Art & Music in the Low Countries

Combine the finest art galleries and museums of Belgium & the Netherlands with a programme of sublime concerts given by the acclaimed Aquinas Trio. During the day Kirker clients can either explore independently or choose to join one of our optional shore excursions in the historic art cities of Amsterdam, Antwerp and Ghent, as well as Rotterdam from where we visit Delft and The Hague. Each evening we will gather in the on-board theatre for a series of exclusive concerts as well as interviews with the musicians and private talks given by art historian Ger van den Munckhof.

The Itinerary - A seven night music cruise

Southampton – North Sea Canal – Amsterdam – Rotterdam (for The Hague and Delft) – Ghent – Antwerp – Southampton

Sailing through the Channel we will pass along the North Sea Canal to Amsterdam where Black Watch will moor overnight and remain for a whole day, allowing time to explore the city’s great museums and galleries. The following evening we sail overnight to Rotterdam where we will have time for optional visits to Delft, made famous by its porcelain and Vermeer’s painting ‘View of Delft’, or The Hague to see the art collection at the Mauritshuis, one of the finest collections of Dutch Masters in the world. Next comes Ghent, which will be celebrating the near-complete restoration of ‘The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb’ by the Van Eyck brothers in St Bavo’s Cathedral. Our last port of call will be Antwerp, home of Rubens and one of his finest works, the altarpiece at Antwerp cathedral.

Music & Talks

The Aquinas Piano Trio will give five concerts on board, together with viola player Simon Rowland-Jones. Piano trios by Haydn, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninov, Saint-Saens and Rowland-Jones will be performed alongside sonatas for violin, cello and piano. See the music programme for full details. Barry Cheeseman will be in conversation with the musicians about their lives in music, and Ger van den Munckhof will give two illustrated talks on Dutch and Flemish art.

Optional Shore Excursions

We have arranged four optional shore excursions, one in each major port of call – and all of which will be accompanied by art expert Ger van den Munckhof. In addition to the private Kirker excursions, Fred. Olsen will also be arranging public tours at every port of call, which are available to all passengers on board, and should be booked with Fred. Olsen directly. We shall send you details of all excursions together with the costs approximately 10 weeks before the departure of the cruise. N.B. If you would like to pre-register for one or more of the Kirker shore excursions please let us know at the time of booking.

Amsterdam

One of the world’s greatest art cities, Amsterdam is home to a number of world-class museums and we will visit perhaps the most important two: The Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. At the Van Gogh there are over 200 paintings including ‘Sunflowers’, ‘Almond Blossom’, ‘The Potato Eaters’ and nine self-portraits, as well as a unique collection of drawings and letters. In the afternoon we continue to the magnificent Rijksmuseum, home to the greatest of all 17th century Dutch masterpieces, including ‘The Night Watch’ by Rembrandt as well as works by Vermeer, Jan Steen, Franz Hals and a wonderful sculpture garden dating from 1901.

The Hague & Delft (from Rotterdam)

Just 25 minutes from Rotterdam is The Hague, a charming and attractive city which is little-visited in comparison with Amsterdam but is home to the Dutch Royal Collection of art at the elegant Mauritshuis Museum: here we will see three works by Vermeer including ‘The View of Delft’ from 1660, ‘The Bull’ by Paulus Potter and the portrait by Holbein the Younger of Henry VIII’s falconer, Robert Cheseman. We will then continue to nearby Delft, one of the most delightful cities in The Netherlands, where we will visit the Prinsenhof and the location which inspired Vermeer’s famous landscape in the Mauritshuis.

Ghent

Our visit to Ghent will begin at St. Bavo’s Cathedral where the Van Eyck brothers’ famous altarpiece ‘The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb’ has been impressing visitors since 1432. The lengthy and meticulous restoration of the altarpiece is finally reaching its completion and we will see the various parts of the altarpiece – one part in the Cathedral itself, and the finished rear panels in the Museum of Fine Arts. The latter form part of a major new exhibition dedicated to Jan van Eyck, which also includes a number of important loans from collections around the world.

Antwerp

Antwerp is closely associated with Rubens (1577-1640), who lived in the city and whose artistic legacy is to be found everywhere. We will see his altarpieces at Antwerp Cathedral including the mesmerising and moving ‘Assumption of the Virgin Mary’, and the ornate interiors at the Church of St Carolus Borromeus. We will also visit the Church of St James where he was married in 1630 and buried a decade later, as well as the house where the artist lived between 1610 and his death. Our day in Antwerp ends with a visit to the Mayer van den Bergh Museum.