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Charity No SC004694 Photo Monika Rittershaus
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Edinburgh International Festival 9 August – 1 September 2013 Contents 02
Welcome to the Festival
03
A Festival for Everyone Opportunities to join in
04
Festival 2013 Supporters Those who help to make the Festival happen
06
Opera Spaceships, castles and jazz clubs
12
Dance Odysseys Festival within the Festival – experience dance differently
16
Dance From the west coast of America to Korea – with a stop off where Jacques Tati meets urban dance
21
Theatre Technical wizardry human and cinematic, stories both dark and uplifting and a journey to our next world
30
Beckett at the Festival A feast of works by Samuel Beckett on stage and on film
34
The Opening Concert Valery Gergiev conducts Prokofiev
35
Music Orchestras, ensembles and soloists
45
Virgin Money Fireworks Concert Thrilling Festival finale
46
Contemporary Music / Opera Jean Cocteau, Philip Glass, Patti Smith, Frank Zappa and more
52
The Queen’s Hall Series Ravishing recitals and chamber music
61
Harpsichord Recitals On heritage instruments
62
Cafe Concerts Informal and intimate with young international musicians
63
Conversations with Artists Up close and personal
64
Interfaces Debates and intrigues in a digital age
66
Movements Matters musical and artistic with Brian Eno and many others
67
Events With Edinburgh College of Art and University of Edinburgh
68
Visual Arts Artists with technological flair – Leonardo da Vinci, Nam June Paik and Hyung Su Kim
74
How to Book
75
Ticket Discounts and Special Offers
76
Information for Visitors
78
Festival Diary Plan your Festival easily
Contents
01
02
Welcome to the Festival
Welcome to Festival 2013
They said, ‘You have a blue guitar, You do not play things as they are.’ The man replied, ‘Things as they are Are changed upon the blue guitar.’ FROM THE MAN WITH THE BluE GuITAR By WALLACE STEVENS PUBLISHED By FABER AND FABER
Artists think differently; theirs is an inspiring contrast and essential provocation to habit, comfort, orthodoxy and progress. They exist in a fragile relationship with the world; somehow everything seen and heard, smelt, tasted and touched is transformed into moments of heightened intensity and sensuousness. Great artists absorb the circumstances of their surroundings, the prevailing shifts and shapes of our world, in weird and wonderful ways. The pounding chords of the ‘Hammerklavier’ Sonata are a result of a collaboration of genius; between the ingenuity of piano makers such as John Broadwood and their fascination with materials and machinery; perceiving that the technological processes of an industrial revolution contained immense potential for the design of musical instruments; exciting the rebellious zeal of a composer like Beethoven who grabbed such an alignment of forces with immense passion to reveal new ways of thinking about sound and music. Or the ‘wireless’ imagination of a poet cum playwright, intrigued by the disembodied challenges of a compact electronic invention called radio; where conventions of characterisation and narrative are turned on their heads, a writer like Samuel Beckett, uniquely, sees opportunities to invent a new language of dreams and drama. Or the multimedia musings of a subversive spirit like Nam June Paik, determined to fashion out of an assemblage of abandoned objects a critique of consumerism and, simultaneously, an eloquent elegy for an electronic era. 2013 Edinburgh International Festival invites you to embark upon a journey inspired by the way technology seizes and shifts our perceptions of a world, translated by such visionaries as J S Bach, Samuel Beckett or Richard Burton, John Cage, Jean Cocteau or François Couperin, Leonardo da Vinci or Allen Ginsberg, Sergei Prokofiev or Nam June Paik, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Iannis Xenakis or Frank Zappa. If it is the role of the artist to convert a strand of silver nitrate into a portrait, a sound wave into a memory, or an LED into a provocation, then we encourage you to come to Edinburgh in August for a very special occasion filled with pre-recorded mischief, virtual mystery and vivid make-believe. Jonathan Mills Festival Director
A Festival for Everyone
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A Festival for Everyone As official broadcast partner, BBC Radio 3 brings the Festival to those who would not otherwise be able to take part. Through live and future broadcasts many Edinburgh International Festival concerts can be enjoyed throughout the whole nation and across the world thanks to this visionary partnership. Full details at bbc.co.uk/radio3
Photo Jim Ryce / Dreamstime
An Accessible Festival for All Look out for these Festival logos in the brochure and see page 75 for details of discounts. Audio Described
Touch Tour
British Sign Language
Speech-to-Text Reported
Festival Chorus Are you an enthusiastic and talented singer? Would you like to perform some of the most exhilarating choral repertoire with internationally celebrated conductors, orchestras and soloists? Then audition to become a member of the Edinburgh Festival Chorus. Please contact us on 0131 473 2027 or email chorus@eif.co.uk
Festival Merchandise Check out our exclusive range of Festival merchandise and buy online now. Inspired by this year’s Festival theme, light up the world with our lightbulb t-shirts, bags and other lovely shiny things. eif.co.uk/shop
Festival Online Connect with us! Tweet your stories with #EdintFest or like our Facebook page and post your photos and comments. Head to our website for exclusive content including trailers, podcasts and interviews and buy your tickets online easily and quickly. Plan your Festival with our online diary and keep on top of what’s happening through Festival 2013 by signing up to our newsletter and following #EdintFest on your mobile device. Visit us at eif.co.uk/interact
Edinburgh: Festival City Help to create a unique piece of music for Festival 2013 American composer Tod Machover will compose a short new work called Festival City to reflect the city of Edinburgh and its yearly transformation through the Edinburgh International Festival. And we need you to contribute! Machover is creating the one-movement orchestral work, to be premiered at the Festival on 27 August 2013, with sounds and impressions of the city and Festival given to him by people from around the world. you are invited to share original sonic materials as well as to shape and add to the composer’s own. Web-based music apps specially designed at the famed MIT Media Lab (Cambridge, USA) make it possible for anyone, from anywhere in the world, with a love for Edinburgh and its Festival to contribute to this unique composition. Visit eif.co.uk/festivalcitymusic See page 43 for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra concert on 27 August. See page 66 for the lecture demonstration on the creative process.
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Festival 2013 Supporters
Thank you to all our Festival 2013 supporters The core investment that the Edinburgh International Festival receives from the City of Edinburgh Council and Creative Scotland plays a critical role in ensuring our stability and success. Crucial support from other public sector bodies, charitable funds, the corporate sector, international partners and agencies, trusts and foundations and our individual benefactors, patrons and friends is also vitally important in enabling us to maintain the Festival’s scale and quality. We are grateful to all these organisations and individuals, who make the Festival possible.
Festival Partners
Automotive Partner
Production Sponsor
Production Sponsor
Production Supporter
MAGAZINE
Grants Production Sponsor
Production Supporter
City Dressing Partner
Hotel Partner
Document Solutions Partner
Big Screen Partner
Festival Partner
Official Retail Partner
Project Grants Supported through the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund
Hotel Partner
Production Sponsor
Principal Supporters
Dunard Fund Harold Mitchell Esq, AC Léan Scully EIF Fund Edinburgh International Festival Society is registered as a company in Scotland (No SC024766) and as a Scottish Charity (No SC004694) Registered Address: The Hub, Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2NE
Hosting & Network Services
University Partner
Fireworks Concert Partner
Festival 2013 Supporters
Corporate Friends BP The Caledonian, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel HEINEKEN Macdonald Holyrood Hotel
Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Edinburgh Consulate General of Switzerland, Edinburgh Culture Ireland
Benefactors and Patrons Thank you to the following individuals for their support of Festival 2013.
Benefactor
Maclay Murray & Spens LLP Planet Flowers
Embassy of Switzerland, London
Geoff and Mary Ball
Prestige Scotland
Ewan and Christine Brown
The Royal Bank of Scotland
Embassy of the United States of America, London
Shell UK Limited
Institut français
Joscelyn Fox
The Italian Cultural Institute, Edinburgh
Gavin and Kate Gemmell
Principal Donors
Korea Arts Management Service
Frank Hitchman
American Friends of the Edinburgh International Festival
Korea Creative Content Agency
John and Angela Kessler
Korean Cultural Centre UK
Donald and Louise MacDonald
The Director’s Circle
Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Jean and Roger Miller
The Ministry of Culture, People’s Republic of China
Michael Shipley and Philip Rudge
Edinburgh International Festival Endowment Fund Edinburgh International Festival Friends and Patrons
Corporate Associates Alba Water Cullen Property Dimensions (Scotland) Ltd
Swiss Cultural Fund in Britain – SCFB The Ministry of Culture, Taiwan Taipei Representative Office in the UK Taipei Representative Office in the UK, Edinburgh Office United States Consulate General, Edinburgh
David and Judith Halkerston Kenneth Harrold Shields and Carol Henderson André and Rosalie Hoffmann
Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, London
Edinburgh International Festival Benefactors
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James and Morag Anderson
Roxane Clayton
Mairi Rankin Keith and Andrea Skeoch Jim and Isobel Stretton Dr and Mrs George Sypert John-Paul and Joanna Temperley Susie Thomson Claire and Mark Urquhart Mr Hedley G Wright Zachs-Adam Family
The Glasshouse
Trusts and Foundations
Hotel du Vin, Edinburgh
The Binks Trust
Johnston Press plc
Cruden Foundation Limited
Justerini & Brooks
The Peter Diamand Trust
Omni Centre Edinburgh
The Evelyn Drysdale Charitable Trust
The Rutland Hotel
The Ellem Foundation
Platinum Supporter
Scottish Beverage Services
Gordon Fraser Charitable Trust
Roger and Angela Allen
Springbank Distillers Ltd
The Inches Carr Trust
J Attias
STRATHMORE SPRING WATER
Eda, Lady Jardine Charitable Trust
William and Elizabeth Berry
The Morton Charitable Trust
Neil and Karin Bowman
International Partners and Agencies
The Negaunee Foundation
Katie Bradford
The Pirie Rankin Charitable Trust
Carola Bronte-Stewart
Australian High Commission, London
Risk Charitable Fund
Chris Carter and Stuart Donachie
Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Edinburgh
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
The Rt Hon Lord Clarke
The Stevenston Charitable Trust
Lord and Lady Coulsfield
Consulate General of Ireland to Scotland
The Sym Charitable Trust
Tom and Alison Cunningham
Wellcome Trust
Sue and Andy Doig
Consulate of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, Edinburgh
The KT Wong Foundation
Jo and Alison Elliot
Platinum Reserve Richard Burns Aileen and Stephen Nesbitt
Claire Enders Mr and Mrs Ted W Frison Raymond and Anita Green George and Ann Gwilt
J Douglas Home Dr Jean Horton Peter Horvath and Barnett Serchuk Sir Brian and Lady Ivory Alan M Johnston Fred and Ann Johnston Paul and Christine Jones David and Brenda Lamb Norman and Christine Lessels Niall and Carol Lothian Alan Macfarlane Chris and Gill Masters Duncan and Una McGhie David McLellan David Milne and Liz Sharpe Allan Myers AO QC and Maria Myers AO Patricia and Alex Neish Nick and Julie Parker Tanya and David Parker Lady Potter Fiona Reith Donald and Brenda Rennie Sir Duncan Rice and Lady Rice Mr Andrew and Mrs Carolyn Richmond Ross Roberts Fiona and Ian Russell Charles Smith Andrew and Becky Swanston Robin and Sheila Wight Ruth Woodburn Neil and Philippa Woodcock And others who prefer to remain anonymous
Legacy Miss Mary E Mackenzie
Event Supporters University and College Union Scotland Scottish Federation of Entertainment Unions Edinburgh Trades Union Council Edinburgh NUJ branches
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Opera
Fidelio Ludwig van Beethoven Libretto by Joseph Sonnleithner after Jean-Nicolas Bouilly
Opéra de Lyon Sung in German with English supertitles Leonore Erika Sunnegårdh Florestan Nikolai Schukoff Rocco Michael Eder Don Pizarro Pavlo Hunka Don Fernando Andrew Schroeder Marzelline Karen Vourc’h Jacquino Christian Baumgärtel Kazushi Ono Conductor Gary Hill Director, video and lighting designer Alan Woodbridge Chorus master
Opéra de Lyon’s Porgy and Bess, Festival 2010:
‘Theatrically, it’s riveting… and quite impeccably played.’ The Guardian
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Image Reilly Donovan and Jesse Montini-Vose
Opera
Imprisoned and tortured for threatening to expose the barbarity of a brutal regime, political prisoner Florestan has little hope left. Only a daring feat of heroism by his loyal wife Leonore can offer him a chance of escape – and of justice. Beethoven’s only opera is a cry of defiance against oppression and an ode to liberty and truth, with music of enormous power and great tenderness. In his first opera production, pioneering contemporary media artist Gary Hill reimagines Beethoven’s work in the present and future, the story unfolding on board the doomed spacecraft Aniara as it hurtles towards infinity. Hill’s arresting staging highlights the universal relevance of Beethoven’s themes with compelling video projections and striking costumes. The esteemed international cast is led by celebrated Japanese conductor Kazushi Ono.
Saturday 10 August & Monday 12 August 7.15pm
Opéra de Lyon’s Porgy and Bess, Festival 2010:
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh Tickets £68 £60 £52 £42 £30 £20 £16 2 hours 45 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/fidelio
Supported by
John and Angela Kessler
‘a totally absorbing spectacle.’ The Times
‘hit me like a mind-blowing adrenalin fix.’ The Scotsman
08
Opera
Dido and Aeneas Bluebeard’s Castle Oper Frankfurt
Photos Monika Rittershaus
Constantinos Carydis Conductor Barrie Kosky Director Katrin Lea Tag Stage and costume designer Joachim Klein Lighting designer Matthias Köhler Chorus master (Dido and Aeneas) Zsolt Horpácsy Dramaturge
Opera
Desire, obsession and doomed love: Oper Frankfurt’s striking double bill brings together two one-act operas separated by more than 200 years of musical history, yet united in their searing explorations of human relationships. Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas is a poignant masterpiece of early English opera that features some of the composer’s most heartfelt music. After reluctantly falling in love with the warrior Aeneas as he travels home from the Trojan Wars, Dido is brutally rejected when he is later deceived into leaving her. Bartók’s hugely powerful opera Bluebeard’s Castle depicts the tragic Judith obsessively opening a series of mysterious doors in her recently betrothed’s castle to discover the fate of his former wives. In a sumptuous score, Bartók paints vivid musical pictures of the castle’s sinister rooms, while also conveying the psychological subtleties of his two protagonists. The daring, visually arresting productions by Australian director Barrie Kosky combine intimacy and grandeur, and conductor Constantinos Carydis leads an exceptional cast of acclaimed soloists.
