THANKSGIVING IN PRAGUE
Friday, November 20th through Saturday, November 28th
Great Performance Tours is gratified to return to the Czech Republic for Thanksgiving in Prague. Highlighted by a traditional turkey dinner exceeding our expectations, Our leisurely seven nights in Central Europe’s most beautiful capital will include a plethora of stimulating music at a variety of exquisite theatres. (Prague boasts three major opera houses and several major concert halls.) Once again we will stay at the city’s deluxe ‘art nouveau’ landmark Palace Hotel.
Wherever possible, we always plan our Prague visits to encounter the rich operatic repertoire of the great Czech com- posers. For our week this November, we are fortunate to include two major operas by the Czech giants, Bedrich Smetana and Leos Janacek. Smetana’s comedy The Bartered Bride and Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen will both be staged in the imposing National Theatre adjacent to the Moldau. In addition, our schedule will take us to the State Opera for Vincenzo Bellini’s ‘bel canto’ Norma to the and twice more to the National Theatre for Georges Bizet’s Carmen and an intriguing double-bill of Igor Stravinsky’s Le Rossignol combined with Tchaikovsky’s romantic Iolanta. Yet another operatic evening will take us into the intimate Theatre of the Estates, the Baroque jewel where ‘Don Giovanni’ was premiered in 1787, this time for Mozart’s sublime lyric comedy Le Nozze di Figaro.
On Thanksgiving evening, we will attend a Concert in one of the city’s several major auditoriums. (Programs have not yet been announced for the Rudolfinum or Smetana Hall.)
There will be English surtitles for all of the Czech operas in the National Theatre and the State Opera. The casts have not been announced at the time of this writing, but the city’s opera houses always offer their foremost artists whenever the Czech repertoire is scheduled.
The Czech capital of Prague remains among the most popular destinations in all of Europe. Because the city’s architectural splendors have been almost entirely spared from the destruction of both World Wars, the principal squares and the many side-streets stretching towards the Moldau River retain most of the original facades dating from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Prague’s leading theatres and concert halls also reflect some of the grandest elements of the Art Nouveau period of the early 1900’s. The city center is full of life today, with busy pedestrian traffic rediscovering the Republic’s artistic and musical heritage and enjoying the resurgence of cafés, bars, and a wide variety of shops.
Accommodations for seven nights with a generous buffet breakfast included at the Palace Hotel, Prague’s deluxe ‘art nouveau’ hotel. Ideally located within comfortable walking distance of many important sights and theatres, the Palace is adjacent to historic Wenceslaus Square (now a busy commercial center) and only a few minutes from Old Town Square. This property offers a luxury restaurant, a convenient coffee shop, and a modern sauna and solarium. We are fortunate of have our confirmed reservations at this premium hotel during the busiest period of the year. All rooms are on the upgraded executive floors, and all single rooms are in double rooms for single occupancy.
Price Per Person (based on Double Occupancy): $4,680
Price Per Person (based on Single Occupancy): $5,370