Great Music Masters: Verdi and Italian Opera

with Robert Greenberg

ITALY

ENGLAND & FRANCE

D-Day: Courage, Conflict, and History in England and France  with Ed Lengel

Great Music Masters of Vienna: The Romantics

with Robert Greenberg

Enchanted England

with Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman

Hallowed Ground: Revisiting WWI France

with David Stone

The Spirit of Cuba: From Colonial Trinidad to Havana's Future

with Joyce Salisbury

Great British Mysteries

with Maureen Corrigan

ENGLAND

ENGLAND

FRANCE

CUBA

AUSTRIA

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Karlskirche

Lichtentaler Church

Baden bie Wien

Vienna Orangerie

Zentralfriedhof Brahms Grave

“The gaiety of the town, the beauty of the surroundings, the sympathetic and vivacious public, how stimulating these are to the artist.”

 –Johannes Brahms

Starting at $6,795 per person

7 Days, 6 Nights, May 4-10, 2025

During the sunset of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Vienna served as the home to promising and innovative musicians and artists that would later become known as the Romantics. From Strauss’ The Blue Danube to Brahms’ Liebeslieder-Walzer, the spirit of the music created during these years permeates the lively streets of Vienna still. During the 200th anniversary of the birth of Johann Strauss II, explore the legacy of the city’s music masters with acclaimed composer, pianist, musicologist, and beloved Great Courses professor Robert Greenberg. Follow the footsteps of Strauss, Brahms, and Mahler to the homes where they composed, the palaces and venues where they performed, and the cafés and shops they frequented. Through private tours, concerts, and an excursion to Baden bei Wien, delve deep into the circumstances and personalities that shaped their incomparable bodies of work. 

Great Music Masters of Vienna: The Romantics

with Robert Greenberg

Set off on an excursion to the spa town of Baden bei Wien and discover the  reasons key creatives from Vienna sought sanctuary there.



Celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Johann Strauss with a visit to the new House of Strauss museum and specialized exhibit in the Theatermusem.

Gain insights into the life and works of four great composers, on guided visits to their homes and haunts with The Great Courses expert Robert Greenberg.


Take an after-hours tour of Schönbrunn Palace and enjoy a classical concert under the vaulted ceiling of the Orangerie featuring the works of Mozart and Strauss.


View rare treasures on a guided tour of the Collection of Historic Instruments and discover the crossover of art nouveau and music in the Secession Museum.

Highlights

Robert Greenberg

Dr. Robert Greenberg is Music Historian-in-Residence with San Francisco Performances. A graduate of Princeton University, Professor Greenberg holds a Ph.D. in Music Composition from the University of California, Berkeley. He has seen his compositions-which include more than 45 works for a wide variety of instrumental and vocal ensembles-performed all over the world, including New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, England, Ireland, Greece, Italy, and the Netherlands. 


He has served on the faculties of the University of California, Berkeley; California State University, Hayward; and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and has lectured for some of the most prestigious musical and arts organizations in the United States, including the San Francisco Symphony, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Van Cliburn Foundation, and the Chicago Symphony. For The Great Courses, he has recorded more than 500 lectures on a range of composers and classical music genres. 


Professor Greenberg is a Steinway Artist. His many other honors include three Nicola de Lorenzo Composition Prizes and a Koussevitzky commission from the Library of Congress. He has been profiled in various major publications, including The Wall Street Journal; Inc. magazine; and the London Times

Journey Expert

Robert Greenberg

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Vienna Center

Arrive in Vienna and transfer independently to our hotel in the city center. After time to settle in, head into the streets of Vienna with a local guide for an overview of the city’s historic heart and its enduring musical heritage. This evening, gather at a local restaurant for a welcome dinner.


      Included Meal: Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Méridien Vienna

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Haydn Haus

This morning, join a local guide for a walk to Karlsplatz to see the Brahms Monument, the Karlskirche (where Mahler was married), and the State Opera House where Brahms conducted the Wiener Philharmoniker. Continue to the Neue Burg to visit the world-renowned Collection of Historic Musical Instruments. See some of the most important baroque and Renaissance instruments in the world, including exquisite painted harpsichords and unique string instruments, as well as pianos played by both composers. Enjoy time at leisure to browse the art collection at the adjacent Kunsthistorisches Museum and have lunch. Then, set out for Haydnhaus, where Joseph Haydn spent the last years of his life. Meander through rooms where the celebrated composer created his final works, and focus on the Brahms room, dedicated to recreating his former apartment. Cap off the day with an after-hours tour of Schönbrunn Palace, the lavish summer residence of Empress Maria Theresa where six-year-old prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart first played before the imperial court. After dinner at the palace restaurant, attend a Mozart and Strauss concert in the elegant Orangerie.


      Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Méridien Vienna

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Vienna Strauss Monument

After breakfast, make your way on foot to Stadtpark to see the golden statue memorializing Johann Strauss II. Continue to nearby St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna’s spiritual center, where Haydn sang as a choir boy and Mozart’s funeral was held. This afternoon, visit the Musikhaus Doblinger, which began as a music library in the era of First Viennese School, where a special guided tour will discuss the history of this music shop and the provide the opportunity to view their vast selection of music sheets and books. Enter the Theater, where Strauss first performed several of his operettas. Listen to a short private concert before continuing to dinner nearby.


      Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Méridien Vienna

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Vienna Haus Der Musik

Begin the day with a guided tour of Palais Lobkowitz and its Theatermuseum, where a marvelous collection of props, costumes, and stage models illustrate three centuries of Vienna’s performing arts. We will concentrate on the ‘Celebrating Johann Strauss’ exhibit that takes you into the life of one of Vienna’s most famous musical sons. Next, visit the Haus der Muzik, a museum dedicated to the concept of sound and Vienna’s greatest composers. Here, you’ll see rooms dedicated to Strauss II, Mahler, and some of the Classical greats. See the intersection of music and art with a guided visit to the Secession Museum to view the Beethoven Frieze by Gustav Klimt, considered one of Klimt’s key works and a highlight of Viennese Art Nouveau. Mahler conducted a brief arrangement of Beethoven to celebrate the opening of the Klimt piece. End with a stop at the Arnold Schönberg Center to discover his fusion of experimental art and music during the turn of the century. We will conclude our busy day with dinner in a local restaurant. 



      Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Méridien Vienna

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Beethovenhaus Baden

Visit the Zentralfriedhof to pay your respects at the graves of Johannes Brahms and Johann Strauss Father and Son who are buried here alongside other greats such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert. Travel south to the spa town of Baden, a retreat for Vienna’s aristocracy as well as artists and musicians. After lunch, follow in the footsteps of Vienna’s high society for a tour of the town. Enter the house where Beethoven came regularly in hopes of a remedy for his encroaching deafness and see some of the folios he wrote here, including parts of the legendary Ninth Symphony. We’ll visit a local vineyard for a tour and tasting to enjoy a countryside repose as the composers might have done. Back in Vienna this evening, gather with Professor Greenberg for a talk in the hotel.


      Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

      Accommodations: Le Méridien Vienna

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Griechenbeisl

After breakfast, visit the newly opened House of Strauss. This museum is dedicated to the legacy of the Strauss family over the course of the 19th century, including the 200th birthday celebration of The King of Waltz. Then stop at the Lichtentaler Church, learn about Schubert’s time as an organist; two of his masses were first performed here under his direction. With luck, we’ll catch a private organ recital inside the church. Continue to the Strauss Apartment on Praterstrasse where Johann Strauss II lived and wrote arguably his most famous piece, The Blue Danube. The associated museum is home to manuscripts, instruments, and other original items belonging to the composer. Tonight, toast Vienna’s Romantic musical masters at a farewell reception and dinner at Griechenbeisl, the oldest inn in Vienna.


      Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

      Accommodations: Le Méridien Vienna

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After breakfast, transfer independently to the airport for your flight home. 


      Included Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport independently for your flight home. 


Included Meals: Breakfast

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Le Méridien Vienna 

Located across from the Vienna State Opera, this 4-star property is ideally situated in the heart of Vienna. Rooms and suites combine comfort with contemporary furnishings and modern amenities, and feature works by promising local artists. Restaurant YOU. serves an internationally inspired menu with curated cocktails in a refined lounge atmosphere. Amenities include a business center, gym, and an indoor heated pool.  Le Méridien Vienna is within walking distance of nearly all of the city center's attractions, as well as upscale shopping streets, the Hofburg Congress, and the Event Centre. The Karlsplatz Metro Stop is just down the street from the hotel.

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