Leipziger Notenspur, a 5km self-guided walking route connecting the homes and workplaces of world-famous composers and musicians, opened in Leipzig, Germany, on Saturday. Over 600 travel trade buyers and media from almost 40 countries, including Ireland, are attending the 38th Germany Travel Mart, with the official opening at the Opera House last night including exceptional performances by the St Thomas Boys Choir, Ballet Chaplin and Amarcord.
The music trail take approximately 90 minutes to two hours to complete – longer if one or more of the museums are visited. Visitors can now follow the footsteps of Bach, Wagner, Mendelssohn, Schumann and many other famous composers. Stops include the Leipzig Bach Archive, Mendelssohn House, Schumann House, and St Thomas Church, performance venue of the St Thomas Boys Choir – who are celebrating their 800th anniversary this year – and resting place of the tomb of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Next year marks the 200th anniversaries of Wagner and Verdi. In May 2013 Leipzig Opera will inaugurate the Wagner Festival with the ‘Rhine Gold’ as a prelude of the Leipzig ‘Ring’, while in honour of Verdi, the Leipzig Opera will stage the long-awaited new productions of ‘Nabucco’ and ‘Rigoletto’.