‘enchantingly poetic imagery… and beautiful sound’
‘simply fantastic’ Süddeutsche Zeitung
Dido and Aeneas Henry Purcell Libretto by Nahum Tate after Virgil Sung in English with English supertitles Dido Paula Murrihy Belinda Kateryna Kasper Second woman Elizabeth Reiter Sorceress Martin Wölfel First Witch Roland Schneider Second Witch Dmitry Egorov Spirit Peter Marsh Aeneas Sebastian Geyer Sailor Peter Marsh
Bluebeard’s Castle Béla Bartók Libretto by Béla Balázs
SWR 2 / Journal am Mittag
Sung in Hungarian with English supertitles Saturday 24 & Sunday 25 August 7.15pm Festival Theatre, Edinburgh Tickets £68 £60 £52 £42 £30 £20 £16 2 hours 45 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/dido-bluebeard Sunday 25 August 7.15pm Interpreter: Paul Whittaker OBE of ‘Music and the Deaf’
Supported by
The Binks Trust With additional support from
Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Edinburgh
Bluebeard Robert Hayward Judith Tanja Ariane Baumgartner
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10
Opera
American Lulu overall concept and interpretation of Alban Berg’s opera lulu by Olga Neuwirth
Scottish Opera and The Opera Group Sung in English Lulu Angel Blue Eleanor Jacqui Dankworth Dr Bloom Donald Maxwell Clarence Robert Winslade Anderson Jimmy Jonathan Stoughton Painter Paul Curievici Athlete Simon Wilding Professor/Banker/Commissioner Paul Reeves
‘Neuwirth is a shrewd composer with a bold imagination.’ financial times
Gerry Cornelius Conductor John Fulljames Director Magda Willi Designer Finn Ross Video designer Guy Hoare Lighting designer
Seductress, victim, manipulator: Lulu lives off men as both tortured and torturer, purveyor of ecstasy and angel of death. Caught up in greedy games and seedy schemes, and surrounded by lovers driven to despair, Lulu makes an inexorable rise to the highest levels of power, money and fame. But her descent is just as swift. Twenty years on, as the scarred Lulu looks back on her life, she faces a squalid history of sex, murder and violence. Award-winning Austrian composer Olga Neuwirth has radically reworked Alban Berg’s unfinished 1934 opera for the 21st century, setting it against the backdrop of the US civil rights struggles of the 1950s and 1960s and transporting audiences to the smoky jazz clubs of the Deep South. Neuwirth re-interprets Berg’s score for a jazz-inspired ‘Las Vegas’-style ensemble while also integrating her own distinctive voice to make a sound world that casts new light on the whole opera. This new production is conducted by leading contemporary music specialist Gerry Cornelius and staged by the acclaimed British director John Fulljames, with The Orchestra of Scottish Opera.
Friday 30 August & Saturday 31 August 7.15pm King’s Theatre, Edinburgh
A co-production with The Opera Group, Scottish Opera, Bregenzer Festspiele and Young Vic in association with the London Sinfonietta.
Tickets £35 £28 £25 £20 £15 1 hour 40 minutes approximately
Co-commissioned by The Opera Group and Komische Oper Berlin.
eif.co.uk/americanlulu
Image AKA
Opera 11
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Scottish Ballet presents Dance Odysseys
Dance Odysseys EXPERIENCE DANCE DIFFERENTLY
Friday 16 – Monday 19 August Festival Theatre, Edinburgh eif.co.uk/dance-odysseys
Scottish Ballet Scottish Dance Theatre Gelabert Azzopardi Companyia de Dansa
Scottish Ballet, Scotland’s National Dance Company, takes you on a journey into the curious, the conceptual and the most creative world of dance, focusing on work from classic to contemporary and engaging with a spectrum of makers, both established and new, at the forefront of dance innovation. Featuring world premieres, historical genre-changers, celluloid classics and some of the world’s newest and most exciting dance voices, this unique festival-within-a-festival invites you to explore dance in a brand new way.
Photo Graham Wylie
Choose from just one performance, spend a morning, an afternoon or evening – or immerse yourself in dance and stay for the whole day.
Supported through the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund
With additional support from
Gavin and Kate Gemmell
How to bring this page to life 1. Download the free Aurasma App from the App Store or Google Play. 2. Open the App, search for and follow the Scottish Ballet channel. 3. Hold your mobile device over this image to experience more.
Scottish Ballet presents Dance Odysseys
The Rite of Spring Photo Kim Kenney
Pierrot lunaire Photo Zoë Dominic
édouard Lock: World Premiere (2013) Performed by Scottish Ballet Scottish Ballet presents a World Premiere from La La La Human Steps Founder, Artistic Director and Choreographer Édouard Lock. Lock is renowned for his extreme, incandescent style of dance and his precise technique. His boldly challenging style has always attracted international attention. His creations are an arresting fusion of speed, complex combinations of gestures and footwork, and bodies propelled through the air at astonishing angles. Past collaborations include projects with David Bowie, Frank Zappa and Bette Midler, and he has created work for the Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, the Dutch National Ballet and Paris Opéra Ballet.
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The Rite of Spring (2011) Performed by Scottish Ballet Choreography Christopher Hampson Music Igor Stravinsky Intense and visceral, Christopher Hampson’s vision of The Rite of Spring, created originally for Atlanta Ballet, is presented 100 years after the original production revolutionised the world of dance and music. Set to Stravinsky’s exhilaratingly influential score, Hampson uses three dancers – two men and a woman – to reinvent the now infamous story of remorseless human sacrifice with brutal physicality and primal energy in this challenging work that examines themes of violence, obedience and domination. Sunday 18 August 8.00pm
Friday 16 August 8.00pm Main Theatre Tickets £18 £15 £12 £10
Main Theatre Tickets £18 £15 £12 £10 eif.co.uk/riteofspring
eif.co.uk/edouardlock
Pierrot Lunaire (1962) Performed by Scottish Ballet Choreography Glen Tetley Music Arnold Schoenberg This seminal work from American dancer and choreographer Glen Tetley was also the starting point of his now iconic choreographic style – combining modern dance with the elongated line and aerial bravura of ballet. It is a style he perfected through his professional career performing leading roles in the Martha Graham Dance Company as well as with American Ballet Theatre.
Im (Goldenen) Schnitt I (reconstruction 1996) Performed by Gelabert Azzopardi Companyia de Dansa Choreography Gerhard Bohner Sculptor Vera Röhm Music Johann Sebastian Bach Moving through constellations of wood and Plexiglas pillars, reacting in sculptor Vera Röhm’s space Cesc Gelabert recreates Gerhard Bohner’s original concept highlighting elements of dance, visual arts and music while allowing them to remain autonomous.
Inspired by the three principal characters from the commedia dell’arte, it is a poetic, humorous and dramatic interpretation of composer Arnold Schoenberg’s revolutionary work of the same name.
Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, interpreted by Keith Jarrett, provides the music for this reconstruction of Bohner’s solo Im (Goldenen) Schnitt I, to which Gelabert brings his inimitable style and individuality as a dancer.
Saturday 17 August 8.00pm
Monday 19 August 8.00pm
Main Theatre Tickets £18 £15 £12 £10
Main Theatre Tickets £18 £15 £12 £10
eif.co.uk/pierrotlunaire
eif.co.uk/im-goldenen-schnitt
Scottish Ballet presents Dance Odysseys
Cheri Photo Alan Peebles
14´20˝ Photo Daisy Komen
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New Voices
Duets
Five inspiring world premieres performed by Scottish Ballet and Scottish Dance Theatre Choreographers Helen Pickett, James Cousins, Martin Lawrance, Kristen McNally, Henri Oguike
Performed by Scottish Ballet Choreographers Peter Darrell, James Cousins, Helen Pickett
California’s Helen Pickett – a former dancer for William Forsythe and now Resident Choreographer at Atlanta Ballet – is renowned for energetic yet poetic creations. James Cousins’s contemplative and gripping style has won him the inaugural New Adventures Choreographer Award. Martin Lawrance shares the intense musicality of his mentor Richard Alston and is his talented heir apparent. Royal Ballet Soloist Kristen McNally is an exciting, cutting-edge choreographer for whom the term ‘indie ballet’ could have been coined. Henri Oguike, one of the brightest voices of British contemporary dance, takes on a new commission with Scottish Dance Theatre, promising fierce precision in this world premiere. Friday 16 August 12 noon Sunday 18 & Monday 19 August 5.00pm
Relationships come into focus in extracts from the canon of Scottish Ballet’s Founding Artistic Director Peter Darrell, and new collaborators James Cousins and Helen Pickett. Darrell’s poignant Five Rückert Songs embodies the feelings in Friedrich Rückert’s poetry on love, loss and loneliness with lingering steps and sweeping choreography. His Chéri is based closely on the famous novel by Colette, and traces the story of a passionate and ultimately tragic affair between young lovers. Saturday 17 August 5.00pm Sunday 18 August 12 noon On Stage Studio Tickets £12 eif.co.uk/duets
On Stage Studio Tickets £12 eif.co.uk/newvoices
Contemporary Classics Performed by Scottish Ballet Choreographers Christopher Bruce, Jiří Kylián, Twyla Tharp Exciting contemporary classics from established choreographers each of whom challenged their own genre of dance. Featuring Christopher Bruce’s Shift, an energetic study of 1940s factory workers during the war; Jiří Kylián’s 14´20˝ – a sensual duet of feral beauty and human entanglement taken from the choreographer’s 27´52˝ for NDT2’s 50th anniversary, with music by Dirk Haubrich; and Twyla Tharp’s The Fugue, set to the percussive beat of the dancers’ own feet as they spiral, twist and stomp in stack-heeled boots on an amplified stage.
SisGO Performed by Scottish Dance Theatre Choreographer Fleur Darkin SisGO’s territory is minds, organs, nervous systems. Join an intimate journey into the night. Fleur Darkin merges this company of powerful dancers with the audience to create a riot of choreography. Experience new proximities to the performers in this futuristic love letter to Rudolf Laban. Soundscore includes Plastikman, Four Tet and Mortitz von Oswald. Why don’t you put your hands up for Berlin… Detroit… Edinburgh? A promenade performance in the special On Stage Studio theatre. Saturday 17 & Sunday 18 August 9.45pm On Stage Studio Tickets £12
Friday 16 August 5.00pm Saturday 17 & Monday 19 August 12 noon On Stage Studio Tickets £12 eif.co.uk/contemporary-classics
eif.co.uk/sisgo
Scottish Ballet presents Dance Odysseys
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Dance Odysseys Diary Saturday 17 August
Sunday 18 August
Monday 19 August
12 noon (75 mins approx.)
12 noon (75 mins approx.)
12 noon (75 mins approx.)
12 noon (75 mins approx.)
New Voices (see p14) On Stage Studio
Contemporary Classics (see p14) On Stage Studio
Duets (see p14) On Stage Studio
Contemporary Classics (see p14). On Stage Studio
2.30pm – 3.50pm
2.30pm – 3.30pm
2.30pm – 3.50pm
Forgotten Memories: documentary on Jiří Kylián’s life, way of thinking and most significant creations. Shot in 2011 in The Hague, Prague, Monte Carlo and Paris with Sabine Kupferberg dancing as Kylián rehearses some of his works. Film
The Green Table / Portrait of Mary Wigman, See Saturday 17 August. Film
Forgotten Memories: See Friday 16 August. Film
Photo Bill Cooper
Friday 16 August
2.30pm – 3.30pm 4.00pm – 4.30pm
New Voices Discussion: a panel of emerging choreographers discusses the New Voices programme, hosted by Dance Base Artistic Director Morag Deyes. Foyer 5.00pm (75 mins approx.)
Contemporary Classics (see p14) On Stage Studio
The Green Table: choreographed in 1932, The Green Table is known as Kurt Jooss’s masterpiece. In this film of a performance in the 1960s by Folkwang Ballet, the dancers include a young Pina Bausch. Portrait of Mary Wigman: at the end of the roaring twenties Mary Wigman provoked a real revolution in the world of dance. Film
4.00pm – 4.30pm 4.00pm – 4.30pm
Cesc Gelabert Conversation: choreographer and solo performer on the making of Im (Goldenen) Schnitt I. Foyer
5.00pm (75 mins approx.) 5.00pm (75 mins approx.)
New Voices (see p14) On Stage Studio
The Rite of Spring Talk: with choreographer Christopher Hampson. Foyer
Photo Graham Wylie
7.00pm – 7.30pm
Dance Odysseys Discussion: an overview of this unique weekend of dance, chaired by Scottish Ballet’s Artistic Director Christopher Hampson. Foyer 8.00pm – 8.45pm
Édouard Lock: World Premiere (see p13) with post-show discussion with choreographer. Main Theatre
8.00pm – 8.45pm
The Rite of Spring (see p13) Main Theatre 9.45pm – 10.45pm
5.00pm (75 mins approx.)
New Voices (see p14) On Stage Studio 7.00pm – 7.30pm
7.00pm – 7.30pm
4.00pm – 4.30pm
Contemporary Classics Conversation: Christopher Hampson and Jane Pritchard, Curator of Dance at the V&A, in conversation. Foyer
Dance on Film Talk: Curator of Dance Odysseys films Nele Hertling shares her thoughts on dance on celluloid. Foyer
SisGO (see p14) On Stage Studio
Reflections on Dance Odysseys: Mary Brennan, Dance Critic of The Herald, chairs a discussion with Scottish Ballet Artistic Director Christopher Hampson, Scottish Dance Theatre Artistic Director Fleur Darkin and Dance Base Artistic Director Morag Deyes. Foyer 8.00pm – 9.00pm
Im (Goldenen) Schnitt I (see p13). Main Theatre
Duets (see p14) On Stage Studio 7.00pm – 7.30pm
Tickets
Pierrot Lunaire Talk: Christopher Hampson and Jane Pritchard discuss this seminal work. Foyer
On Stage Studio £12 Main Theatre £10 – £18 Films £4
8.00pm – 8.45pm
Talks Ticketed but free
Pierrot Lunaire (see p13) Main Theatre
Day Ticket (2 On Stage Studio performances, 1 film, 1 talk) £24
9.45pm – 10.45pm
eif.co.uk/dance-odysseys
SisGO (see p14) On Stage Studio
Special Offer Buy a Main Theatre ticket and get a Day ticket for only £18
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Dance
L.A. Dance Project Benjamin Millepied founding Director
A brilliant programme of modern masterworks from one of the hottest names in dance. Benjamin Millepied brings his new company to the UK for the first time, following his huge success as choreographer and star of Darren Aronofsky’s award-winning film Black Swan. L.A. Dance Project is an artist collective founded by Millepied, composer Nico Muhly, art consultant Matthieu Humery, producer Charles Fabius and film producer Dimitri Chamblas. At the peak of his career, after starring with New York City Ballet, Millepied embarks on a new adventure.
‘The eclecticism is admirable. All three works look remarkably “now”. The dancers tackle their diverse challenges with skill.’ The New York Times
Saturday 24 – Monday 26 August 7.30pm The Edinburgh Playhouse
Quintett
Monday 26 August 6.15pm
Tickets £30 £27 £22 £17 £12 £10 2 hours approximately
7.15pm
William Forsythe Choreography (in collaboration with Dana Caspersen, Stephen Galloway, Jacopo Godani, Thomas McManus and Jone San Martin) Stephen Galloway Costume designer William Forsythe Lighting designer
eif.co.uk/ladance
Supported by
Dunard Fund With additional support from Embassy of the United States of America, London
Sponsored by
Forsythe’s seminal work, set to Gavin Bryars’s emotional and elegiac Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet, is a moving final love letter to his wife before she died.
Benjamin Millepied: ‘The biggest dancer to cross over into pop culture since Mikhail Baryshnikov.’
Photo Frances Chiaverini
Photo Frances Chiaverini
The New York Times
Winterbranch
Moving Parts
Merce Cunningham Choreographer La Monte Young Music (2 Sounds) Robert Rauschenberg Décor and costume designer Beverly Emmons Lighting designer (based on concepts by Robert Rauschenberg) Jennifer Goggans Staging (assisted by Robert Swinston)
Benjamin Millepied Choreography Nico Muhly Music composition Christopher Wool Visual installation Kate and Laura Mulleavy (of Rodarte) Costumer designers Roderick Murray Lighting designer
This dramatic work features costumes by Robert Rauschenberg and a score, 2 Sounds, by La Monte Young. Merce Cunningham talked about two ‘facts’ of dancing – the act of falling, and unless one stays on the ground, the subsequent act of rising. The dancers engage in a series of falls, in both slow and fast motion, eventually clustering together to fall and rise united as a cohesive group.
