SUMMER 2010 The official magazine of Edinburgh’s Festivals
Festivals magazine
FESTIVAL SUMMER HAS ARRIVED
Imagine yourself in Edinburgh this season
in this issue:
THE SEASON BEGINS
The curtain is raised on the hotly-anticipated summer Festival season
48 hours in edinburgh Be prepared for anything the Festivals may throw at you
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International affair An unbeatable programme of classical music, theatre, opera and dance means the Edinburgh International Festival is one of the most important cultural celebrations in the world
Festivals magazine
Summer 2010
contents Director’s Letter ................................................ 4 Festival highlights ............................................. 6 Pursuits .......................................................... 9 Edinburgh International Festival ........................ 16 Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival ..................... 18 Edinburgh Fringe Festival ................................ 20 Edinburgh Art Festival ..................................... 22 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo ...................... 24 Edinburgh International Book Festival ............... 27 Feature: 48 Hours in Edinburgh ........................ 28 Festival Moments .......................................... 32 The Lightbox .................................................. 42
Festivals magazine CONTACT US
We welcome all comments, questions, submissions and distribution enquiries. Please write to us at: info@edinburghfestivals.co.uk
festivals edinburgh
4 East Market St., Edinburgh, UK, EH8 8BG + (44) 0131 529 6763 www.edinburghfestivals.co.uk
Publisher
Chris Lumsdon
www.chrislumsdon.com Additional editorial courtesy of
TIME OUT MAGAZINE www.timeout.com
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Summer in Festival city Thousands of artists, performers and thinkers from every corner of the globe usher in the 2010 Festival season. Plan ahead to get to everything this summer
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Shopper’s delight From the High Street favourites of Princes Street, funky boutiques of the West End and designer chic of the New Town, you’ll be spoilt for choice in Edinburgh
CONTENTS
FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
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Artistic merit
From internationally renowned artists and installations, the Edinburgh Art Festival presents a compelling mix of free exhibitions and events
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Fringe magnets
Valour, mateship & glory
Literary encounters
48 hours in Edinburgh
The 64th Edinburgh Festival Fringe will once again thrill the thousands who gather in Edinburgh’s famous cobbled streets and historic, unusual venues
In a city brimming with cuttingedge artists and performers, the biggest crowds of all turn out for Scotland’s most iconic event, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
The Edinburgh International Book Festival is the largest celebration of the written word in the world
A unique and intimate look at the quintessential Festival experiences in Edinburgh and advice on how to have them
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FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
DIRECTOR'S LETTER
the most wonderful time of the year Y
ou will have either have heard, or know from direct experience, that Edinburgh is special -the dramatic contours, the historic buildings and
streets, its innovative new architecture, its awe-inspiring landscapes. But we have something that inhabits the spectacular permanence of all those things, that illuminates its beauty , that enhances its power, that literally transforms Scotland’s small but perfectly formed capital into the cultural capital of the world. For Edinburgh has its Festivals. We have 12 wonderful festivals year-round in this city but in August, in imminent August, we welcome the world into our heady and seductive embrace, as we celebrate the Edinburgh International Film Festival (16th -27th June), the Edinburgh Art Festival (29th July – 5th September), The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival (30th July- 8th August) Edinburgh Festival Fringe (6-30 August), the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (6th – 28th August), the Edinburgh International Book Festival (14th-30th August) and the Edinburgh International Festival (13th August- 5th September). There is a real sense of magic in the transforming power that a truly great Festival brings to a city. It’s almost impossible for anyone who has not experienced it to imagine the intensity of that magic in Edinburgh with not one Festival but seven in the space of just 4 weeks. From late July to early September every year, our city is profoundly inhabited, is absolutely immersed in art, ideas and entertainment on an unrivalled and intoxicating scale. Our capital becomes the source of inspiration for over twenty thousand artists and producers and for literally hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the globe. Edinburgh’s Festivals are undeniably the greatest arts phenomenon on the globe but size isn’t all that matters to us.
