Thursday and Friday, 13 and 14 April 2017
Ready for an Overnight Outing? Arrival Strasbourg in time for lunch; return to Paris as desired.
Cost: €130 (excluding transport to/within Strasbourg)
---- Open to non-members ----
A majestic cathedral, winding medieval streets, the fabled Rhine River, a lunch of Alsatian specialities and an awe-inspiring lyric opera evening: all these await WICE members and friends who sign up for this overnight group excursion to the European capital, Strasbourg. Following lunch in Strasbourg we will be taken on a private tour of some of the city’s many attractions.
In the evening we will attend the dress rehearsal of Hector Berlioz’s Les Troyens, featuring operatic superstars Joyce Di Donato, Stephane Degout and Marie Nicole Lemieux and directed by the American conductor and friend of WICE, John Nelson.
Below is how a Chicago newspaper recently summed up the complicated plot of Berlioz’s Les Troyens also called “thrilling – a cathedral of an artistic work” by another music critic.
“An ancient walled city reduced to rubble by a long and devastating war. An enemy bearing the gift of a fake peace. A mass suicide by women who would rather take their own lives than be raped and enslaved by their conquerors …. A great but guilt-ridden love that ultimately cannot withstand the call of a homeland.”
This special event is open to all; WICE members, guests, and non-members. WICE will take care of restaurant, hotel, and opera entrance but registrants should make their own travel arrangements to/from Strasbourg. There are regular trains from Paris Gare Est, and if you plan ahead or have a “carte de réduction,” discounted fares are often available. The journey time by TGV is less than two hours; check out the SNCF website for further details. Registrants should plan to arrive in Strasbourg by 12 noon in order to have time for lunch and city tour.
If you are interested, and for further information, please contact Jill Bourdais as soon as possible.
Want to find out more about Hector Berlioz? Join us for our three-part series, Hector Berlioz: an Underappreciated Genius, on Wednesdays, 8, 15 and 22 March at 10:30am.