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Photo Alexander Wagner
Dance
A new work by the group’s founding choreographer.
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Dance
Don Quichotte du TrocadĂŠro
Photos Patrick Berger
Don Quixote of the Trocadero
Dance
José Montalvo José Montalvo Choreographer, set and video designer Patrice Thibaud Artistic participation Pascal Minet and Sylvain Decay Artistic partners to video
José Montalvo combines farce, burlesque and commedia dell’arte for the 21st century with urban and modern dance, film and slapstick comedy in his brilliant new show. Don Quixote, in his fifties, decides to achieve great things and finds himself in the dance halls, or Trocaderos, of Europe – traditional meeting and socialising spaces. Featuring acclaimed comic actor Patrice Thibaud and a spellbinding interplay of live dance and film projections, Montalvo’s latest work makes for an unexpected, surreal and intriguing take on Cervantes’s iconic novel. As with his last Festival appearance with On Danse in 2007, in which dancers appeared to carry an elephant on a flying carpet and an army of tiny horses flew across the audience, in Montalvo’s creative universe, expect the unexpected.
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Thursday 29 – Saturday 31 August 7.30pm Festival Theatre, Edinburgh Tickets £30 £27 £25 £22 £20 £17 £12 1 hour 10 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/montalvo
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Dance
‘Analogue body dances with digital video.’
Photo YMAP
THE HANKyOREH
Madame Freedom European Premiere
YMAP (Your Media Arts Project) Hyo Jin Kim Choreographer and director Hyung Su Kim Art director Sooyoung Moon Music director Taesup Lee Set designer Hyo Jin Kim Dancer Heung Nam Kim Dancer
A two-dimensional, cinematic black-and-white woman of yesteryear struggles to break free of the social, economic and political straitjacket of the time, while a three-dimensional woman of here and now struggles to what…? Break free…? Of what…? When the unfulfilled soul of a fictional woman surges down through the years to infuse a living and breathing woman with longing what happens, and, truly, how free is free? Tuesday 20 & Wednesday 21 August 8.00pm King’s Theatre, Edinburgh Tickets £30 £24 £16 £12 1 hour approximately eif.co.uk/madamefreedom
Supported by
A stunning and stirring fusion of live performance, fantastical filmed imagery and innovative digital technology, Madame Freedom dances with the classic Korean film of the 1950s of the same name, as well as with themes of identity, myth, and a sense of being trapped by the past. It tells the story of an ordinary woman and her dreams – of different lives, of different selves – and the choices that she can or cannot make.
Theatre
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Metamorphosis ADAPTED FROM THE METAMORPHOSIS By FRANZ KAFKA
World Premiere Contemporary Legend Theatre Performed in Mandarin with English supertitles Cast Wu Hsing-kuo
Travelling salesman and sole breadwinner for his family, Gregor Samsa awakes one day to discover that he has been transformed into a giant insect. Unable to communicate and shocking to anyone who sees him, he is forced into a solitary existence confined to his room. As he becomes insufferable to himself and a burden to his family, when death finally comes it is a relief, freeing him from the anxieties of everyday life. Following his acclaimed one-man production of Shakespeare’s King lear during Festival 2011, Contemporary Legend Theatre’s Wu Hsing-kuo returns with a mesmerising deconstruction of Franz Kafka’s seminal novella. Through poetry, music and live interplay with video projections, Wu showcases the spectacular techniques, colour and flair of traditional Peking Opera to transport Kafka’s early 20th-century tale of disaffection, anxiety, solitude and loneliness from industrial Europe to a fantasy world laced with the beauty of ancient Eastern cultures. Contemporary Legend Theatre’s King Lear, Festival 2011:
‘Taiwanese answer to Orson Welles... there is no denying the actor’s extraordinary virtuosic power… He is quite brilliant.’ THE GUARDIAN
Supported by
King’s Theatre, Edinburgh Tickets £30 £24 £16 £12 1 hour 30 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/metamorphosis
Taipei Representative Office in the uK
Photo Kuo Cheng-Chang
Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 August 8.00pm Monday 12 August 3.00pm
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Theatre
‘saucy assault upon Shakespeare and theatre history.’ The Guardian
Hamlet William Shakespeare
Saturday 10 – Tuesday 13 August 7.30pm Royal Lyceum Theatre Tickets £30 £24 £20 £16 £10 2 hours 45 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/hamlet
Supported by
Edinburgh International Festival Friends and Patrons Tuesday 13 August 6.00pm
7.15pm
The Wooster Group Performed in English Hamlet Scott Shepherd Claudius/Marcellus/Ghost/Gravedigger Ari Fliakos Gertrude/Ophelia Kate Valk Polonius/Priest Greg Mehrten Laertes/Rosencrantz/Guildenstern/Player King Casey Spooner Horatio/Rosencrantz/Guildenstern/Player Queen Daniel Pettrow Nurse Koosil-ja Bernardo/Voltemand Alessandro Magania Elizabeth LeCompte Director Ruud van den Akker Set Jennifer Tipton Lighting Bobby McElver, Matt Schloss and Omar Zubair Sound Andrew Schneider and Aron Deyo Video
Photo Paula Court
Theatre
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Selections from the Wooster Group Archive Rumstick Road A video reconstruction of the landmark 1977 production Rumstick Road which combined audio taped conversations, family letters, dance, 35mm slides and the writing of Mary Baker Eddy to construct a response to the suicide of Spalding Gray’s mother. ‘A brilliant and engrossing work; one whose abstraction and complexity are at the service of genuine emotion.’ The New York Times
To You, The Birdie! (Phèdre) A video of the 2002 OBIEwinning production of Racine’s Phèdre, set in a mobile modernist landscape of sliding Plexiglass panels, omnipresent monitors, hidden cameras, and badminton… ‘This blend of ironic seriousness, heightened theatricality and multimedia ballet has developed into one of the sharpest of theatrical instruments’ The Village Voice Monday 12 August 12 noon
Saturday 10 August 12 noon
1 hour 15 minutes
1 hour 15 minutes
House/Lights A video of a complete performance of the 1999 OBIE-winning collision of Gertrude Stein’s Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights with Joseph Mawra’s B-movie classic, Olga’s House of Shame. In 1964 Richard Burton performed on Broadway in John Gielgud’s acclaimed production of Hamlet. Recorded in live performance from 17 camera angles, the resulting film was shown for only two days in 2,000 cinemas across the United States. The idea of bringing a live theatre experience to thousands of viewers in different cities was trumpeted as a new form called ‘Theatrofilm’, made possible through ‘the miracle of Electronovision’. New York’s groundbreaking theatre company The Wooster Group re-imagines Shakespeare’s classic tragedy for the 21st century. By remixing footage of the 1964 production, it attempts to reverse the process, reconstructing a hypothetical theatre piece for a live audience. In doing so it channels the ghost of that legendary performance, by intentionally replacing its own spirit with the spirit of another.
‘Bedazzling… there’s nothing else like it around; it turns disorientation into a primary sensual pleasure, even as it raises terrifying thoughts about the deeply mixed blessings of technological progress.’ The New York Times Sunday 11 August 12 noon 1 hour 15 minutes
The Emperor Jones; Today, I Must Sincerely Congratulate You; Rhyme ’Em to Death Three pieces on video: The Emperor Jones is a video interpretation of The Wooster Group’s original stage production of Eugene O’Neill’s play; Today, I Must Sincerely Congratulate You is the Group’s 1991 metadocumentary of daily life in a fading performance troupe; and Rhyme ’Em to Death is a short black-and-white film from 1994 inspired by Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Tuesday 13 August 12 noon 1 hour 10 minutes
New Media Scotland Tickets £4 eif.co.uk/woosterarchive
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Theatre
‘Grid Iron are surely now one of the most sophisticated site-specific theatre makers in Europe.’
Image Douglas Chalmers
The TIMES
Theatre
25
Leaving Planet Earth by Catrin Evans and Lewis Hetherington
World Premiere Grid Iron Performed in English Catrin Evans and Lewis Hetherington Co-writers and directors Paul Claydon Lighting designer Philip Pinsky Composer and sound designer Becs Andrews and Dave Lynch Set and video designers Kat Smith Costume designer
Saturday 10 – Monday 12 August, Wednesday 14 – Monday 19 August & Wednesday 21 – Saturday 24 August 8.00pm The show begins at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre and continues at the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena, Ratho Tickets £25 £12.50 concessions 3 hours 30 minutes approximately including travel from EICC
Old Earth has nothing left for us, and so it is time for a new beginning. Cross galaxies, traverse light years and find yourself in a world where you can be the centre of your own universe. Welcome to New Earth. Never look back. Vela, the revered and celebrated architect of this new society, has recently been avoiding her public duties in favour of visiting the Old Earth Museum and the company of its Security Guard. As the final migrants arrive, she is becoming increasingly obsessed by her memories, and questions are growing about her sanity. Award-winning theatre company Grid Iron fuses live interactive performance with innovative digital and new media technologies. Leaving Planet Earth is a site-responsive promenade production on an epic scale. Tracing the story of humanity’s first migration into space, it asks fundamental questions about our connection to this planet. Should we leave this world, and if so, who will endure and at what cost? Please note: the journey to New Earth begins at 8.00pm at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC). Buses will then transport travellers to New Earth (and back). Data on the inhabitants of New Earth is an important part of the experience. Grid Iron will contact ticket holders in advance to discuss traveller information and preferences and ask about their memories of Old Earth.
eif.co.uk/leavingplanetearth leavingplanetearth.com
Sponsored by
In association with University of Edinburgh Centre for Design Informatics, Edinburgh Napier University Institute for Creative Industries, Edinburgh Leisure, Edinburgh International Climbing Arena and Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
Theatre
Photo Montserrat Antequerra
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Histoire d’amour A love story Original novel by Régis Jauffret translated by Carlos GonzÁlez adapted by juan carlos zagal, Montserrat Antequerra
European Premiere Thursday 15 – Saturday 17 August 8.00pm Saturday 17 August 2.00pm
1 hour 35 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/histoire
Performed in Spanish with English supertitles Juan Carlos Zagal Director and music Laura Pizarro Art director Luis Alcaide Designer and lighting designer Montserrat Antequerra Multimedia director Cast Bernardita Montero and Julián Marras
An English teacher sees a woman on the underground and decides she will become his wife and the mother of his children. He takes over her life and when she tries to escape, all doors close before her. Once re-captured he abuses her again, over and over.
Please note this performance contains adult themes and is not suitable for children.
Histoire d’amour explores a world where guilt and responsibility disappear under the shadows of impunity and silence. In a black and white universe, this is a love story overwhelmed by asphyxia, perversion, alienation and obsession told intimately from within a tortured mind.
A co-production between Scène Nationale de Sète, FITAM and Consejo Nacional de la Culturas y las Artes-Fondart.
Through a seamless blend of live action and cinematic projection, Chile’s Teatrocinema returns to the Festival with a chilling and brutal tale that marks the third in a trilogy utilising techniques of theatre, films, comics, animation, photography and music.
King’s Theatre, Edinburgh Tickets £30 £24 £16 £12
Teatrocinema
Theatre
Photo Babeth VanLoo
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On Behalf of Nature by Meredith Monk
European Premiere
Meredith Monk and Vocal Ensemble Meredith Monk Music and direction Elaine Buckholtz Lighting Jody Elff Sound Yoshio Yabara Scenography and costume design Meredith Monk and Michael Grenadier Video editing Sidney Chen, Ellen Fisher, Katie Geissinger, Meredith Monk, Bruce Rameker and Allison Sniffin Voices Bohdan Hilash Woodwind, John Hollenbeck Percussion, Allison Sniffin Keyboard, Violin and French Horn
After receiving a 2010 Herald Angel Award for Songs of Ascension, US composer, singer, filmmaker and theatre artist Meredith Monk returns to the Festival with her latest music-theatre work, On Behalf of Nature. Friday 16 & Saturday 17 August 8.00pm Sunday 18 August 2.30pm Royal Lyceum Theatre Tickets £30 £24 £20 £16 £10 1 hour 15 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/meredithmonk
Supported by
American Friends of the Edinburgh International Festival
A poetic meditation on the environment, On Behalf of Nature evokes the Buddhist notion of different realm categories, uniting heaven and earth by way of human beings. Drawing further inspiration from writers who have sounded the alarm on the state of our global ecology, Monk and her acclaimed Vocal Ensemble create a space where human, natural and spiritual elements are woven into a delicate whole, illuminating the interconnection and interdependency of us all. ‘a rapturous new work… some of the finest music Monk has yet written.’ Los Angeles Times
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Theatre
European Premiere Beijing People’s Art Theatre Performed in Mandarin with English supertitles Lin Zhaohua Director and lighting designer Yi Liming Director, lighting and set designer Cast includes Pu Cunxin, Jing Hao, Li Zhen, Fu Jia
by William Shakespeare Translated by Ying Ruocheng
Theatre
Beijing Daily
Brilliant General Caius Martius returns to Rome a hero. Having conquered the city of Corioles he is named Coriolanus and persuaded to run for Consul. However, when he is rejected by the ‘common people’ Coriolanus vows to destroy Rome and joins forces with his enemy Aufidius to mount an attack. With live music by two of China’s leading heavy metal bands – Miserable Faith and Suffocated – innovative Chinese director Lin Zhaohua creates an epic night of theatre that re-interprets Shakespeare’s tragedy for the 21st century. Pu Cunxin, one of China’s most famous actors, brings the rebel General vividly to life.