Thank you for reading our second edition of Edinburgh Festivals Magazine, featuring inspiration from across our beautiful, creative city and all the information you’ll need to explore the 2010 Summer Festival Season What happens in Edinburgh could not happen anywhere else and our Festivals literally and distinctively inhabit every corner of the historic heart of the city– every theatre, every church hall, every courtyard, every basement, every park. From the Castle Esplanade to the ancient bowels of the Cowgate, from Charlotte Square to the narrow cobbles closes of the High Street, from the Grandeur of the Festival Theatre to the dark intimacy of the city’s underground passages. In August in particular, Edinburgh becomes the densest cultural habitat in the Universe and our audiences are its delighted and indomitable explorers. Enjoy the magazine and please use it to plan your trip to our world-famous Summer Festivals – we look forward to welcoming you to the Festival City. • Faith Liddell, Director, Festivals Edinburgh
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FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
HIGHLIGHTS
Showcasing outstanding Scottish musicians alongside some of the world’s greats, often forging once-in-a-lifetime collaborations in the process
summer in the festival city Thousands of artists, performers and thinkers from every corner of the globe usher in the 2010 Festival season
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EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
June 16 – 27 www.edfilmfest.org.uk An internationally significant event delivering the best new films from across the world and fuelled by excitement about emerging ideas, the Edinburgh International Film Festival celebrates the art of cinema and provides an important showcase of budding practitioners. A home of innovative and exciting films, the Festival has presented cinema’s most important moments and hosted to the world’s greatest filmmakers. •
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EDINBURGH ART FESTIVAL
July 29 – September 5 www.edinburghartfestival.com There has always been a profusion of visual art in the city dubbed the Athens of the north, but only in recent years have the galleries clubbed together to present a united front as the Edinburgh Art Festival. Now in its seventh year, it brings together everything from the smallest commercial outfit to the blockbuster exhibitions of the National Galleries of Scotland, with a total of 48 organisations represented in 2010. The Scottish Government’s Festivals Expo Fund has allowed the festival to up its game with high profile commissions but, in such a walkable city, there is a simple joy in wandering from place to place, discovering prints, installations, photography and zoetropes as you go. •
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EDINBURGH JAZZ & BLUES FESTIVAL
July 31 – August 9 www.edinburghjazzfestival.com Nipping in a week before the city’s other summer jamborees, the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival has an honourable tradition of showcasing presenting world class jazz artists and outstanding Scottish musicians, of creating once in a lifetime collaborations, new musical premieres and exclusive UK concerts. Its musical palate is broad, embracing the avant garde, R&B and world music as well as trad jazz, improvisation and the blues. The Festival philosophy is all-inclusive, with a free outdoor spectacular in the Grassmarket as well as concerts in formal halls, informal gig in clubs and late night jams sessions in bars.•
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EDINBURGH MELA FESTIVAL
August 6 – 8 www.edinburgh-mela.co.uk An exciting celebration and exploration of the people, places and identities that reflect the diverse communities of the world, Scotland’s biggest intercultural festival is back, and promises to be a dazzling display of international and local talent. •
HIGHLIGHTS
FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
The headline-grabbing, eyepopping, gob-smacking überfestival has to be experienced to be believed
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EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL
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EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE
August 6 – 30 www.edfringe.com The headline-grabbing, eye-popping, gob-smacking über-festival has to be experienced to be believed. Taking place in the back of campervans, in working pubs, in playgrounds, in basements, on the streets and purpose-built theatres, the Fringe is what happens when artistic enterprise meets free-market competition in one of the most beautiful and compact cities in Europe. First-time performers arrive in the same spirit of hope and determination as seasoned celebrities. They leave, like audiences, exhilarated, exhausted and only too ready to return in 12 months’ time. •
August 13 – Sept 5 www.eif.co.uk It launched in 1947 with a brief to allow visitors to “refresh their souls and reaffirm their belief in things other than material.” Even today, many decades after World War II, the Edinburgh International Festival aims to do something more than simply put on world-class opera, theatre, dance and music. Under the directorship of Jonathan Mills, the programme makes explicit its historical and political connections, linking us this year to the New World and the Pacific and promising to turn our Eurocentric worldview on its head. With some of the finest artists in the world for company, it is a challenge worth taking. •
July 14 – August 1 www.edbookfest.co.uk The tented garden in Charlotte Square entice 220,000 visitors every year, making the Edinburgh International Book Festival the largest public celebration of the written word in the world. With around 750 authors arriving from over 40 countries, the programme ranges from Nobel Prize winners to debut novelists, from scientists to children’s illustrators, from poets to tomorrow’s Man Booker Prize candidates. Above all, it is a festival of ideas, a place where historians, politicians, economists and distinguished writers of fiction share their insights with an audience primed for debate and discussion. •
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ROYAL EDINBURGH MILITARY TATTOO
August 6 – 28 www.edintattoo.com In a city stuffed to bursting with performers of cutting edge, left-field theatre, it’s worth remembering that the biggest crowds of all turn out for the Military Tattoo. This captivating display of regimental skills takes place in Edinburgh Castle, a location that can scarcely be matched anywhere. The spectacle combines the thrill of tightly drilled marching bands with the poignancy of the lone piper.•
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FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
PURSUITS
summer of love An ode to Edinburgh as the season begins and all the tricks on how best to plan your summer Festivals experience Illustration courtesy of Sanna Dyker
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hose lucky visitors who have been to the Scottish capital know that the beauty, classic charm and exhilarating atmosphere of the year-round Festivals make Edinburgh unmissable. TripAdvisor has recognized Edinburgh as one of the top 25 cities to visit in Europe, the only city in the United Kingdom to be named. The city’s history, dramatic windswept hills and Festival spirit were among various reasons for the selection.
