Green and Wood Sandpipers, Water Rail and Spotted Crake: sharing the mud of Morbisch with a Bluethroat. Photo: Bryan Bland
Our annual autumn visits to the wonderful Haydn festival in Eisenstadt always offer an exciting range of birds to complement the magnificent music. In 2009, though, in addition to our regular September extravaganza, we’re offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: a springtime week at this exciting venue.
To commemorate the bicentenary of Haydn’s death, a magnificent feast of his music has been arranged, including Gottfried von der Goltz (conductor and violin) and the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra playing symphonies 72, 13, 31, and 39; Paul Goodwin conducting the Acadamy of Ancient Music in symphonies 30, 49, 26, and 44; and, spectacularly, Adam Fischer and the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Philharmonic with the Vienna Chamber Choir performing The Creation. The Creation Mass will also be performed, in full liturgical setting, at the Bergkirche. And plans are underway for Adam Fischer to conduct the Farewell symphony at Prince Esterhazy’s summer palace at Fertod, the Hungarian Versailles, in the very room where Haydn first conducted it.
As for the birds, many of the species that have usually departed by the time of our September tour will be on breeding territory: Savi’s, Moustached, River, Marsh, Great Reed, Icterine, Bonelli’s, and Barred Warblers; Collared Flycatcher; and Hoopoe, Golden Oriole, Nightingale, and Wryneck. There could also be Little Bittern, Pygmy Cormorant, Squacco and Night Herons, Montagu’s Harrier, Red Kite, Red-footed Falcon, Hobby, Honey Buzzard, Imperial Eagle, Mediterranean Gull, Whiskered and White-winged Terns, Eurasian Scops-Owl, Woodlark, and Tawny and Red-throated Pipits. Bee-eaters, Red-backed Shrikes, and White Storks should be everywhere. Great Bustards could be displaying, and the Bluethroats will have blue throats. On top of the Schneeberg we’ll search for Alpine Accentor, Alpine Chough, and Water Pipit—and maybe even Snow Finch.
To give us the best chance of finding all these species, and to take advantage of the longer summer days, we’ll plan some concert-free evenings, which should ensure plenty of time for relaxing and enjoying the occasional early night.
If you have already enjoyed a visit to the Haydn festival in September, this is a unique opportunity for the perfect complementary experience. And if you haven’t experienced Haydn at Eisenstadt, this spring week will provide the perfect introduction to one of the most positive and life-affirming composers of all time. The Haydn Year 2009 has been designed to give all of us who visit the Burgenland a little of Haydn’s joie de vivre to call our own.
A full day-to-day itinerary will appear soon. Click here for more information about the Festival.
Updated: 07 November 2008
Prices
- 2009 price from Vienna about $3,430
- Single Occupancy Supplement $270
Notes
Maximum group size 8 with one leader, 14 with two; if a second leader is needed, it will be Amanda Holden.
This tour is organized by our British company, Sunbird.