Tuesday 20 & Wednesday 21 August 7.30pm The Edinburgh Playhouse Tickets £30 £27 £22 £17 £12 £10 2 hours 50 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/coriolanus
Supported by
The Ministry of Culture, People’s Republic of China
Photos Beijing People’s Art Theatre
‘magnificent’
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30
Beckett at the Festival
Beckett at the Festival
Photo John Minihan
TV, radio and fiction works adapted for the stage
Eh Joe
I’ll Go On
By Samuel Beckett
From Molloy, Malone Dies and The Unnamable by Samuel Beckett
Gate Theatre Dublin Performed in English Featuring the voice of Penelope Wilton Atom Egoyan Director Eileen Diss Set designer James McConnell Lighting designer
The whisper in your head …. Me whispering at you in your head …. Things you can’t catch …. On and off …. Till you join us …. Eh, Joe? An old man in his dressing gown moves around his bedroom, checking behind the door, under the bed, out of the window. Satisfied there are no intruders, he sits on the bed. Then he hears a woman’s ghostly voice… Beckett’s first play written specifically for television, Eh Joe explores how one man is forced to face up to his past and the lovers he has abused and driven to destruction. Tormented by inner demons, he is made to relive everything he has tried to forget. In this acclaimed production from the Gate Theatre, as the disembodied voice speaks out, a camera projects the face of Joe onto a large screen intensifying every flicker of fear, anger and shame. As the emotional tension heightens, we are all forced to admit that we can’t escape our past. Friday 23 August & Tuesday 27 August 9.00pm Thursday 29 August 7.00pm Saturday 31 August 5.00pm Royal Lyceum Theatre Tickets £20 £15 £10 £8 30 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/ehjoe
Supported by
Harold Mitchell Esq, AC
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Photo Amelia Stein
Image Charles Hans Winecoff
Beckett at the Festival
Gate Theatre Dublin Performed in English Cast Barry McGovern Colm Ó Briain Director Robert Ballagh Set and costume designer James McConnell Lighting designer
Based on Beckett’s trilogy of novels – Molloy, Malone Dies and The Unnamable – this one-man show performed by celebrated Beckett interpreter Barry McGovern brings together three monologues that unify the central characters of each novel, revealing successively deepening layers of reflection and emotion. Firstly there is Molloy, who tells of how he came to occupy his mother’s room. Then there is Malone, alone and dying, telling himself stories as he awaits the inevitable. And finally the Unnamable, desperately seeking the right words that will permit him to utter his real self at last. ‘An outright triumph… arrestingly funny’ Time Magazine ‘Stunning… exhilarating’ The New York Times
Sunday 25, Monday 26, Wednesday 28 & Saturday 31 August 9.00pm Royal Lyceum Theatre Tickets £20 £15 £10 £8 1 hour 25 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/igoon
Supported by
Harold Mitchell Esq, AC
Beckett at the Festival
Photo Pan Pan
Image Eileen Diss
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First Love
Embers
by Samuel Beckett
By Samuel Beckett
Gate Theatre Dublin
Pan Pan Theatre
Performed in English
Performed in English
Michael Colgan Director Eileen Diss Set designer James McConnell Lighting designer
Gavin Quinn Director Andrew Clancy Sculptor Aedin Cosgrove Lighting designer Jimmy Eadie Sound designer
After the death of his father, a man finds himself homeless, sharing a canal-side bench in Dublin with a prostitute. As she pursues him lustfully he unwillingly falls in love. In the ensuing relationship, he ruthlessly refuses to engage emotionally with her, except when, despite his reluctance, she arouses his desires. Written in 1946, Beckett’s novella First Love is full of his rich, lyrical prose. This darkly comic story explores how love fails us and how we fail love. ‘one of the most wholly satisfying nights I’ve spent at the theatre this year’ The New York Times ‘elegantly profane language and mordant humor’ New York Post
Wednesday 28 & Saturday 31 August 7.00pm Thursday 29 & Friday 30 August 9.00pm Royal Lyceum Theatre Tickets £20 £15 £10 £8 1 hour approximately eif.co.uk/firstlove
Supported by
Harold Mitchell Esq, AC
‘silence in the house, not a sound, only the fire, no flames now, embers. Embers.’ Henry sits on a beach, remembering and imagining stories and incidents from his life, tormented by his father’s suicide, his own disfunctional family history and his failure as a writer. Hallucinations and reality merge as he attempts to stoke the fire of his creativity. First broadcast on radio in 1959, Embers takes us on a journey into the haphazard world of Henry’s imagination, a world of ever-shifting mental leaps, ruminations and ambiguities where creative storytelling and unfinished memories both real and unreal coalesce into one. Was Henry’s father washed out to sea while taking his evening swim, or did he commit suicide? ‘We never found your body, you know…’
Saturday 24 & Sunday 25 August 7.00pm Sunday 25 August 2.00pm King’s Theatre, Edinburgh Tickets £20 £15 £10 50 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/embers
Supported by
Léan Scully EIF Fund
Beckett at the Festival
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Beckett on Film
Photo Ros Kavanagh
A rare opportunity to experience the 19 films, shorts and features, from many different filmmakers and actors, of the Beckett on Film project produced by Michael Colgan and Alan Moloney.
All That Fall
Catastrophe Directed by David Mamet and starring Harold Pinter, Rebecca Pidgeon and John Gielgud Rough for Theatre II Directed by Katie Mitchell and starring Jim Norton, Timothy Spall and Hugh B O’Brien Breath Directed by Damien Hirst 10.00am – 10.40am
By Samuel Beckett Happy Days Directed by Patricia Rozema and starring Rosaleen Linehan and Richard Johnson
Pan Pan Theatre
11.00am – 12.20pm
Performed in English Gavin Quinn Director Aedin Cosgrove Designer Jimmy Eadie Sound designer Cast of voices Andrew Bennett, Phelim Drew, John Kavanagh, Nell Klemenčič, Áine Ní Mhuiri, Robbie O’Connor, Joey O’Sullivan, David Pearse, Daniel Reardon, Judith Roddy
‘A life of unending misery in a world devoid of God, now that’s funny.’ Maddy Rooney is in her seventies – unsightly, ungainly and unwell – laboriously to-ing and fro-ing between her home and Boghill Station. This is a landscape whose details are drawn from the suburbs of Foxrock and Leopardstown from Beckett’s youth, but which may now exist solely in Maddy’s mind. Performed in Pan Pan’s atmospheric, theatrically tuned listening chamber, this multi-layered composition of voices is at once a black comedy, a murder mystery, a cryptic literary riddle and a quasimusical score.
Sunday 25 & Monday 26 August 11.00am, 2.30pm, 5.00pm & 7.30pm The Hub Tickets £15 1 hour 10 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/allthatfall
Supported by
Léan Scully EIF Fund
Rockaby Directed by Richard Eyre and starring Penelope Wilton Act Without Words I Directed by Karel Reisz and starring Sean Foley with music by Michael Nyman That Time Directed by Charles Garrad and starring Niall Buggy
Krapp’s Last Tape Directed by Atom Egoyan and starring John Hurt 4.50pm – 5.50pm
Ohio Impromptu Directed by Charles Sturridge and starring Jeremy Irons Rough for Theatre I Directed by Kieron J Walsh and starring David Kelly and Milo O’Shea Not I Directed by Neil Jordan and starring Julianne Moore 6.10pm – 7.00pm
What Where Directed by Damien O’Donnell and starring Sean McGinley and Gary Lewis Footfalls Directed by Walter Asmus and starring Susan FitzGerald and Joan O’Hara Come and Go Directed by John Crowley and starring Paola Dionisotti, Anna Massey and Siân Phillips 7.20pm – 8.10pm
12.40 – 1.30pm
Endgame Directed by Conor McPherson and starring Michael Gambon, David Thewlis, Charles Simon and Jean Anderson
Waiting for Godot Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg and starring Stephen Brennan, Barry McGovern, Johnny Murphy, Alan Stanford and Sam McGovern as the boy
1.50pm – 3.15pm
8.30pm – 10.30pm
Act Without Words II Directed by Enda Hughes and starring Pat Kinevane and Marcello Magni A Piece of Monologue Directed by Robin Lefevre and starring Stephen Brennan Play Directed by Anthony Minghella and starring Alan Rickman, Kristin Scott Thomas and Juliet Stephenson 3.40pm – 4.30pm
Saturday 31 August The Hub Tickets £4 per screening Special Offer Buy a ticket for 3 to 6 screenings and save 20% or for 7 to 9 screenings and save 30%! eif.co.uk/beckettonfilm
The Opening Concert
Image Nicholas Roerich Alexander Nevsky Defeats Birger Jarl (1904)
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The Opening Concert
Alexander Nevsky SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Royal Scottish National Orchestra Valery Gergiev Conductor Yulia Matochkina Mezzo soprano Daniil Trifonov Piano Edinburgh Festival Chorus Christopher Bell Chorus Master Prokofiev Piano Concerto No 3 Alexander Nevsky
The 2013 Festival opens in thrilling fashion as three great Russian musicians join the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in a pair of seminal masterpieces by Prokofiev. Conductor Valery Gergiev is world-renowned for his searing, powerful interpretations, and young, multi-award-winning pianist Daniil Trifonov astonished listeners at his Queen’s Hall recital last year with his brilliant technique and profound musicality. The two men come together with the RSNO to perform Prokofiev’s glittering Piano Concerto No 3, which holds expressive lyricism and sparkling wit in exquisite balance. Friday 9 August 7.30pm Usher Hall Tickets £46 £39 £32 £26 £20 £12
After the interval, the orchestra is joined by the massed voices of the Edinburgh Festival Chorus and mezzo soprano yulia Matochkina for the dramatic cantata Alexander Nevsky, whose exhilarating music vividly celebrates the battles and victories of medieval Russia.
1 hour 40 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/opening
The performance of Daniil Trifonov is supported by The Inches Carr Trust.
Music
Photo Roger Mastroianni
Photo Mark Hamilton
20th Century Classics
Mitsuko Uchida Piano
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Bach Prelude and Fugue No 1 in C BWV870 Prelude and Fugue No 14 in F sharp minor BWV883 Schoenberg Six Little Piano Pieces Op 19 Schumann Waldszenen Op 82 Piano Sonata No 2 in G minor Op 22 Gesänge der Frühe Op 133
Ilan Volkov Conductor Synergy Vocals Varèse Intégrales Amériques Berio Sinfonia
A poet of the piano, Mitsuko Uchida is famed for playing that matches elegance and poise with mercurial excitement.
An evening of thrilling 20th-century classics from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under its chief guest conductor, Ilan Volkov, who is widely renowned for the passion and intensity of his music making. Sinfonia by Luciano Berio is a virtuoso work full of colour and humour that poses profound questions about what a symphony can be. Its famous third movement brings together the musical universe with quotations from Bach, Beethoven, Debussy, Berlioz and others collected around the framework of Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony (which can be heard in its original form on 12 August). Beforehand, Varèse’s Amériques is a gripping musical depiction of New York, complete with firetrucks, foghorns and police sirens. It is an unforgettable piece of enormous power written for a gargantuan orchestra. In his smaller Intégrales, which opens the concert, Varèse sends sounds whizzing about musical space.
Her Festival recital combines gentle lyricism and explosive virtuosity. To begin, she contrasts two luminous Preludes and Fugues from the second book of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier with Schoenberg’s startling set of expressionist miniatures, the Six Little Piano Pieces. Schumann’s tender yet powerful music is the ideal match for Uchida’s captivating playing. His Waldszenen (‘Forest Scenes’) offer a richly Romantic view of the natural world, and his Second Piano Sonata is a tempestuous, virtuosic piece. Uchida ends her concert with the spiritual beauty of the touching Gesänge der Frühe (‘Songs of Dawn’). ‘among the most respected artists of our time’ The New York Times
‘Volkov lavished a degree of sophistication… that brought an entirely fresh perspective to the music.’ The Herald This concert will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 at a future date.
Saturday 10 August 8.00pm
Supported by
Usher Hall Tickets £42 £35 £26 £24 £17 £12
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MAGAZINE
Tuesday 13 August 8.00pm
Supported by
Usher Hall
Joscelyn Fox
Tickets
£34 £26 £22 £19 £16 £14 £12
1 hour 30 minutes approximately
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/bbcsso1
eif.co.uk/uchida
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Music
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Mariss Jansons
Tchaikovsky Symphony No 6
Mahler Symphony No 2
Mitsuko uchida Piano
Genia Kühmeier Soprano Anna Larsson Mezzo soprano
The internationally renowned Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra makes a two-concert visit to the Festival under chief conductor Mariss Jansons, acclaimed for his blistering performances and for his cultured interpretations that shine fresh light on major classical works. Tchaikovsky’s ‘Pathétique’ Symphony is one of the composer’s best-loved creations, a moving piece on the theme of forbidden love whose grand, sweeping melodies are full of emotional turbulence and impassioned suffering. By way of contrast, before the interval Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto shows the composer at his most luminous and lyrical, and its atmosphere of serene contemplation is the ideal setting for the poise and grace of Mitsuko Uchida’s exquisite pianism. ‘one of the most cultivated orchestral sounds in Europe’ The Guardian
Sunday 11 August 7.30pm
Sponsored by
Edinburgh Festival Chorus Christopher Bell Chorus Master Mahler Symphony No 2 ‘Resurrection’ The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra performs one of the grandest and most moving pieces in the entire orchestral repertoire: Mahler’s Second Symphony. Tracing a journey from funereal despair to the blazing light of rebirth, the Symphony combines moments of hair-raising terror with passages of poignant intimacy. The spiritual exaltation of its thunderous conclusion, complete with chorus, crashing tam tams and tolling bells, is unforgettable. Jansons is joined by the renowned Austrian soprano Genia Kühmeier, acclaimed for her immaculate delivery, and the great Swedish mezzo soprano Anna Larsson, as well as the massed forces of the Edinburgh Festival Chorus.
Monday 12 August 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Usher Hall
Tickets £42 £35 £26 £24 £17 £12
Tickets £42 £35 £26 £24 £17 £12
1 hour 40 minutes approximately
1 hour 30 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/tchaikovsky6
eif.co.uk/mahler2
Sponsored by
Photo Koichi Miura
Beethoven Piano Concerto No 4 Tchaikovsky Symphony No 6 ‘Pathétique’
Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble 01
Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble 02
Marc Minkowski Conductor
Marc Minkowski Conductor
Schubert Symphony No 1 Symphony No 5 Symphony No 7 ‘Unfinished’
Schubert Symphony No 3 Symphony No 8 ‘Great’
Regarded as one of the world’s great period-instrument orchestras, and acclaimed for its pristine playing and the emotional depth of its performances, Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble brings two concerts of Schubert symphonies – some little-known, others rightly celebrated – to the Festival under its founder, French conductor Marc Minkowski. Schubert wrote his lively First Symphony at the remarkable age of 16, and his intimate Fifth Symphony, imbued with elegance and poise, sparkles with the influence of Mozart. To end the concert, Minkowski directs what is probably Schubert’s most famous orchestral work, the ‘Unfinished’ Symphony. Although the composer completed only two of its four movements, it is one of his most beautiful creations, combining searing emotion with gloriously lyrical melodies.
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Photo Elisabeth Carecchio
Photo Petra Coddington / Konzerthaus Dortmund
Music
Using instruments and playing styles that the composer himself would have known, Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble conclude their survey of Schubert symphonies with the composer’s grandest and most ambitious contribution to orchestral music. Schubert’s ‘Great C major’ Symphony is considered by many to be the greatest 19th-century symphony after Beethoven. It earnt its nickname because of its sheer majesty and grandeur, and its ambition is clear from the noble horn melody that opens the work right through to the urgent, restless momentum of its finale. Before it, Minkowski conducts the charmingly lyrical Third Symphony, a graceful, humorous piece that Schubert wrote at the age of just 18.
‘one of the most breathtakingly beautiful concerts to be heard in this country for some time’ The Guardian
Wednesday 14 August 7.30pm
Thursday 15 August 7.30pm
Usher Hall
Usher Hall
Tickets
Tickets
£42 £35 £26 £24 £17 £12
£42 £35 £26 £24 £17 £12
1 hour 50 minutes approximately
1 hour 50 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/louvre1
eif.co.uk/louvre2
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Music
Chamber Orchestra of Europe Conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin
01
02
Kai Frömbgen Oboe Matthew Wilkie Bassoon Lorenza Borrani Violin William Conway Cello
Romain Guyot Clarinet Matthew Wilkie Bassoon Lorenza Borrani Violin Pascal Siffert Viola
Strauss Metamorphosen Haydn Sinfonia concertante in B flat Beethoven Symphony No 3 ‘Eroica’
Strauss Duet-Concertino Mozart Sinfonia concertante in E flat, K364 Beethoven Symphony No 7
Drawn from the finest players across the continent, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe is widely considered to be one of the world’s greatest orchestras. Its two Festival concerts are directed by the young French-Canadian yannick Nézet-Séguin, who is famed for the inspirational energy of his performances.
The celebrated Chamber Orchestra of Europe delves further into the richly contrasting musical worlds of Strauss and Beethoven in the second of its two Festival concerts under fiery young conductor yannick Nézet-Séguin.
In between, Haydn’s joyful Sinfonia concertante for violin, cello, oboe, bassoon and orchestra showcases the talents of the COE soloists in sparkling music full of wit and virtuosity. This concert will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 at a future date.
Wagner famously called Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony ‘the apotheosis of the dance’, and its infectious rhythms and bubbling melodies are indeed full of optimism and energy. Before the interval, soloists step out from the orchestra to perform two double concertos of rare lyricism. Strauss’s Duet-Concertino is written for the striking combination of clarinet, bassoon and strings and its nostalgic, affectionate music looks back to the charm of Mozart. That earlier composer’s inspirational Sinfonia concertante for violin and viola brims over with effortless melodic invention. This concert will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 at a future date.