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PURSUITS
FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
My Festival Built on the imaginations of those who descend during Festival time, the rich blend of cultures combines with a cacophony of personalities to create the majestic Festival atmosphere
See you in the movies
As the home of innovative and exciting cinema, the Edinburgh International Film Festival has presented the big screen’s most important moments and hosted the world’s greatest filmmakers
The Edinburgh Festivals are like nothing else on earth, each experience holding unique meaning for each visitor. Taking inspiration from the throngs of international visitors who come to experience the city, we are recruiting easy-going folks like yourself to blog about their experiences for the benefit of first-time Festival-goers. With seven festivals running concurrently, there will be no shortage of excellent stories. Take a moment to follow the journeys of our newly minted Festival professionals. • READ FESTIVAL STORIES >>>
A mix of red carpet glamour, innovative and exciting cinematic discoveries and massive audience appeal makes Edinburgh’s Film Festival one of the world’s most popular and approachable celebrations of cinema. The Edinburgh International Film Festival is dedicated to celebrating new talent, new film trends and new ideas in cinema. The twelve-day festival in June presents film premieres, retrospectives on cinematic legends, engaging “In Person” talks and a range of industry events, masterclasses and workshops, that attract audiences of over 55,000 each year. For over half a century stand-out events have included the UK premiere of ET: The Extra Terrestrial as well as visits from Martin Scorsese, Sam Mendes and Steven Soderbergh. As supporters of the Festival, Hollywood stars Sir Sean Connery, Tilda Swinton and Robert Carlyle are amongst its patrons. Edinburgh is a natural home for the Festival, Scotland’s dramatic history and breathtaking scenery has provided great
film locations and plots over time, supporting a new “Set-jetting” trend whereby avid film fans visit locations from their favourite movies. The first EIFF, a programme of documentaries, was presented by the Edinburgh Film Guild alongside the 1947 Edinburgh International Festival, at which time Cannes and Venice were the most significant annual film festivals. Over the subsequent years, the programme expanded to include fiction films and experimental work in addition to documentaries. The EIFF now offers a range of feature-length films and documentaries as well as shorts, animations and music videos. • 16 – 28 June www.edfilmfest.org.uk PREVIEW 2010 EVENTS >>>
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shopper’s delight
Post all bills
Pleasant and purposeful poster places are a positive sign of the times
From the High Street favourites of Princes Street, funky boutiques of the West End and designer chic of the New Town, you’ll be spoilt for choice in Edinburgh
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dinburgh offers an adventurous shopping experience, from the High Street favourites and traditional Scottish stores to designer boutiques and unique, quirky stores filled with quaint gifts, independent boutiques and custom jewelry shops. The centre of Edinburgh is seriously stylish. From Louis Vuitton and Armani to G-Star Raw and Replay, the choice is yours. Here you’ll find Scotland’s only Harvey Nichols along side Stella McCartney, Prada, Gucci Louis Vuitton, Emporio Armani and Mulberry on Edinburgh’s designer boulevard, Multrees Walk. Packed with designer names this is a must for every serious shopper. Just a short walk across St Andrew Square takes you to Jenners, Edinburgh’s original department store and magnet for fashion lovers since 1838. Some shopping areas in Edinburgh are so different and quirky they are practically ‘villages’ in their own right. The West End, Stockbridge and Bruntsfield are all within walking distance or a short bus ride from the city centre and provide an ideal hunting ground for the more unique items. The West End has Stafford Street and William Street, each packed with remarkable shops - Ark Angel and Sam Thomas are favourites amongst the local luxe set, while Studio One is full of unusual gift ideas and home ware. If you love the boho village vibe, head to Stockbridge in the New Town - choc-a-bloc with second hand shops and galleries. For some Scottish souvenirs, the best place to head to is the Grassmarket. This vibrant and historic area, overlooked by Edinburgh Castle, offers a range of interesting shops for the whole family including
