foretell good fortune for the two Gypsy women, but death for Carmen. Escamillo stokes Don José's jealousy. Don José is defeated in the duel. Micaela tries to win back the son for his dying mother by appealing to his compassion. Carmen, who has become involved with Escamillo, dismisses her friends' warnings about Don José's rage. Carmen's murder is inevitable.
Andalusian passions and southern machismo clash in this drama, marked by intense sensuality. Bizet's music drives the scenes with fiery melodies and rhythms in the Habanera, in the chansons and crowd scenes, in Don José's moving Flower Song "La fleur que tu m'avais jetée", through to the triumphant "Toréador" and Don José's final words of remorse in the face of her death: "O ma Carmen adorée!"