Friday 16 August 8.00pm
Supported by
Sunday 18 August 7.30pm
Supported by
Usher Hall
The Pirie Rankin Charitable Trust
Usher Hall
The Ellem Foundation
Tickets £42 £35 £26 £24 £17 £12
Tickets £42 £35 £26 £24 £17 £12
2 hours approximately
1 hour 50 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/coe1
eif.co.uk/coe2
Photo Marco Borggreve
In his revolutionary ‘Eroica’ Symphony, Beethoven reacted to hopes for freedom and democracy in Europe with stirring themes and music of immense emotional depth. Strauss’s Metamorphosen, which begins the concert, is an intensely personal reflection on the destruction of German culture in the Second World War that quotes from Beethoven’s symphonic masterpiece.
Fauré Requiem
The Sixteen
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Harry Christophers Conductor
Robin Ticciati Conductor
James MacMillan Miserere O bone Jesu Carver Credo from Missa Dum sacrum mysterium O bone Jesu Wylkynson Jesus autem transiens / Credo in Deum Tallis Tunes for Archbishop Parker’s Psalter Miserere Spem in alium
Sir Thomas Allen Baritone Isaac Waddington Treble National Youth Choir of Scotland Christopher Bell Chorus Master Debussy Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune (arr. Sachs under the supervision of Schoenberg) Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht Webern Five Pieces Op 10 Fauré Requiem
A concert of warmth and lyricism that draws on the refined playing for which the Scottish Chamber Orchestra is renowned. Principal conductor Robin Ticciati is joined by the remarkable National youth Choir of Scotland and two exceptional solo vocal talents. Sir Thomas Allen is one of Britain’s best-loved singers, celebrated for his glorious lyric baritone and his intense characterisation, and young Isaac Waddington recently won the BBC Radio 2 young Chorister of the year award. They come together in Fauré’s serene Requiem, a poignant but peaceful reflection on mortality.
The Sixteen is one of Britain’s most accomplished choral groups. This wide-ranging concert contrasts the glories of English and Scottish vocal music old and new, from the Renaissance splendour of Thomas Tallis to the powerful contemporary sounds of James MacMillan. Tallis’s grand Spem in alium, which gives the concert its imposing ending, is a hugely moving piece for 40 individual voices whose melodies spin through space between the singers in a bewitching web of sound. The same composer’s vivid Tunes for Archbishop Parker’s Psalter served as the basis for Vaughan Williams’s famous Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. MacMillan’s intensely expressive Miserere and O bone Jesu are joined by glowing music from Renaissance monk and fellow Scot Robert Carver. ‘Nobody sings this repertoire better.’ The Guardian
Ticciati opens the concert with Debussy’s languorous Prélude à l’aprèsmidi d’un faune and Schoenberg’s opulent Verklärte Nacht (‘Transfigured Night’), written long before the composer began his explorations of atonality. Five miniatures by Webern provide a spicy interlude.
Saturday 17 August 8.00pm
Supported by
Wednesday 21 August 7.30pm
Usher Hall
Donald and Louise MacDonald
Usher Hall
Tickets £42 £35 £26 £24 £17 £12
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Photo Josep Molina
Photo Marco Borggreve
Music
Tickets
£34 £26 £22 £19 £16 £14 £12
1 hour 50 minutes approximately
1 hour 50 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/faurerequiem
eif.co.uk/sixteen
Supported by
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Music
Russian National Orchestra Conducted by Mikhail Pletnev
01
02
Nikolai Lugansky Piano
Nikolai Lugansky Piano Svetlana Sozdateleva Soprano Maxim Paster Tenor Edinburgh Festival Chorus Christopher Bell Chorus Master
Best known from David Lean’s 1945 film Brief Encounter, Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto is one of the most beloved works in the orchestral repertoire, a masterpiece of poignant nostalgia and glittering bravura, brimming over with unforgettable melodies.
Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 3 Scriabin Symphony No 1
It launches the Russian National Orchestra’s two concerts celebrating Russian music at this year’s Festival, under the conductor who founded the ensemble in 1990, Mikhail Pletnev. Soloist Nikolai Lugansky returns after last year’s spectacular recital with violinist Leonidas Kavakos, his fizzing technique and suave elegance an ideal match for the Concerto’s dazzling demands.
Russian pianist Nikolai Lugansky, widely acclaimed for his performances of Rachmaninov’s piano music, brings the passionate, fiery Third Concerto to the Russian National Orchestra’s second Festival concert.
Pletnev concludes the concert with Glazunov’s opulent ballet score The Seasons, a lush evocation of the passing of the Russian year, with vivid depictions of frost, spring winds, ripening corn and falling autumn leaves. ‘Pletnev evokes music with the RNO which satisfies the appetite and leaves you breathless.’ Kölnische Rundschau
It is considered one of the most technically challenging concertos in the repertoire, combining astonishing virtuosity with passages of luminous lyricism. Lugansky’s previous performances and recordings of the Concerto have earnt him widespread admiration for his immaculate technique and glittering pianistic brilliance. Mikhail Pletnev brings his powerful Russian-themed concerts to a resounding conclusion with the First Symphony by Russian composer and visionary Alexander Scriabin, a transcendental piece whose lush, colourful music and grand, choral finale form a visionary hymn to the power of art.
Monday 19 August 7.30pm
Supported by
Tuesday 20 August 7.30pm
Supported by
Usher Hall
Dunard Fund
Usher Hall
Dunard Fund
Tickets £42 £35 £26 £24 £17 £12
Tickets £42 £35 £26 £24 £17 £12
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
2 hours approximately
eif.co.uk/rno1
eif.co.uk/rno2
Photo Artyom Makeyev
Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 2 Glazunov The Seasons
Ian Bostridge Tenor Lars Vogt Piano
Beethoven Prometheus
Ives Memories Feldeinsamkeit Remembrance 1, 2, 3 Thoreau Brahms Songs Op 32 Schumann Kerner Lieder Op 35
René Jacobs Conductor
Quite simply one of the world’s most respected and admired tenors, Ian Bostridge is famed for the delicate expression and powerful characterisation of his elegant yet probing performances. He is joined by the esteemed German pianist Lars Vogt, well known as an international concert soloist but also a highly renowned chamber musician. In their wide-ranging recital, they explore touching songs of love and nostalgia, by turns witty and introspective. Beginning with five brief songs by Charles Ives, from the humorous Memories to the evocative Thoreau, they continue with Brahms’s characterful Lieder Op 32, nine lyrical songs celebrating the joys of love and lamenting its loss. Bostridge ends his recital with Schumann’s passionate Kerner Lieder Op 35, sensitive settings of 12 Romantic love poems.
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Jan Cossiers Prometheus carrying fire Image Art Resource, NY
Photo Felix Broede
Photo Ben Ealovega
Music
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Haydn Symphony No 104 ‘London’ Beethoven The Creatures of Prometheus
Celebrated Belgian early-music conductor René Jacobs rejects the academic coolness of some period performance in favour of bright colours, dramatic energy and a sometimes unconventional approach. While remaining faithful to his music’s historical roots, Jacobs emphasises emotion and meaning, finding fresh perspectives on wellknown pieces – an ideal match for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s respected reputation in this repertoire. Together they perform the last of Haydn’s ‘London’ symphonies, a work of splendour and grandeur whose final movement evokes the cries from the capital’s street hawkers that the composer found so memorable. Beethoven based his ballet score The Creatures of Prometheus on the Greek fire-stealing myth, and its story is conveyed in bold music full of drama and verve.
‘There was an inward intensity to his singing that held the audience rapt’ Chicago Tribune
Thursday 22 August 8.00pm
Sunday 25 August 7.30pm
Usher Hall
Usher Hall
Tickets
Tickets
£34 £26 £22 £19 £16 £14 £12
£42 £35 £26 £24 £17 £12
1 hour 30 minutes approximately
2 hours approximately
eif.co.uk/bostridge-vogt
eif.co.uk/prometheus
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Music
Tonhalle Orchestra Conducted by David Zinman
Brahms Violin Concerto
Brahms Requiem
Frank Peter Zimmermann Violin
Rachel Harnisch Soprano Florian Bösch Baritone
Brahms Violin Concerto Bruckner Symphony No 3
The rich, Romantic music of Brahms is the focus for the Tonhalle Orchestra’s two Festival concerts under its artistic director David Zinman. Widely considered one of the world’s finest violinists, German Frank Peter Zimmermann is the soloist in Brahms’s beautifully melodic Violin Concerto. He brings his commanding yet spontaneous playing to bear on the warm, lilting tunes and violinistic fireworks of the challenging solo part. Respected for his depth of feeling and the fresh perspectives he brings to familiar music, Zinman ends the concert with Bruckner’s heroic Third Symphony, a majestic piece of nobility and affirmation in which the composer pays homage to his idol, Richard Wagner.
Edinburgh Festival Chorus Christopher Bell Chorus Master Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem
David Zinman concludes his Festival concerts at the helm of the Tonhalle Orchestra with one of Brahms’s most magnificent creations: the German Requiem. A profoundly humanistic work that offers a vision of comfort and hope rather than grief and anger, its superbly crafted music and soaring vocal melodies encompass drama, serenity and intense expressivity. Joining the Edinburgh Festival Chorus for this visionary piece are the celebrated Swiss soprano Rachel Harnisch, noted for her powerful yet intimate performances, and Austrian baritone Florian Bösch, whose intense interpretations have earnt him worldwide acclaim.
Saturday 24 August 8.00pm
Monday 26 August 8.00pm
Supported by
Usher Hall
Usher Hall
Tickets £42 £35 £26 £24 £17 £12
Tickets £42 £35 £26 £24 £17 £12
The Stevenston Charitable Trust
2 hours approximately
1 hour 30 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/brahmsviolin
eif.co.uk/brahmsrequiem
Photo Priska Ketterer
‘Zinman and his orchestra phrase so intelligently – really breathing with the music’ International Record Review
City Noir Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Peter Oundjian Conductor
Daniel Reuss Conductor
Pinchas Zukerman Violin
Pärt Two Slavonic Psalms Schnittke Three Sacred Hymns Kreek Psalm of David 22 Psalm of David 104 Blessed is the Man Rachmaninov All-Night Vigil
Verdi Overture, The Force of Destiny Bruch Violin Concerto No 1 in G minor Christopher Rouse The Infernal Machine Tod Machover Festival City (World Premiere, EIF commission) John Adams City Noir
Inspired by film noir, big-band jazz and the movies of David Lynch, City Noir is a spectacular symphonic showpiece by US composer John Adams that paints a gripping yet sensual portrait of California’s urban landscape and culture. It forms the culmination of the all-American second half of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s concert under music director Peter Oundjian, which also features the world premiere of Festival City, a Festival commission from composer and music technologist Tod Machover who invites us all to contribute to the piece’s creation. See page 3 for more information on how you can take part. Before the interval, world-renowned violinist Pinchas Zukerman joins the RSNO for one of the best-loved pieces in the classical repertoire: Bruch’s First Violin Concerto. Brimming with lyrical melody and dazzling virtuosity, it is a work that combines a touching open-heartedness with high romance – a bold contrast with the concert’s imposing opener, Verdi’s powerful Force of Destiny Overture.
Ambassadors for one of the most exciting choral traditions in Europe, the singers of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir are renowned for the warmth, depth and intense spirituality of their glowing performances. Making a rare trip to Britain and a welcome return to the Festival, they present music from their homeland and from Russia, influenced by the profound passions of Orthodox chant. Rachmaninov’s All-Night Vigil, also known simply as his ‘Vespers’, is the composer’s vivid reinterpretation of a traditional Orthodox service celebrating the eternal light of Christ. This hugely expressive, intensely moving music is considered one of his finest achievements. In the first half, the Choir performs a selection of shorter pieces: the distinctively clear, ringing Two Slavonic Psalms by Arvo Pärt; Schnittke’s richly scored Three Sacred Hymns; and three lush, Romantic works by Estonian composer Cyrillus Kreek. ‘Pure and impassioned, astounding choral artists’ The Wall Street Journal
City Noir: ‘this score is in fact a wonderously strange and complex symphony.’ The New york Times Tuesday 27 August 8.00pm
Sponsored by
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Photo Sibrikov / Dreamstime
San Francisco, Chinatown by night Photo Superstock
Music
Thursday 29 August 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Usher Hall
Tickets £42 £35 £26 £24 £17 £12
Tickets
2 hours approximately
2 hours approximately
eif.co.uk/citynoir
eif.co.uk/estonian
£34 £26 £22 £19 £16 £14 £12
Music
Photo John Wood
Photo Marco Dos Santos
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Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Verdi Requiem
Daniele Gatti Conductor
Donald Runnicles Conductor
Mahler Symphony No 9
Erin Wall Soprano Luciana D’Intino Mezzo soprano Aleksandrs Antonenko Tenor Eric Owens Bass
Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is one of the world’s truly great ensembles, famed for the nobility and sophistication of its orchestral sound, its velvety strings, golden brass and gleaming woodwind. The orchestra performs one of the greatest symphonic achievements in the repertoire. Gustav Mahler never lived to hear his sombre yet visionary Ninth Symphony performed, and it is often considered his farewell to the world, with music of great tenderness as well as volcanic climaxes. Conductor Daniele Gatti is a renowned Mahlerian and widely respected for his searching, dramatic performances that balance incisive detail with emotional resonance. ‘an experience that will stay with me for years to come.’ The Guardian
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Edinburgh Festival Chorus Christopher Bell Chorus Master Verdi Requiem
The Festival’s Usher Hall concerts come to an epic conclusion with Verdi’s powerful Requiem, its theatricality and gripping emotions making it as suited to the opera house or concert hall as to any church. From music of hushed restraint and transcendent hope through to the thunderclap-like drums that depict the day of judgement in the terrifying Dies irae, it is a magnificent work full of operatic grandeur and dramatic contrasts. Conductor Donald Runnicles is famed for his resplendent performances of large-scale late-Romantic music, and joining him and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra are four fine international soloists as well as the massed voices of the Edinburgh Festival Chorus. This concert will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 at a future date.
Friday 30 August 8.00pm
Sponsored by
Saturday 31 August 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Usher Hall
Tickets £42 £35 £26 £24 £17 £12
Tickets
£42 £35 £26 £24 £17 £12
1 hour 30 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/concertgebouw
Supported by
1 hour 30 minutes approximately With additional support from Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, London
eif.co.uk/verdirequiem
With additional support from The Italian Cultural Institute, Edinburgh
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Photo Rob McDougall
Virgin Money Fireworks Concert
Virgin Money Fireworks Concert
Scottish Chamber Orchestra Garry Walker Conductor Musorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition (arr. Ravel)
Join the city of Edinburgh in a celebration of summer festivals, inspirational music and breathtaking pyrotechnics as the Virgin Money Fireworks Concert brings the Edinburgh International Festival to a resplendent conclusion. Set against the magnificent backdrop of Edinburgh’s iconic Castle, the evening brings together the stirring playing of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra with a thrilling concert-long fireworks display, specially choreographed to enhance the musical experience.
Sunday 1 September 9.00pm Tickets Ross Theatre (seated) £27.50 Princes Street Gardens (standing) £12.50, priority entry £17.50 45 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/virginmoneyfireworks
Sponsored by
This year’s centrepiece is Musorgsky’s dazzling orchestral showpiece Pictures at an Exhibition. Its vivid musical depictions of Russian paintings, conveyed in virtuoso playing and barnstorming brass fanfares, are the perfect match for an astonishing display of pyrotechnics. Visit eif.co.uk/virginmoneyfireworks for up-to-the-minute news, features and advice on how to make the best of your evening at the Virgin Money Fireworks Concert. Please note that there are special ticket sales arrangements for this event. See page 74 for further details.