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local legend WM Armstrongs & Son, packed with vintage gowns and retro gems. Here you are spoilt for choice. Also not to be missed is the Royal Mile for serious Scottish fashion and souvenirs. From the finest cashmere in The Hawick Cashmere Company to modern Scottish interiors at Anta Scotland, to the first-class tartan of Geoffrey (Tailor) Kiltmakers and beautiful knitwear at Ragamuffin and original Scottish pieces at Ness Scotland. •
From top: Armstrong & Son’s, Karen Millen, Valvona+Crolla, Harvey Nichols
It has long been the challenge of Scotland’s capital that when the world’s biggest arts festival rolls into town, every available inch of space on a wall or railing becomes an unofficial billboard. The cacophony of show promotion, although free-wheeling and uninhibited, was doing little to help visitors navigate their way to the best, most surprising or undiscovered hits of the season. After all, a sea of posters does not a good show make. Edinburgh Council to the rescue: last year it began a very successful programme of creating official sites where Festival-goers can preview what the press are saying about what’s to die for and what’s dead on arrival. Among the official festival locations are Chambers Street, Bristo Place, the Cowgate, Drummond Street, the Grassmarket, Middle Meadow Walk and the Pleasance. The result is show promotion that makes sense, and prime advertising space in the city centre for performers to promote and patrons to plan. •
PURSUITS
FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
Community ties The Edinburgh Mela Festival seeks to find the connections that unite us all
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dinburgh’s chic international community celebrates diversity with music and style during one of Europe’s largest and most important multicultural events. World music, theatre and film performances, speeches, and visual arts exhibitions take centre stage. The event is reminiscent of Asian community festivals, and indeed named for one as well, “mela” means “community” in Sanskrit. With a passionate commitment to showcase some of the best work created in the UK and internationally by minority ethnic artists, or those who choose to work in a culturally diverse way, the Edinburgh Mela features innovative work that engages with important themes or that pushes at artistic boundaries to create new possibilities. This includes presentations from luminaries who trek to the capital of Scotland from across the globe. Meanwhile, while the styleconscious will appreciate the multicultural fashion show revealing what’s hot and what’s not a world away, the festival also offers African, Chinese and a world of other cultures the opportunity to gather, explore and celebrate their diverse communities. The 2010 Edinburgh Mela Festival will be held on Leith Links, only minutes from downtown Edinburgh, nestled among the multicultural communities of Leith.• 6 - 8 August www.edinburgh-mela.co.uk PREVIEW 2010 EVENTS >>>
Mobile festivals Introducing Festivals Magazine on Issuu.com Mobile for Android phones. Go to m.issuu. com on your phone’s browser to get started
The Edinburgh Festivals have gone mobile. Now you can access your favourite Festival publications, magazines, guides and more everywhere you go. Enjoy the web’s best mobile reading experience and share it with your Festival-loving friends. Complete with ground-breaking EasyRead technology, you can finally enjoy reading about Edinburgh’s Festivals on any small screen device. •
Festivals Magazine Mobile for iPhone and iPod Touch GET REGISTERED >>
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PURSUITS
festival spaces & places Edinburgh is a magical city. Its cosmopolitan attitude, stunning natural landscapes and vivid hubs of Festival atmosphere allow for true serendipitous adventure Map courtesy of Time Out
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Edinburgh is such a compact city, it’s easy to overlook places that are actually only a short distance from the centre. Art lovers should not miss the Gallery of Modern Art and the neighbouring Dean Gallery, both set in attractive grounds on Belford Road and celebrating 50 years in business with a major surrealist exhibition. Further afield, but equally unmissable, is Jupiter Artland, a stunning privately owned sculpture park in Kirknewton on the city’s outskirts. Rock fans are likely to find themselves heading to the Corn Exchange (not to be confused with the Corn Exchange Gallery), an industrial space near Slateford Station. If you fancy escaping the city for the day, you could do worse than take the train to North Berwick for Fringe by the Sea (August 10-15). And if you can’t make that, a walk up Arthur’s Seat is easier than it looks, offering fabulous city and sea views.• For more on how to navigate Edinburgh and plan your Summer Festival experience, please CLICK HERE.
