Devotion and heroism

TED AND EMI NORRISH enjoy a musical weekend in Munich

Munich, a city the size of Birmingham or Glasgow, has musical riches to equal any city in the world. Transport is efficient and clean, and once in the centre the splendid Opera Houses and Concert Halls are within short walks of each other. For the music-lover there can be few pleasures to equal a weekend here (not to mention the excellent pub food!)

On the Friday of our visit Emi and I selected a concert by the Choir and Orchestra of Bayerischen Rundfunks (Bavarian Radio) -- Schubert and Bruckner Masses conducted by Riccardo Muti, in the Herkulessaal of the Royal Palace or Residenz; and Beethoven's Fidelio at the National Theatre, under Zubin Mehta, the following night.

On the Sunday, on a lovely day, we travelled out to the Bavarian Alps to see Ludwig II's fairy-tale castles of Lindenhof and Neuschwanstein, with their many associations with the musical world of Richard Wagner. (This we chose in preference to several other attractive excursions : Oberammergau, Berchtesgaden and of course, Salzburg are all within two hours' easy range).

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