46
Contemporary Music / Opera
Image leemage / Lebrecht Music & Arts
La Belle et la Bête Beauty and the Beast Philip Glass Ensemble Film by Jean Cocteau (1946) Music by Philip Glass Conducted by Michael Riesman Marie Mascari Soprano Hai-Ting Chinn Mezzo soprano Gregory Purnhagen Baritone Peter Stewart Baritone
Minimalist composer Philip Glass’s magical reimagining of Jean Cocteau’s 1946 la Belle et la Bête combines the classic black and white film with live performance in a sophisticated work that is at once a touching fairy tale and a meditation on creativity. Removing the film’s original dialogue track and score by Georges Auric, Glass replaces them with his own scintillating music, played live by the Philip Glass Ensemble, the dialogue sung by vocalists synchonised live with the screen. The result boldly harnesses movie technology to create a stunning synthesis of opera and film, as Cocteau’s bewitching storytelling is matched by some of Glass’s most evocative music in an unforgettable tale of love triumphing over greed.
Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 August 8.00pm The Edinburgh Playhouse Tickets £35 £28 £22 £16 £14 £12 1 hour 30 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/labelle
Supported by
Ewan and Christine Brown
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Photo Stephanie Berger
Contemporary Music
The Poet Speaks Performed by Patti Smith and Philip Glass
Homage to Allen Ginsberg Two of the pillars of contemporary music come together for an intimate evening of poetry, music and song in tribute to their friend, the great Beat Generation poet Allen Ginsberg. Punk poet and provocateur Patti Smith performs both her own and Ginsberg’s poetry, with accompaniment and solo pieces for piano from founding father of minimalism Philip Glass. Renowned as one of the originators of the Beat movement, Ginsberg tirelessly championed the work of his friends Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs. His raw, visceral poems, including Howl, Kaddish and Wichita Vortex Sutra, range from forceful fury to profound spirituality. As a backdrop to the evening’s event, Smith and Glass have curated a collage of images, paintings and photographs, projected live on stage, that reveals the richness of Ginsberg’s achievements.
Tuesday 13 August 8.30pm
Supported by
The Edinburgh Playhouse
Ewan and Christine Brown
Tickets £35 £28 £22 £16 £14 £12 1 hour 30 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/poetspeaks
48
Contemporary Music
Bang on a Can All-Stars Music by Laurie Anderson (World Premiere, EIF co-commission), Todd Reynolds (UK premiere), Anna Clyne (UK premiere), Tyondai Braxton, Florent Ghys, Mira Calix, Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe, Nick Zammuto and Christian Marclay
Ghosts of the past and present collide through video and sound technology in this evening-long project from the internationally renowned Brooklyn-based Bang on a Can All-Stars, an electric chamber ensemble that brings together some of the world’s most adventurous musical thinkers. The Field Recordings project looks back at a century of recorded sound and images, with specially commissioned new music that draws on melodies, pictures, ideas or voices that already exist to shine new light on the world around us.
Friday 23 August 8.00pm Usher Hall Tickets £34 £26 £22 £15 £12 1 hour 30 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/bangonacan
This special event features the world premiere of a new work by US experimental performance artist Laurie Anderson, co-commissioned by the Festival, as well as an appearance by composer Mira Calix, who performs with the ensemble as a guest artist. Straddling contemporary classical, electronica, folk, indie pop and live art, the evening’s wide-ranging music embraces Bang on a Can All-Stars’s trademark rhythmic intensity alongside subtlety and lyricism, and also features film and video projections.
Photo Stephanie Berger
Field Recordings
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Photo Philip Gould / Corbis
Contemporary Music
Ensemble musikFabrik A tribute to Frank Zappa Frank Zappa Big Swifty t’Mershi Duween The Black Page Black Page #1 The Black Page #2 RDNZL Echidna’s Arf (Of you) Don’t you Ever Wash That Thing? John Cage Credo in Us Seven Varèse Ionisation (Conducted by Carl Rosman)
A concert of blazing energy, infectious rhythms and big sounds as Cologne-based contemporary music group Ensemble musikFabrik celebrates the sometimes outrageous music of US maverick Frank Zappa. Led from the drumkit by superstar percussionist Dirk Rothbrust, the ensemble explores connections between Zappa’s wild creations, from the vibrant funk of Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing? to the atmospheric t’Mershi Duween, and the classical music that he so admired. Ensemble musikFabrik also performs the remarkable Ionisation for 13 percussionists by Zappa’s lifelong hero Edgard Varèse, a celebration of the sounds of modern city life. John Cage’s classic Credo in us, written in response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, supplements the percussion ensemble with turntable and radio receiver.
‘Ensemble musikFabrik… have in recent years taken their place at the forefront of music making’ SüDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG
Wednesday 28 August 8.00pm Usher Hall Tickets
£34 £26 £22 £15 £12 1 hour 45 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/musikfabrik
Contemporary Music
Photo FOUND
Photo Sussie Ahlburg
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To Dream Again WORLD PREMIERE
Cybraphon
Peter Gregson
FOUND Ziggy Campbell, Tommy Perman and Simon Kirby
New Media Scotland Mark Daniels Producer
We fully expect the emotion meter of Cybraphon, the autonomous emotional robot band in a box, to go off the scale this August. Cellist Peter Gregson’s new work To Dream Again unfolds after a series Cybraphon obsessively googles itself every 15 seconds to see how popular it is. The results affect its emotional state which in turn affects its of interactions between the audience and bespoke data systems. Created especially for this world premiere, these audience interactions playing style. Twenty-five antique instruments and 60 robotic actuators then play music that FOUND has composed for each emotion. mean that each performance develops in an entirely different way in the laboratory venue and subsequently online, where it decays until Cybraphon is desperate for your attention. To cheer it up, like it on finally it can no longer be heard. Quite the matter of life and data. Facebook, follow it on Twitter, write about it on your blog, post a photo of it online, or mention it in a tweet. Peter Gregson is equally at home collaborating with some of the most exciting musicians working today (including Gabriel Prokofiev, Daníel The artist collective FOUND, which created this veritable diva of a Bjarnason and Max Richter) as he is with world-leading technologists, vitrine, has gifted Cybraphon to the nation. To mark the Edinburgh ranging from the Media Lab at MIT, Microsoft Labs and his own International Festival it joins the permanent collection of the National Google-funded incubator, The Electric Creative Colab. Commissioned by New Media Scotland, To Dream Again was developed during a six- Museum of Scotland and goes on display by the Millennium Clock in the Grand Gallery. month residency. ‘pushing the classical performance envelope’ Classical Music Supported by the Alt-w Fund with investment from the Centre for Design Informatics
The BAFTA-winning automaton was commissioned by New Media Scotland. cybraphon.com #cybraphon Supported by the Alt-w Fund with investment from Creative Scotland
Monday 19 & Tuesday 20, Thursday 22 – Saturday 24 August 9.00pm New Media Scotland
From Thursday 9 August Monday – Sunday, 10.00am – 5.00pm
Tickets £15
National Museum of Scotland
1 hour approximately
Free
eif.co.uk/petergregson
eif.co.uk/cybraphon
Image By courtesy of Casa Ricordi, Milan
Contemporary Music
Pierre-Laurent Aimard Piano Marco Stroppa Electronics Kurtág Jatékók (selection) Marco Stroppa Traiettoria
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Photo Stockhausen Foundation for Music, Kürten, Germany
Pierre-Laurent Aimard Piano Marco Stroppa Electronics Samuel Favre Percussion Messiaen La Rousserolle Effarvatte (from Catalogue d’oiseaux) Stockhausen Kontakte
As a prelude to his Queen’s Hall recital on 23 August (see page 57), renowned French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard takes up residence in The Hub for two late-night concerts celebrating the intoxicating new sound worlds that cutting-edge technology has brought to piano music. Italian composer Marco Stroppa’s dramatic Traiettoria (‘Trajectory’) is like a piano concerto whose orchestra has been replaced by sophisticated electronics, and the piece surrounds its audience with scintillating sounds from all directions. Before it, Aimard performs a selection of Hungarian composer György Kurtág’s aphoristic Jatékók (‘Games’) for solo piano – short, witty pieces that celebrate the sheer pleasure of playing.
A vibrant depiction of the natural world and a pioneering work of electronics meet in pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard’s second latenight recital. Aimard has been widely praised for his visionary performances of Messiaen’s radiant piano music. Tonight he evokes the birds, animals, flowers and landscape of the remarkable la Rousserolle Effarvatte (‘The Reed Warbler’), an avian portrait that charts a whole day in the French countryside through birdsong and the sounds of nature. In his Kontakte (‘Contacts’), Stockhausen harnessed early electronic technology in a thrilling exploration of rhythm, sound and space, pitting electronics against piano against percussion and sending music spinning through space. This concert will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 at a future date.
Sunday 18 August 10.00pm
Supported by
Wednesday 21 August 10.00pm
Supported by
The Hub
The Director’s Circle
The Hub
The Director’s Circle
Tickets £15
Tickets £15
1 hour approximately
1 hour approximately
eif.co.uk/aimardlate1
eif.co.uk/aimardlate2
The Queen’s Hall Series Supported by Edinburgh International Festival Benefactors
Christian Gerhaher Baritone Gerold Huber Piano Songs by Schumann
The 2013 Queen’s Hall concerts open in style with one of the finest Lieder singers of his generation. German baritone Christian Gerhaher has been widely celebrated for the remarkable sincerity and glorious naturalness of his singing, which holds emotional truth and intellectual rigour in perfect balance. Joined by regular collaborator Gerold Huber, Gerhaher brings the exquisite poetry of his voice to bear on intimate songs by Robert Schumann. The hushed Sechs Gesänge are poignant songs of betrayed or hopeless love, and the Lieder und Gesänge aus Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre are exceptionally expressive settings of Goethe. The concert also features Dichterliebe, Schumann’s well-loved cycle of sensitive love songs blending subtle melodies and aching harmonies to convey poignant scenes of desire and disillusion. ‘supreme lieder recitalists of the modern age’ The Guardian
Photo Sussie Ahlburg
Photo Alexander Basta
52
Chiaroscuro Quartet Mozart String Quartet in F K168 String Quartet in E flat K428 Schubert String Quartet in A minor ‘Rosamunde’
Formed in London in 2005, the young Chiaroscuro Quartet has already garnered widespread praise for its invigorating, sharply focused performances. Led by acclaimed violin soloist Alina Ibragimova, the Quartet specialises in music from the string quartet’s early years, using period instruments in subtle yet incisive readings of classical repertoire. To begin their recital, the Chiaroscuro players contrast two quartets that Mozart wrote in homage to Haydn: the playful, high-spirited F major, written when Mozart was only 17, and the searching geniality of the later E flat Quartet. After the interval, they perform Schubert’s ‘Rosamunde’ Quartet, a lyrical, introspective piece revered for its huge dramatic and emotional scope. ‘consummate and seemingly effortless virtuosity’ BBC Music Magazine This concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
Saturday 10 August 11.00am
Supported by
Monday 12 August 11.00am
Supported by
The Queen’s Hall
The Peter Diamand Trust
The Queen’s Hall
James and Morag Anderson
Tickets £29 £26 £21 £17.50 £11 £8
Tickets £29 £26 £21 £17.50 £11 £8
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/gerhaher-huber
eif.co.uk/chiaroscuro
53
Photo Julia Wesely
Photo Eric Larrayadieu
The Queen’s Hall Series
Bernarda Fink Mezzo soprano Nicola Boud Clarinet Anthony Spiri Piano Sabine Devieilhe Soprano Jane Gower Bassoon Songs by Schumann, Mahler, Debussy and Falla Sophie Gent Viola Eloquence and elegance characterise Argentinian-born mezzo soprano Kristian Bezuidenhout Bernarda Fink’s raptuorously received recitals. Acclaimed both for her Fortepiano golden-toned voice and for her subtle characterisations, Fink offers vivid, deeply expressive song performances.
With her regular recital partner, US-born pianist Anthony Spiri, she traces a journey from the sombre, emotionally complex Lenau-Lieder of Schumann through to the joyful, folk-inspired Seven Popular Spanish Songs by Manuel de Falla. In between, she contrasts vivid settings from Des Knaben Wunderhorn by Mahler with Debussy’s evocative Trois mélodies, dreamy settings of poems by Paul Verlaine. ‘Fink’s mezzo tone is like velvet’ The Herald, Festival 2009 This concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
Mozart Trio in E flat ‘Kegelstatt’ Schubert The Shepherd on the Rock Glinka Trio pathétique Brahms Sonata in E flat Op 120 No 2
Playing four classics from the chamber repertoire on the same number of historical clarinets, Australian-born Nicola Boud reveals how instrument design influenced the course of music, and vice versa. Joined by a group of international period players, she performs the sparkling ‘Kegelstatt’ Trio, one of the masterpieces that grew from Mozart’s love for the newly invented clarinet and served to establish it as a concert instrument. Schubert’s emotionally potent The Shepherd on the Rock is a gripping mini-opera for soprano, clarinet and piano, and Glinka’s Trio pathétique is a passionate work inspired by unrequited love. Brahms’s love of the clarinet even brought him out of retirement for two late sonatas, the second of which is a masterpiece of introspective beauty. This concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
Tuesday 13 August 11.00am
Wednesday 14 August 11.00am
Supported by
The Queen’s Hall
The Queen’s Hall
Mr Hedley G Wright
Tickets £29 £26 £21 £17.50 £11 £8
Tickets £29 £26 £21 £17.50 £11 £8
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/fink-spiri
eif.co.uk/boud
Photo Monika Ritterhaus
The Queen’s Hall Series Supported by Edinburgh International Festival Benefactors
Photo Radu Tuta
54
Nikolai Lugansky Piano Janáček In the Mists Schubert Four Impromptus D935 Rachmaninov Étude-tableau in C Op 33 No 2 Étude-tableau in D minor Op 33 No 5 Étude-tableau in B minor Op 39 No 4 Étude-tableau in E flat minor Op 39 No 5 Étude-tableau in A minor Op 39 No 6 Liszt Les jeux d’eau à la Villa d’Este Wagner Isolde’s Liebestod (arr. Liszt)
Moscow-born pianist Nikolai Lugansky has been praised for both the reflective poetry and the blazing virtuosity of his commanding performances, and he explores both of these qualities in his wideranging recital. Admired as one of the world’s foremost Rachmaninov interpreters, Lugansky tackles a selection of the composer’s sometimes volcanic Études-tableaux, considered to be among the most challenging music in the piano repertoire. His recital reaches a climax with Liszt’s sparkling water poem Les jeux d’eau à la Villa d’Este and the same composer’s brilliantly virtuosic solo-piano arrangement of one of the grandest moments in all Wagner’s operas. In the first half, Lugansky contrasts the melancholy impressionism of Janáček’s suite In the Mists with four of Schubert’s intensely lyrical impromptus.