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PURSUITS
FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
international affair An unbeatable programme of classical music, theatre, opera and dance means the Edinburgh International Festival is one of the most important cultural celebrations in the world
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o get the measure of this year’s Edinburgh International Festival, you should take a look at
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the opening concert. It’s here at the Usher Hall that artistic director Jonathan Mills will kick off his fourth programme, a scintillating line-up of major talent from the worlds of music, dance and theatre. The first concert is always a celebratory affair and it sets the tone for the three-week line-up that follows. On Friday 13 August conductor James Conlon will take his place in front of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and raise the baton for a rousing performance of ‘El Niño’ by the American composer John Adams. El Niño is the phrase used in Spanish to refer to the Christ child, a theme explored by Adams in this acclaimed nativity oratorio. But, of course, El Niño is also the meteorological phenomenon that occurs every few years in the Pacific ocean, sending the world’s weather patterns into a spin. And it is this Pacific wind that blows most strongly through Mills’ 2010 programme. His line-up pulls us in the direction of this far-away ocean, creating a flavour unlike any in the 63-year history of the Festival. Founded in 1947 to help reunite a continent devastated by war, the Edinburgh International Festival has traditionally showcased the culture of Europe. That remains true this year in the performances of Mozart, Brahms and Purcell and the visits from the Opéra de Lyon and the late Pina Bauch’s Tanztheatre Wuppertal. But at the same time, in 2010, Mills is shifting the Festival’s centre of gravity. In his typically ambitious programme, he is inviting us to journey away from Europe towards the New World, from the Atlantic coast of the USA to the far-flung countries of Latin America and Australasia.
Read the 2010 International Festival Programme CLICK HERE >>>
This is true in all corners of the programme, which runs 13 August – 5 September. In many cases, the work offers a European perspective on the New World. Take ‘Caledonia’, a world premiere by the National Theatre of Scotland, which is being backed by the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund. This play by the leading TV satirical script-writer Alistair Beaton takes us back to the Darien venture of the 1690s when Scotland made a disastrous attempt to establish a colony in what is now known as the Isthmus of Panama. The failure of the scheme was as humiliating as it was ruinous and was a contributory factor in the union of Scotland and England. In a similar cross-cultural adventure, the acclaimed German choreographer Pina Bausch, who died last year, responded to the rhythms of Brazil in ‘Água’, performed here by her original company Tanztheatre Wuppertal.
FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
Such shows keep the Festival rooted in a familiar experience, but Mills is also venturing further afield to places that set their own artistic agenda. ‘There is an interesting distinction to be made between an Atlantic culture and a Pacific culture,’ says Mills. ‘The whole Atlantic coast of the United States – places like New York, New England and New Haven – looks back to Europe. The Pacific culture doesn’t have the same frame of reference. Whether it is Chilean, Mexican or Californian, whether it is extraordinary cities like Sydney and Auckland, the Pacific cultures had to make a very different history for themselves and they looked to other kinds of ideas away from Europe.’ A prime example of this is Lemi Ponifasio’s MAU company, whose identity is shaped by the spread of islands in the South Pacific. Other shows will have a similarly unfamiliar feel, whether it is Gunther Schuller interpreting ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ via the great American jazz pioneers, the two theatre companies from Chile or the five concerts in Greyfriars Kirk that venture back to 15th century Bolivia, Venezuela and Mexico. Of course, no line-up with such a theme could overlook the great American composers and there are many more of them besides Gershwin. The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra will be including some Bernstein, for example, while the Minnesota Orchestra will be tackling American composer Samuel Barber as well as looking to Europe with Elgar and Beethoven. For audiences, the programme offers a fresh perspective on the cultural landscape, with new ways of looking at the familiar as well as exciting first-time discoveries. ‘There is no single simple explanation for this programme,’ says Mills. ‘It is textural, atmospheric and sensual. It is in the flavours, the tastes, the senses, the attitudes and the ambiances.’ • 13 August–5 September. www.eif.co.uk PREVIEW 2010 EVENTS >>>
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EDINBURGH JAZZ & BLUES FESTIVAL
FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
all that jazz Spanning the earliest jazz forms to the thriving creativity of today, the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival presents the UK’s biggest jazz event
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or ten days every summer, whether you like your jazz cool and contemporary or are strictly old school, the Jazz & Blues Festival resonates through the parks, churches, clubs, bars, concert halls and
streets of Edinburgh. Founded in 1978 when jazz guitarist Mike Hart booked that first weekend of bands, the Festival has grown to become the longest-running jazz festival in the country. Today Britain’s biggest jazz festival boasts over 100 concerts in 10 days and is rich with unique collaborations, world premieres, UK exclusives delivered by the finest international musicians and top Scottish talent creating an electric, fizzing, creative atmosphere. The broad musical palette covers the entire history of jazz from early ragtime to the contemporary and avant garde, featuring R&B and world music and blues along the way, presenting music for the brain, heart and feet. Major concert halls have hostd the best players in the world: Wynton Marsalis, Chick Corea, Roy Hargrove, David Murray, have all performed. The Festival has a strong track record with mainstream jazz: Scott Hamliton, Ken Peplowski and John Allred are all regular favourites. Nipping in a week before the city’s other summer jamborees, the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival has set the scene for the Summer Festivals presenting a spectacular, free outdoor Mardi Gras, which takes place in the historic surrounds of the Grassmarket under the shadow of the Castle. The 2010 Festival continues with a host of jazz happenings from Hypnotic Brass Ensemble’s Chicago street sounds, to the classy Orchestre National de Jazz to the plangent saxophone of Tommy Smith to the anarchic Band of Eden fronted by drummer Tom Bancroft. The Festival celebrates sixty years of Edinburgh Jazz with Sandy Brown’s 50’s jazz to freshly minted sounds from Martin Kershaw to showcasing the future via the youthful jazz of Ruaridh Pattison. A mini-festival of French jazz includes Emile Parisien’s Scottish premiere, the return of smash 2009 hit Les Doigts de L’Homme, and Baptiste Trotignon plays alongside Scottish saxophonist, Konrad Wisniewski. The blues programme includes Peter Green, Canned Heat Reunion Band, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Charlie Musselwhite, and local favourites Blues N Trouble. A new commission for the Edinburgh Jazz Festival Orchestra by trumpeter Colin Steele, spearheads the 25 concerts in the Scottish Jazz
Britain’s biggest jazz festival boasts over 120 concerts in 10 days
Expo is among other highlights that also include the only UK performances by the singer who many critics regard as the most exciting new jazz singer in the world: China Moses The 2010 Festival also features the world premiere of Naturally Inspired, a collaboration between the Storytelling Festival and the Mela, which involves a day of planed and impromptu events, scattered throughout Edinburgh’s Botanic Gardens. The spontaneous spirit of the Festival continues into the early morning with jam sessions and club nights designed to get you dancing. •
Clockwise from left: Mardi Gras, Fred Wesley & The New JBs, Laura Macdonald Sextet, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Curtis Stigers
31 July – 9 September www.edinburgjazzfestival.com PREVIEW 2010 EVENTS >>> WWW.EDINBURGHFESTIVALS.CO.UK
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EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE
fringe magnets The 64th Edinburgh Festival Fringe will once again thrill the thousands who gather in Edinburgh’s famous cobbled streets and fabled venues
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he 64th Edinburgh Festival Fringe will take place
from 6 to 30 August 2010, the largest arts Festival in the world again transforming Edinburgh with live theatre, music and comedy performances in the streets and across over 200 venues around the city. “I defy you not to have a good time.” This was the rallying cry from Kath Mainland, the Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society as the 2010 programme was launched. This is the most ambitious programme on record, the Fringe will roll out 2453 shows to 259 venues – including the famous Edinburgh High Street – across the city, and has unveiled a jam packed programme of comedy, dance, opera, theatre and events and exhibitions.