Werner Güra Tenor Christoph Berner Piano Songs by Beethoven and Schubert
The lyrical Lieder performances of acclaimed German tenor Werner Güra take listeners on a spiritual and emotional journey. His glowing voice’s remarkable shadings only add to his dramatic yet subtle vocal deliveries. With pianist Christoph Berner, Güra begins his concert with songs of love and longing by Beethoven, from the highly personal song cycle An die ferne Geliebte (‘To the distant beloved’) to expressions of bittersweet desire in Wonne der Wehmut and An die Hoffnung. After the interval, Güra brings together a selection of Schubert Lieder to convey the life, loves and losses of a Romantic hero, from the youthful Schlummerlied and Ganymed to the moving Willkommen und Abschied. ‘Güra, outstanding in his unfussy, intense delivery, is a formidable, rousing guide.’ The Guardian This concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
This concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
Thursday 15 August 11.00am
Supported by
Friday 16 August 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
Joscelyn Fox
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £29 £26 £21 £17.50 £11 £8
Tickets £29 £26 £21 £17.50 £11 £8
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/lugansky
eif.co.uk/gura-berner
Andreas Haefliger Piano Schubert Piano Sonata in G D894 Beethoven Piano Sonata in B flat Op106 ‘Hammerklavier’
Two titans of the piano repertoire are performed by the formidable Swiss pianist Andreas Haefliger, whose combination of luxuriant richness and steely control in his impeccable playing have earnt him worldwide acclaim. Although his earlier works had been conceived for the wooden fortepiano, Beethoven needed the modern, metal-framed pianoforte to unleash his ‘Hammerklavier’ Sonata on the world, and he pushes the instrument to its limits in the Sonata’s hugely powerful, dramatic music. Before the interval, and in complete contrast, Schubert’s G major Sonata is a study in serenity, peace and luminosity, the ideal setting for Haefliger’s poetic insights. ‘at the peak of his powers… masterly’ The Sunday Times
55
Photo Jim Rakete
Photo Marco Borggreve
The Queen’s Hall Series
Dorothea Röschmann Soprano Malcolm Martineau Piano Schumann Liederkreis Op 39 Wolf Mörike Lieder (selection) Berg Seven Early Songs
A richly expressive recital of Romantic song from one of the world’s most celebrated singers. German soprano Dorothea Röschmann is widely admired for her vivid portrayals in the opera house, and her talent for dramatic characterisation is equally apparent in the concert hall. Alongside Edinburgh-born Malcolm Martineau, Röschmann performs Schumann’s Liederkreis Op 39, a set of 12 eloquent Lieder whose intense emotions and passionate melodies mark it out as one of the great Romantic song cycles. After a selection of Wolf’s wittily poetic Mörike Lieder, Röschmann closes with the Seven Early Songs by Berg, whose lush harmonies reveal the influence of Wagner and Debussy. ‘simply wonderful, soaring and expressive, blessed with a beautiful tone and painting the words with meaning.’ International Record Review ‘Martineau’s inimitable pianism is authoritative and characterful… Pure genius.’ The Scotsman This concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
Saturday 17 August 11.00am
Supported by
Monday 19 August 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
Claire and Mark Urquhart
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £29 £26 £21 £17.50 £11 £8
Tickets £29 £26 £21 £17.50 £11 £8
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
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eif.co.uk/roschmann-martineau
The Queen’s Hall Series
Supported by Edinburgh International Festival Benefactors
Photo Eric Larrayadieu
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Nachtmusique Mozart Horn Duos K487 Divertimentos for three basset horns K439b Adagio for clarinet and three basset horns K580a Allegro for two clarinets and three basset horns K484b Adagio for two clarinets and three basset horns K411 Overture to The Magic Flute (arr. Heidenreich) Serenade in B flat K361 ‘Gran Partita’
An all-Mozart programme exploring the composer’s glorious music for wind ensemble, performed by the outstanding period-instrument group Nachtmusique. The ensemble is drawn from Europe’s most respected wind players, and brings its concert to a resounding conclusion with one of the most virtuostic and high-spirited works in the wind repertoire. Mozart’s ‘Gran Partita’ Serenade is grand in every sense, with its almost orchestral scoring for 12 wind instruments and double bass and a remarkable depth of expression, from the playful to the profound. In the first half, Nachtmusique reveals Mozart’s love affair with the newly invented clarinet and the basset horn, a precursor to the clarinet with a rich, dark sound, in short pieces full of radiant melody and effortless charm. ‘music-making on a level that is rarely heard!’ Gazzetta del Sud This concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
Christophe Rousset Harpsichord Les Talens Lyriques Couperin 7e Ordre from Pièces de clavecin L’Apothéose de Corelli L’Apothéose de Lully
The French harpsichordist and conductor Christophe Rousset has long made the Baroque music of France his speciality, in ravishing performances that mix poise with expressive intensity, and which have attracted worldwide acclaim. He performs one of François Couperin’s books of short pieces for solo harpsichord, in which the composer takes evocative musical snapshots of the world around him, from a growing child to an elegant monastery and the simple joys of life. Rousset will play on the one of the finest harpsichords in the world, the Goermans/Taskin harpsichord, generously loaned by the Russell Collection at the University of Edinburgh. Built in Paris in 1764, the instrument is famous for its rich and sophisticated sound, and is ideally suited to the music of Couperin. Rousset is joined by his celebrated period-instrument ensemble Les Talens Lyriques for two storytelling chamber works by Couperin. In l’Apothéose de Corelli and l’Apothéose de lully, Couperin describes both influential composers’ ascents to heavenly Mount Parnassus in affectionate tributes to French and Italian musical styles. ‘les Talens lyriques are among the most stylish of Baroque ensembles, while Rousset himself is an exquisite performer.’ The Guardian This concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
Tuesday 20 August 11.00am
Supported by
Wednesday 21 August 11.00am
Supported by
The Queen’s Hall
Frank Hitchman
The Queen’s Hall
Dr and Mrs George Sypert
Tickets £29 £26 £21 £17.50 £11 £8
Tickets £29 £26 £21 £17.50 £11 £8
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/nachtmusique
eif.co.uk/rousset
Midori Violin
Pierre-Laurent Aimard Piano
Bach Sonata No 1 in G minor Sonata No 3 in C Schnittke Prelude in memoriam Dmitri Shostakovich Bach Partita No 2 in D minor
Debussy Préludes (selection from books 1 and 2) Ligeti Études (selection)
Internationally renowned violinist Midori brings two concerts to this year’s Festival, offering a fresh perspective on one of the greatest collections of music in the violin repertoire. With their colossal ambition, intellectual intensity and huge emotional scope, Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas stand at the pinnacle of solo violin music. In her first concert, Midori sets the elegant Sonata in G minor against the rich, dense music of the C major Sonata. The eloquent D minor Partita concludes with the mighty Chaconne, one of the most powerful and demanding pieces ever written for a solo instrument. By way of contrast, Midori begins the second half with Russian composer Alfred Schnittke’s brief yet poignant tribute to his forebear Shostakovich, in which she is accompanied by an invisible, ghostly partner.
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Photo Marco xxx Borggreve
Photo Timothy Greenfield-Sanders
The Queen’s Hall Series
Blending sensuality with a searching intellectual rigour, French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard has swiftly established himself as one of the world’s truly great keyboard players, especially prized for his rich, penetrating performances of 20th-century music. Following his two late-night concerts in The Hub (see page 51), in this Queen’s Hall recital he contrasts pieces from two of the finest collections in the piano repertoire. Debussy’s impressionistic Préludes are exquisite evocations of places, people and moods, combining virtuoso pianism with delicate poetry. Aimard includes the famous La cathédrale engloutie, Debussy’s vivid musical depiction of a mythical Breton cathedral that rises from the waves. He contrasts Debussy’s miniature masterpieces with fiery Études by Ligeti, powerfully expressive showpieces that push a performer’s abilities to their limits.
‘One wonders if there is a more purely and reliably satisfying violinist than Midori’ The Washington Post
‘the Frenchman lures his audiences in such a wonderful way’ Die Welt
This concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
This concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
Thursday 22 August 11.00am
Supported by
Friday 23 August 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
Roxane Clayton
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £29 £26 £21 £17.50 £11 £8
Tickets £29 £26 £21 £17.50 £11 £8
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/midori1
eif.co.uk/aimard
The Queen’s Hall Series Supported by Edinburgh International Festival Benefactors
Midori Violin Bach Sonata No 2 in A minor Partita No 1 in B minor Davidovsky Syncronisms No 9 Bach Partita No 3 in E
Acclaimed for her astonishingly assured performances while still a child, the Japanese-American violinist Midori is now internationally celebrated for the dignified concentration of her playing. She begins the second of her two Festival recitals, contrasting Bach’s seminal Sonatas and Partitas with contemporary violin music, with the grandeur of the A minor Sonata before tackling the fearsome technical challenges of the B minor Partita. After the brilliant wit of a duo for violin and electronics by contemporary Argentinian-born composer Mario Davidovsky, Midori concludes with the exuberance of Bach’s lively final Partita in E major. ‘charms her audience with her refined, fragile expertise’ Ruhr Nachrichten
Photo Sussie Ahlburg
Photo Timothy Greenfield-Sanders
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Hebrides Ensemble and Thomas Bloch William Conway Cello/Director Thomas Bloch Glass harmonica Mozart Oboe Quartet in F Fantasia in F minor for mechanical organ K594 (arr. Lyell Cresswell, World Premiere, EIF commission) Adagio in C for glass harmonica Crumb 4 Nocturnes ‘Night Music II’ Mozart Adagio and Rondo in C minor K617 Crumb Vox Balaenae
Unusual instruments and boundary-pushing music old and new from one of Scotland’s most respected chamber groups, Hebrides Ensemble. Mozart was at the cutting edge of technology in the two graceful works he wrote for glass harmonica, whose spinning crystal bowls are made to sound by gentle touch. It is an instrument almost never heard in modern times, and is played today by one of the world’s finest exponents, Thomas Bloch. New Zealand-born composer Lyell Cresswell unveils his new ensemble arrangement, a Festival commission, of another Mozart oddity, the masterful F minor Fantasia originally written for a mechanical musical clock. And contemporary US composer George Crumb conjures similarly magical sounds in the otherworldly whalesong evocations of his theatrical Vox Balaenae. This concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
Saturday 24 August 11.00am
Monday 26 August 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £29 £26 £21 £17.50 £11 £8
Tickets £29 £26 £21 £17.50 £11 £8
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/midori2
eif.co.uk/hebrides-bloch
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Photo Paul Labelle
Photo Astrid Karger
The Queen’s Hall Series
Arditti Quartet
Zukerman Chamber Players
Janáček String Quartet No 1 ‘Kreutzer Sonata’ Xenakis Ikhoor Tetras Nancarrow String Quartet No 1 String Quartet No 3 Player Piano Study No 31 (arr. Paul Usher) Player Piano Study No 33 (arr. Paul Usher)
Pinchas Zukerman Violin Amanda Forsyth Cello Angela Cheng Piano
Widely celebrated as one of the world’s pre-eminent contemporary music ensembles, the Arditti Quartet is famed for its spellbinding performances that combine authority and passion.
World-renowned violinist Pinchas Zukerman has been a soloist of international stature for decades, admired for the sincerity and technical brilliance of his playing, but he is also a respected educator and conductor. He formed the Zukerman Chamber Players in 2002 with protégés from Canada’s National Arts Centre, and their rare but inspirational performances combine sophisticated artistry with a huge expressive range.
Yet its players are also respected for their perceptive readings of classic repertoire, including Janáček’s First String Quartet, whose dazzling colours and soaring melodies were inspired by Tolstoy and Beethoven. Xenakis’s Ikhoor and Tetras are riotous celebrations of sound, forged from the complexities of advanced mathematics, but expressed in music of raw, wild emotion. And four pieces by US maverick Conlon Nancarrow create an appealing sense of fun with their jazzy, intricate rhythms. ‘always impress with their vibrant and committed performances’ The Scotsman, Festival 2011 This concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
Beethoven Piano Trio in B flat WoO39 Kodály Duo for Violin and Cello Mendelssohn Piano Trio No 1 in D minor
The group brings a richly melodic programme to The Queen’s Hall, from the simple beauty of Beethoven’s single-movement B flat Piano Trio to the joyful, expansive tunes of Mendelssohn’s D minor Piano Trio, one of his most enduringly popular works. In between, they perform Kodály’s folk-inspired Duo, a cornerstone of the chamber repertoire. ‘The cleanly articulated performance was elevated by an uncommon passion’ The Chicago Tribune This concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
Tuesday 27 August 11.00am
Supported by
Wednesday 28 August 11.00am
Supported by
The Queen’s Hall
Susie Thomson
The Queen’s Hall
Donald and Louise MacDonald
Tickets £29 £26 £21 £17.50 £11 £8
Tickets £29 £26 £21 £17.50 £11 £8
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/arditti2
eif.co.uk/zukerman
The Queen’s Hall Series Supported by Edinburgh International Festival Benefactors
Photo Marc Ribes
Photo James McMillan/Decca
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Andreas Scholl Countertenor Tamar Halperin Piano
Véronique Gens Soprano Susan Manoff Piano
Songs by Schubert, Brahms, Haydn and Mozart
Songs by Fauré, Duparc, Debussy, Chausson and Hahn
German singer Andreas Scholl is one of classical music’s superstars, and has introduced countless listeners to the irresistible beauty of his countertenor voice.
French soprano Véronique Gens forged her international reputation as an inspirational singer of Baroque music, and she brings the same lucid purity so valued in that repertoire to a recital of Romantic, 19th-century songs from her homeland, accompanied by the delicate playing of Susan Manoff.
His acclaimed performances match exquisite grace in his singing with a charismatic stage presence, packed full of passion and an arresting freedom of expression.
Gens combines stylish poise with a strong sense of drama in a diverse programme, from Fauré’s mysterious dream of elopement Après un Joined by pianist Tamar Halperin, he delivers a wide-ranging programme rêve to the unforgettably evocative L’invitation au voyage by Duparc. After rare discoveries by Chausson and early masterpieces by Debussy, of Classical and Romantic song, from the drama of Schubert’s Death she concludes with exotic songs by Hahn inspired by far-off antiquity. and the Maiden to delightful folk-song settings by Brahms. ‘few can equal the sheer beauty of tone and dramatic instinct displayed by Andreas Scholl.’ BBC Music Magazine
‘every nuance beautifully shaded, every word sumptuously delivered’ The Big Issue
Tamar Halperin: ‘a wonderfully subtle accompanist and a performer of real distinction’ The Guardian
This concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
This concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
Thursday 29 August 11.00am
Supported by
Friday 30 August 11.00am
Supported by
The Queen’s Hall
Jim and Isobel Stretton
The Queen’s Hall
John-Paul and Joanna Temperley
Tickets £29 £26 £21 £17.50 £11 £8
Tickets £29 £26 £21 £17.50 £11 £8
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/scholl-halperin
eif.co.uk/gens-manoff
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Photo Herve Martin
The Queen’s Hall Series / Harpsichord Recitals
Quatuor ébène Haydn String Quartet in C Op 76 No 3 ‘Emperor’ Bartók String Quartet No 4 Mendelssohn String Quartet No 2 in A minor
The players of France’s Ébène Quartet bring this year’s Queen’s Hall concerts to a thrilling conclusion. Praised for their inspirational performances and for a musical maturity well beyond their years, over the last decade they have steadily marked out a reputation as one of the world’s most compelling and sought-after ensembles. As at home in sophisticated jazz and pop arrangements as they are in classical music, they bring an all-classical concert rich in contrasts. Haydn’s brightly coloured ‘Emperor’ Quartet is one of his most popular chamber pieces, famous for its slow-movement melody which later became the German national anthem. Mendelssohn wrote his richly Romantic Second Quartet when he was just 18, and Bartók’s Fourth Quartet is a tour de force of virtuosity and expression. ‘one of the most dynamic and talented ensembles of its kind’ The Boston Globe
Christophe Rousset Harpsichord Music by Frescobaldi, Scarlatti, CPE Bach, Purcell, Couperin, Rameau, Balbastre and Royer
World-renowned harpsichord virtuoso Christophe Rousset explores the remarkable richness of Baroque harpsichord music in two special concerts that showcase the magnificent instruments preserved in Edinburgh’s own St Cecilia’s Hall Museum. Selecting outstanding instruments from the splendours of the museum’s collection – some more than 400 years old, and often as spectacular to look at as they are to listen to – Rousset performs music that historically may have been played on them, revealing how developments in instrument design and in musical style are often interlinked. On Thursday 22 August, Rousset plays music by Frescobaldi, Scarlatti and CPE Bach on three contrasting instruments: a superbly decorated polygonal virginal made by Alessandro Bertolotti in Verona in 1586; a single-keyboard harpsichord built around 1620 in Naples; and a beautifully painted double-keyboard harpsichord made in France by Luigi Baillon in 1755. For his second recital, on Friday 23 August, Rousset selects two instruments from the museum’s remarkable collection for a recital of Purcell, Louis Couperin, Rameau, Balbastre and Royer. As well as a single-keyboard harpsichord made in London by Thomas Barton in 1709, he performs on Pascal Taskin’s Parisian doublekeyboard harpsichord from 1769, an instrument that has spawned countless copies and is widely admired as probably the world’s most famous harpsichord.