“I defy you not to have a good time” Popular Festival favourites like Jane Godley, Craig Hill, The Soweto Gospel Choir and Silent Disco are back , as well as challenging works such as Emma Thompson Presents: Fair Trade, and Dyslexia the Musikal. For literature lovers, there will be classic renditions of Animal Farm and Caucasian Chalk Circle to challenge the intellect. The World Cup comes through as a strong theme with All Over A Football, Bob Doolally’s World Cup Balls and Paul Ricketts- Kiss the Badge, Fly the Flag being just some of the football themed performances. Promising collaborations include The Girl in the Yellow Dress, which is a co-production between Glasgow’s Citizen’s Theatre and Johannesburg’s Market Theatre, as well as The Lonesome Foxtrot (Nochty/RSAMD) and Do We Look Like Refugees? (Rustaveli Theatre/Tbilisi). This Festival more than any other transforms the
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streets of Edinburgh city centre in the month of August, with buskers, street theatre and live entertainment filling nearly every cobblestone. With no artistic selection the Fringe has hosted performances that have been controversial, experimental and brilliant. This open access policy for artists and performers has ensured the variety and diversity of the work on show has led festival visitors to expect the unexpected An eager festival-going audience flocks to Edinburgh as many artists choose the Fringe to showcase their new work – the festival has been a launch pad for the careers of Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Eddie Izzard, Robin Williams, Jude Law, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Billy Connolly and more. The headline-grabbing, eye-popping, über-festival has to be experienced to be believed. Taking place in the back of campervans, in working pubs, playgrounds, basements, on the streets and purpose-built theatres, the Fringe is what happens when artistic enterprise meets free-market competition in one of the most beautiful and festive cities in Europe. • August 6 - 30 www.edfringe.com PREVIEW 2010 EVENTS >>>
The Gilded Balloon
The Pleasance Courtyard
Outdoor fashion show
The Hullabaloo
High-wire act at the 2010 Fringe
The Udderbelly
Read the entire article online at the NEW SCIENTIST click here The Grassmarket >>>
FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
EDINBURGH ART FESTIVAL
artistic merit From internationally renowned artists to experimental installations, the Edinburgh Art Festival presents a compelling mix of free exhibitions and events
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dinburgh’s galleries, museums and visual art spaces combine each summer to present the Edinburgh Art Festival, the most exciting and intriguing work from the world of historical, modern and contemporary visual art. Scotland’s biggest celebration of visual arts, the Festival is a showcase for the city’s vibrant galleries and artistic community. The 2010 Festival runs from 29 July – 5 September and features over 50 participating organisations from the National Galleries of Scotland to private and public galleries and new groups of young artists From internationally renowned artists to experimental installations, the Edinburgh Art Festival presents a compelling mix of exhibitions and events. Escape the bustle of the Festival city to enjoy work by some of the greatest artists of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries alongside work created specially for the festival by the current generation of artistic talent. The Scottish Government’s Expo Fund has allowed the Festival to up its game with high profile commissions and, in such a walkable city, there is a simple joy in wandering from place to place, discovering painting, prints, installations and photography as you go. The Festival showcases UK debuts by major international artists, new work by leading British artists, exhibitions, public art and a host of temporary installations across the city. Unveiling the 2010 programme Director Joanne Brown said: “The seventh annual Art Festival showcases the strength and diversity of the visual arts in Edinburgh ensuring a platform during the summer festival period for this vibrant part of the city’s cultural life with 11 new galleries showcasing work by an emerging generation of artists. We are particularly pleased this year to have been able to commission three artworks and a programme of interventions with support from the Scottish Government’s Festivals Expo
Fund. Richard Wright’s astonishing new black and white painting in west stairwell of the Dean Gallery of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and Kim Coleman & Jenny Hogarth’s installation in the City Observatory will be highlights of the
The Art Festival celebrates visual art of the highest quality and emboldens Edinburgh as a world class centre for arts Festival. Our third commission by 2001 Turner Prize winner Martin Creed, will be unveiled later in the year.” “Recognising that space is at a premium during the summer, this year we have also been able to support Scottish curators and galleries to show their work outwith the gallery context. The four Expo supported interventions range from a late night parade to a mobile gallery selling affordable art. The interventions complement our on-going programme of events, the ever popular ART LATE which this year will be on Thursday 26 August and “13,” an Art Late event created specially by young people which will take place on Friday 13 August.” The 2010 EAF offers a mouthwatering selection of visual art for local people and visitors alike, with work to suit all tastes and interpretations of what art is and what it can be. •
29 July – 5 September www.edinburghartfestival.com PREVIEW 2010 EVENTS >>>
Clockwise from left: Art Late; Dean Gallery, EAF Expo
Commission: Richard Wright, The Stairwells Project (Photo Angela Catlin); Edinburgh Printmakers: Mark Wallace: Lordin it, (photo courtesy of the artist); New Media Scotland:
installation Together; The Henderson Gallery: John Squire, Untitled 2010, (photo courtesy of the artist).
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FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
ROYAL EDINBURGH MILITARY TATTOO
valour, mateship & glory In a city brimming with cutting-edge artists and performers, the biggest nightly crowds of all turn out for Scotland’s most iconic event, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Written by Tim Fitzpatrick
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he Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is a breathtaking spectacle of music, history, dance and colour, enjoyed by an international television audience of 100 million. There is, however, no substitute for being part of the more than 200,000 Tattoo faithfuls who don their tartans and become honorary Scots over its three-week season on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. The 2010 Tattoo already has a special place in the event’s history. “This year is the 60th birthday – the Diamond Jubilee – and diamonds are about sparkle, so that’s what will be on display this year,” explains Major General Euan Loudon, Chief Executive of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Taking place on the esplanade of Edinburgh castle, the location of the Tattoo from 6–28 August holds a commanding view of the city in the midst of festival season. However, the experience of the Tattoo itself begins long before entering castle grounds, with the walk up Edinburgh’s cobbled Royal Mile along with the throngs of visitors all add to the experience. The Tattoo will feature a selection of talented pipers, gymnasts, singers, dancers and a motor cycle display team, all gathered from around the world with a Polish band playing for the first time along with a special inclusion of performers from the Kingdom of Jordan. But in all the years of the Tattoo, the crucial elements have always remained. “Four important things for the Tattoo are pipes and drums, the bands, the international acts and of course the lone piper. “That’s the moment when one looks up to the ramparts and there from the darkness the Lone Piper will appear over the crowd for that special song” said Major General Loudon. Tradition dictates that the song of the Lone Piper takes place towards the end of the Tattoo, with an immense quiet taking place over proceedings, the haunting sound echoes from the ramparts of the castle and stretches out over the city. Captain Steven Small, who is head of the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming and has been the Lone Piper in previous Tattoos says the event is somewhat of a pilgrimage both for the participants and the audience. “The Tattoo is a focal point of military elements of the British Army and is a parade to raise morale, with the ceremonial aspect of a soldier’s life having a specific function for the soldier and also the public”, he said. “Almost every soldier now will have been close to or know someone who has been involved with Afghanistan, and the Tattoo also gives an opportunity to remember those who have
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Captain Steven Small
paid the ultimate sacrifice”. Captain Small says the Tattoo’s slogan of ´Valour, Mateship and Glory´ is embodied in the sense that various units from around the world are brought together for the occasion and given a chance to show they are close and united. So although ´Doe-den-tap-toe´ may have once meant to turn off the taps, its interpretation as Tattoo now means to carry on celebrating. •
6 – 28 August www.edintattoo.co.uk PREVIEW 2010 EVENTS >>>
The 2010 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo features: Massed Pipes and Drums, Massed Military Bands, Band of The Coldstream Guards, New Zealand Army Band, South African Irish Regiment, South Australian Police Pipes & Drums, Imps Motorcycle Display Team, Army Physical Training Corps, United States Citadel Band, Massed Highland Dancers and The Lone Piper
literary encounters As the largest celebration of the written word in the world, the Edinburgh International Book Festival attracts an unprecedented array of literary minds to the historic heart of UNESCO’s City of Literature
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he tented garden in Charlotte Square entices 220,000 visitors every year, making the Edinburgh International Book Festival the largest public celebration of the written word in the world. With around 750 authors arriving from over 40 countries, the programme ranges from Nobel Prize winners to debut novelists, from scientists to children’s illustrators, from poets to tomorrow’s Man Booker Prize candidates. Above all, it is a festival of ideas, a place where historians, politicians, economists and distinguished writers share their insights with an audience primed for debate and discussion. Notable guests at this year’s Festival include Joseph Stiglitz, Fatima Bhutto, Phillip Pullman, Julia Donaldson and Roddy Doyle, covering such topics as Pakistan, the credit crunch and an analysis of the media. Running alongside the general programme is the highly regarded RBS Children’s Programme, which has grown to become a leading showcase for children’s writers and illustrators. Incorporating workshops, storytelling, panel discussions, author events and book signings, the RBS Children’s Programme is popular with both the public and schools alike and now ranks as the world’s premier books and reading event for young people. Tthe Festival now includes picture books, graphic novels and other forms of illustrated art to reflect and explore the dialogue between pictures and text. There are over 700 events for both adults and children in the three weeks that the Book Festival runs. They range from writing workshops, education
events, panel discussions, to talks and performances by international writers, poets, musicians and thinkers. The leading names in literary and non-fiction writing attract thousands of visitors of all ages to debate, discuss and discover new horizons, take part in creative workshops and, of course, to meet favourite and new authors. Amid the hustle and bustle of Edinburgh in August the magical tented village in a beautiful New Town square creates a unique Festival environment, an oasis where ideas, opinions and insights take centre stage. Don’t miss your opportunity to write author your own experience among the brightest minds in the world. • August 14 - 30 www.edbookfest.co.uk PREVIEW 2010 EVENTS >>>
EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL
Best-selling author and long-time Edinburgh resident Ian Rankin shares his Festival perspective
Clockwise: Charlotte Square Gardens, Joseph Stiglitz, Fatima Bhutto, Roddy Doyle, Julia Donaldson
FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
Miss Jean Brodie’. I also remember the session with Harold Pinter when he was recovering from cancer. He was as astute and bloody-minded as ever.
What was your first experience of the Edinburgh Festival? My first memory of going dates back to student days. I was a student at Edinburgh University and I remember doing some reviewing work for the local radio station and also for a magazine called Festival Times. I’d be sent to draughty, damp church halls for 11pm performances by American high schools. Usually it was Shakespeare or Beckett or Pinter but each year there was also some sort of manufactured scandal to do with nudity or simulated sex on stage. How does the city change? In August, Edinburgh undoes its girdle and has a good time. It becomes a 24-hour city – there’s a real buzz about the place. It’s great to be able to saunter down the Royal Mile and gorge on street theatre. But I also like its oases of calm. Even in August, you can walk along the Water of Leith at Dean Village and hardly see a soul.
You once described the Fringe as a ‘mental kaleidoscope’. I mean that there’s so much going on it can feel dizzying. You need to take some time to plan what you really want to see. Some shows, especially musicians, may only appear on one or two nights, so tickets sell quickly. On the other hand, you can just dive in – go out walking through the streets and look at the sandwich boards. Last year we saw a great ‘Antigone’ done by a girls’ sixth-form college. As an author appearing at the festival, which events stand out for you? I interviewed Gordon Brown about his taste in books – the audience saw a very different side of the then Prime Minister. I remember the first sell-out panel I was on – I had third billing below Colin Dexter and Michael Dibdin. It was a blast.
What’s your favourite event? My favourite bit of the festival – and I’m being biased here – is the Book Festival. There’s such an incredible range – truly something for everyone, from literary heavyweights to scientists and ecologists, plus tons of shows for kids. One of my best memories was hearing Muriel Spark discuss her work, and then read from ‘The Prime of
What will you be up to this year? I’m doing a couple of solo shows at the Book Festival, and also interviewing Antonia Fraser about life with Harold Pinter. When I get hold of the programmes for the Book Festival and Fringe I’ll take a few hours to go through them, circling my wish list. I usually look at music and comedy first – music is the dark horse of the Fringe. •
CREDITS: Fatima Bhutto: J. Amean; Roddy Doyle: Mark Nixon
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48 hours
in Edinburgh Festival–fanatic Time Out editors give you the inside track on how to savour Festival City Editorial courtesy of Time Out
The Edinburgh Festivals are an experience of a lifetime. For one month of the year there is no more exciting place to be on the planet – the entire city is packed with thousands of actors, musicians, comedians, poets, writers and artists all competing for your attention
DAY ONE
DAY TWO
9AM: ARTHUR’S SEAT To clear the head for the madness to come and to get a visceral grasp of Edinburgh’s geography, climb Arthur’s Seat, the 823-foot extinct volcano that looms over the city. The climb will get your heart racing and the view will take your breath away.
10.30PM: FIREWORKS During August the Edinburgh Military Tattoo kindly lays on fireworks displays at 10.30pm. You can see them from almost anywhere and you’ll hear them even if you are in the bowels of the Underbelly watching a show.
10AM: BREAKFAST Inspired by the writers at the Book Festival, start the day at Spoon, the café where Edinburgh’s most famous literary daughter began writing Harry Potter. In between tapping in your thoughts on the day past, read the day’s reviews in the papers for news on which are the hot tickets.
12:30PM: LUNCH The Fruitmarket Gallery provides excellent salads and sandwiches along with the art, and Café Hub is the axle around which the stomachs of many performers and festival goers revolve. 2PM: FRINGE ACTIVITY The High Street is a throng of street performers, but to see young and aspiring artists giving it their all in the hope of the big break, try the various spaces working under the C venues label – at C central, Belt Up is staging eight plays including one for children; Zoo, which shows just about everything but majors on physical theatre and dance; and Sweet, with a good sprinkling of children’s shows and music among the theatricals.
11AM: QUEEN’S HALL The Queen’s Hall is a former church that retains its pews and is one of the hidden treasures of the Festival. During August, it hosts concerts at 11am almost every day, with the Nash Ensemble and Pavel Haas Quartet among those playing this year. A blissful start to your festival. 12:30PM: LUNCH For a leisurely lunch, try David Bann’s classy vegetarian food, Mother India’s tapas-style southAsian and the National Museum’s Tower. For something quicker, check out the café, restaurants and pubs lining the High Street, all buzzing like no other time during the year. 2PM: SHOPPING & READING Combine cerebration and consumption with a stroll down George Street, Edinburgh’s classiest shopping street, to Charlotte Square Gardens, the focal point of the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Canvas tents are set up in the middle of the most elegant square in the city and within authors do public readings and discussions.
6PM: PLEASANCE COURTYARD Time to prepare for an evening of culture and this is the place to start. Grab a bench, a Fringe programme and a drink and watch the comedy world arrive. Most shows are only an hour and there are over twenty venues in the Pleasance complex, so why not alternate between pints and performances? 8PM: DINNER If money’s no object there’s two classic restaurants - Oloroso, with rooftop views and The Witchery on Royal Mile. Time your departure from the Witchery right and you will be inches from the regiments marching to the Castle’s tattoo.
MIDNIGHT: LATE ‘N’ LIVE The Gilded Balloon’s anarchic Late ‘n’ Live shows sum up the boisterous side of the Fringe. These gigs are actually relatively tame these days – Russell Brand cutting himself with broken glass onstage was par for the course – but they are still an essential rite of passage for audience an performer alike.
11AM: ART IN THE MORNING Having slaked your thirst for words, indulge your visual senses at Martin Creed’s solo show at the Fruitmarket Gallery and then continue on to the Royal Scottish Academy and its once-in-a-lifetime exhibition of extraordinary paintings of gardens by leading Impressionists such as Monet, Manet and Renoir.
5:30PM: DINNER Not much time, so catch some food on the run from the bars and food stalls that line Bristo Square and Pleasance Courtyard. It’s not fine dining, but these places buzz with festival goers and performers. 7PM: MUSIC IN THE EVENING The Festival started with music, which makes a performance from the Edinburgh International Festival the ideal way to round off a weekend. The Festival and King’s theatres, and Usher and Queen’s halls host some of the most thrilling musical and operatic performances you’ll ever hear. •
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MOMENTS
FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
festival moments Photography courtesy of Peter Dibdin and the City of Edinburgh
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away” - anonymous
Band of brothers The only thing more patriotic than being among the seasoned musicians and soldiers of the Royal Military Tattoo is to have a nip of whiskey in shadow of the castle to cheer them on. •
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FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
MOMENTS
The High Street The emotional heart of the Festivals in the centre of Edinburgh, the High Street is host to an unpredictable blend of impromptu performance, attention-grabbing gimmickry and spectacular human energy. •
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MOMENTS
FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
Wallflowers Each day hundreds of performers post the newest revelations on their show by the Edinburgh press. A good review can mean the difference between triumphs and tragedies, official sites to check reviews are located throughout the city. •
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FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
MOMENTS
Centre of attention The Cleveland Orchestra with maestro Franz Welser-Möst delivers a lavish and magnificent Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony, also known as The Apocalyptic. •
MOMENTS
FESTIVALS MAGAZINE
Backstage For every performance in the hundreds of venues across Edinburgh, unique transformations occurs in each and every dressing room until just moments before you take your seat. •
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Remember that time you were sitting in the Pleasance Courtyard and those three jazz musicians serenaded you while the go-go girls danced with your little brother? Remember all those great pictures you took? Remember when you sent them in to Festivals Magazine and they were seen by hundreds of thousands of Festival-goers? That was amazing. • photos@edinburghfestivals.co.uk
Tom Tom Crew were a surprise hit of last summer, attracting impressive crowds with their acrobatic jam session