Saturday 31 August 11.00am
Supported by
The Queen’s Hall
Donald and Louise MacDonald
Tickets £29 £26 £21 £17.50 £11 £8
Thursday 22 August & Friday 23 August 5.45pm St Cecilia’s Hall 1 hour approximately Tickets £15
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/rousset1
eif.co.uk/quatuorebene
eif.co.uk/rousset2
Supported by
Dr and Mrs George Sypert
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Cafe Concerts
Cafe Concerts A celebration of Yehudi Menuhin curated by Live Music NOW Scotland
Trio Nielsen
Violinist Yehudi Menuhin’s close ties with the Edinburgh International Festival began in 1948 and he subsequently appeared many times, becoming the Festival’s first Honorary President from 1989 until his death in 1999. This informal concert series celebrates the 50th anniversary of his founding of the Yehudi Menuhin School of Music.
Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances and Piazzolla’s Nightclub 1960 along with folk melodies from Denmark and Scotland performed by Kirstine Fritzen Uth (clarinet), Mads Madsen and Astrid Larsen (guitar).
Menuhin founded Live Music Now (LMN) in 1977, along with Ian Stoutzker, to support outstanding young professional musicians in their early careers and ensure that everyone has access to the enriching experience of music.
LMN Denmark
Zuzana Zaimlová and Veronica Böhmova LMN Dresden/Germany
A mixed programme by Dvořák and a selection of German composers for soprano and piano. Wednesday 28 August 9.00pm
Friday 23 August 9.00pm
Live Music Now Pure Brass
Duo Servais
Bach to Berio, Lutosławski to Puttin’ on the Ritz performed by Iain Archibald and Andrew Connell-Smith (trumpet), Martin Murphy (horn), Gordon Seith (trombone) and Fraser Russell (tuba).
Duos by Mozart, Paganini, Giesriegl and Servais performed by Amelie Böckheler (violin) and Raphaela Gromes (cello).
LMN Scotland/UK
Monday 12 August 9.00pm
LMN Munich/Germany
LMN Salzburg/Austria
String quartets by Schubert, Mendelssohn and Dvořák performed by Clemens Flieder and Clemens Gordon (violin), Johanna Zaunschirn (viola) and Gundula Leitner (cello).
Sax Ecosse
Music for saxophone quartet including works by Jonathan Dove, Diana Salazar, Michael Torke, Joe Cutler, Barbara Thompson and György Ligeti performed by Karen Dufour, Michelle Melvin, Gillian Skingley and Lynsey Payne. Monday 19 August 9.00pm
Tuesday 13 August 9.00pm
Hannah Stone LMN Wales/UK
The Royal harpist plays Bach, Dizi, Prokofiev and Salzedo. Wednesday 14 August 9.00pm
LMN North West/UK Sonatas by Poulenc, Brahms and Rachmaninov performed by Mikhail Nemtsov (cello) and Elena Nemtsova (piano). Sunday 25 August 9.30pm
Thursday 29 August 8.00pm Free
Jacquin Trio LMN London/UK
Works by Kurtág, Huw Watkins and Bruch alongside Mozart’s Kegelstatt performed by Jessie Grimes (clarinet), Zoë Matthews (viola) and Charis Cheung (piano). Monday 26 August 9.30pm
Olga Jegunova LMN Scotland/UK
Aristo Quartet LMN Netherlands
String quartets by Beethoven, Janáček and Shostakovich performed by Evelien Jaspers and Dmitry Ivanov (violin), Sylvain Dessane (viola) and Otto Bakker (cello). Thursday 22 August 9.00pm
Pre-performance Talk
Ian Stoutzker, co-founder with Yehudi Menuhin of Live Music Now, discusses the organisation’s distinctive work and Menuhin’s vision with Director of Live Music Now Scotland Carol Main.
Thursday 15 August 9.00pm
LMN Scotland/UK
Belmonte Quartet
Nemtsov Duo
Flercussion
LMN Scotland/UK The song and dance of Piazzolla’s South American tango music, a Shostakovich waltz and Debussy’s La belle au bois dormant performed by Jo Ashcroft (flute) with Calum Huggan (marimba and percussion). Thursday 29 August 9.00pm
The Latvian-born pianist plays Schubert, Mozart and Rachmaninov with music by composers from her homeland, Pēteris Vasks and Rihards Dubra. Tuesday 27 August 9.00pm
Supported by
Ian Stoutzker The Hub Tickets £10 1 hour approximately eif.co.uk/cafeconcerts
Conversations
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Photo Jesse Frohman
Photo Stephanie Berger
Conversations with Artists
The Wooster Group Elizabeth LeCompte and company members talk to Andrew Quick about their complex interpretation of Hamlet. See page 22. Monday 12 August 2.30pm
Nicola Boud and Bang on a Can Kristian Bezuidenhout All-Stars
Ensemble musikFabrik
Australian clarinettist Nicola Boud and fortepianist Kristian Bezuidenhout discuss their Queen’s Hall recital with Richard Morrison, chief music critic of The Times. See page 53.
Members of Ensemble musikFabrik talk to composer John Harris about their unique artistic vision. See page 49.
Members of New York City’s Bang on a Can All-Stars discuss making music new with Edinburgh-based composer John Harris. See page 48.
Thursday 29 August 12 noon Friday 23 August 1.00pm
Philip Glass and Patti Smith Philip Glass is joined by Patti Smith to discuss their cross-art form collaboration The Poet Speaks with writer and broadcaster Richard Coles. See page 47. Tuesday 13 August 12 noon
Thursday 15 August 12 noon
Meredith Monk Meredith Monk explores the artist’s relationship with the environment, in conversation with Philip Campbell, editor of Nature magazine. See page 27.
Andreas Scholl Countertenor Andreas Scholl talks to Richard Morrison, chief music critic of The Times. See page 60. Wednesday 28 August 12 noon
Thursday 15 August 5.00pm
Grid Iron Members of Grid Iron talk about Leaving Planet Earth in the company of journalist and critic Robert Dawson Scott. See page 24. Wednesday 14 August 12 noon
Marco Stroppa and Pierre-Laurent Aimard Electronic music composer Marco Stroppa and pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard talk to BBC Radio 3 presenter Tom Service about their pioneering work. See page 51. Monday 19 August 1.00pm
Supported by
Gordon Fraser Charitable Trust The Hub Tickets £6 45 minutes approximately eif.co.uk/conversations
64
Interfaces
Interfaces
Festival 2013 throws light on the relationships between artists and technologies: how new developments can influence how artists work and how they in turn influence technologies. This programme of talks and discussions highlights moments when changes and advances in technology enter our lives and affect them in ways we could never have predicted.
Language in a Technological Age
Making Sense of the New unrest
As we spend more time online or attached to a mobile device and with increasing amounts of information being generated and captured, Jon Oberlander, Professor of Epistemics at the University of Edinburgh, explores the cost to privacy of this new technological power. Chaired by Guardian journalist Aleks Krotoski.
Author and broadcaster Paul Mason outlines the ways in which technology has enabled global protest movements and asks how the old political models of ruling and resisting are being undermined. Chaired by Professor William Sweeney.
Saturday 10 August 2.30pm
Supported by University and College Union Scotland, Scottish Federation of Entertainment Unions, Edinburgh Trades Union Council and National Union of Journalists Edinburgh Branches. Monday 12 August 5.00pm
unknowable Futures In the face of today’s ongoing technological revolution, author and journalist Ben Hammersley examines how we must consider today what we do not know for tomorrow. Chaired by journalist Robert Dawson Scott. Saturday 10 August 5.00pm
How Art Intersects with Technology in Cinema Moshe Kam of Drexel University, Philadelphia, discusses the neverending cycle of advancements in cinema, that provide for expanded artistic freedom and in turn lead to new technological opportunities. Chaired by Sir John Arbuthnott, President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
The Internet and Free Will
Supported by The Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Aleks Krotoski, social psychologist and presenter of Radio 4’s Digital Human, untangles the World Wide Web, asking how much of a revolution it really is. Are we in danger of letting Google and Facebook take over our lives, and can we reclaim control over the machine? Chaired by Robert Dawson Scott.
Tuesday 13 August 2.30pm
Sunday 11 August 2.30pm
The Internet is the greatest store of human knowledge that has ever existed. But it is also a shopping mall, a video arcade and a Pandora’s Box. Tom Standage, digital editor of The Economist, and Emily Bell, director of the Tow Centre for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, discuss the Internet’s effect on intellect with Tim de Lisle, editor of Intelligent Life.
The Leisure Revolution Jesse Schell, Distinguished Professor of Entertainment Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, and technology entrepreneur Chris van der Kuyl discuss the gamification of design and its potential for widespread influence. Chaired by writer Ben Hammersley.
Is the Internet Making us Smarter?
In association with Intelligent Life magazine. Tuesday 13 August 5.00pm
Supported by The Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Turing Festival. Sunday 11 August 5.00pm
Mind Change in the 21st Century British scientist, writer and broadcaster Susan Greenfield asks us to consider how technologies may be changing the human brain, both for good and for bad. Chaired by Alison Elliot, Convenor of the Church of Scotland Guild. Wednesday 14 August 2.30pm
Beckett events
Technology and the Soul Psychiatrist Andrew Powell explores the ways that technology affects relationships. As depression rapidly becomes the greatest burden of illness in developed countries, he examines safeguards for emotional and spiritual well-being. Chaired by Reverend Richard Coles, writer of TV comedy Rev. Wednesday 14 August 5.00pm
The Moleskine Diaries Author and journalist James Harkin uses the Moleskine diaries phenomenon to explore what our desire to identify with niche product, media and culture brands can tell us about ourselves. Chaired by Robert Dawson Scott. Thursday 15 August 2.30pm
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Beckett at the Festival Quad Written as a television play, Quad is an intricately choreographed movement system with music devised by Samuel Beckett. In this two part event, Pan Pan Theatre Company works with students from Scottish Ballet and mathematician Conor Houghton to present a lecture demonstration of the piece, before Beckett scholar Mark Nixon gives a talk to contextualise it. Chaired by Dr Octavian Saiu. Tuesday 27 August 2.30pm 3 hours 30 minutes with interval
Beckett and Contemporary Art: Make Sense Who May The Hub Tickets £6 1 hour approximately eif.co.uk/interfaces Special Offer – Buy a ticket for 4 to 6 events and save 20% – Buy a ticket for 7 to 10 events and save 30%
Derval Tubridy, Goldsmiths, University of London, explores the vibrant interplay between Samuel Beckett’s work and contemporary art with a particular focus on bodies and technology. Chaired by Octavian Saiu. Wednesday 28 August 2.30pm 1 hour approximately
Infinite Possibilities: Drama on the Radio Jeremy Howe, Commissioning Editor BBC Radio 4, dramatist Jonathan Myerson and writer and theatre critic Octavian Saiu explore the influence radio has had on drama and its development as an artform. Wednesday 28 August 5.00pm 1 hour approximately
Beckett on Film Producer of the Beckett on Film project, Michael Colgan discusses the challenges in creating this extraordinary film collection. See page 31. Friday 30 August 12 noon 1 hour approximately
The Hub Tickets £6 eif.co.uk/beckettevents
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Movements
Movements
Photo Hugo Glendinning / Rolex
In association with National Museums Scotland
Devices of Wonder
Cybraphon
Deus ex machina is probably one of the oldest dramatic plot devices. Professor of Theatre at Hull University Christopher Baugh explores some of the relationships between technology and performance and the ways in which new technologies are creating new forms of theatre. Chaired by James Robinson of National Museums Scotland.
Cybraphon, the autonomous and emotional robot band, joins the permanent collection of National Museums Scotland, and Alexander Hayward is joined by Professor Simon Kirby of FOUND, Mark Daniels of New Media Scotland, and Alison Taubman of National Museums Scotland to welcome it to its new home. Wednesday 21 August 2.30pm
Monday 19 August 2.30pm
Wind Instruments in Period Performance Period performance has been famously dubbed ‘the most modern sound around’. Clarinettist and Director of the Royal College of Music Professor Colin Lawson discusses the value of using period instruments today with Alexander Hayward of National Museums Scotland. Tuesday 20 August 2.30pm
The New Leonardos Hamish Innes-Brown from the Bionics Institute Melbourne draws on the experience of commissioning music for cochlear implant users to explore how artists utilise and influence technology. Chaired by Stephen Allen of National Museums Scotland. Thursday 22 August 2.30pm
Brian Eno Music since recording is a new art form, which bears only as much resemblance to traditional, performed music as cinema does to theatre. What are the special characteristics of this new art? How did it evolve? Where might it be going? Brian Eno shares his thoughts. Friday 23 August 2.30pm
From Stein to Steinway: 300 Years of the Piano The modern piano is as different from Mozart’s piano as a Mercedes from a horsedrawn carriage. But what effect did changes in the instrument have on the music written for it? Concert pianist Kenneth Hamilton, Professor of Music at Cardiff University, offers insights into three centuries of music at the keyboard. Chaired by Stephen Allen of National Museums Scotland. Saturday 24 August 2.30pm
Irvine Arditti and Margaret Faultless The Arditti Quartet’s acclaimed founding violinist, Irvine Arditti and Margaret Faultless, worldrenowned specialist in historical performance practice, discuss string playing techniques past and present in the company of BBC Radio 3 presenter Tom Service. Tuesday 27 August 2.30pm
How a Pipe Organ Works Organist extraordinaire John Kitchen of the University of Edinburgh describes and demonstrates the technology behind the magnificent four-manual 63-stop Usher Hall organ. Thursday 22 August 5.00pm 1 hour approximately
Edinburgh: Festival City Composer Tod Machover, conductor Peter Oundjian and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra take us through the creation of a new piece of music celebrating the City of Edinburgh and its Festival and co-created by members of the public. Tuesday 27 August 5.00pm 45 minutes approximately
Usher Hall Tickets £6
Lecture Theatre, National Museum of Scotland Tickets £6 1 hour approximately
Events
University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh College of Art
Art and Technology
These events offer insight into some of the innovative projects and research being undertaken at the Edinburgh College of Art.
Professor of Epistemics Jon Oberlander, Professor of Composition and Electroacoustic Composition Peter Nelson, and Chris Speed of the Edinburgh College of Art discuss historical, conceptual and philosophical relationships between the performing arts and technology. Chaired by theatre specialist Olga Taxidou. Thursday 29 August 2.30pm 1 hour approximately
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Cultural Dialogue
Glitch’d: Purposeful Mistakes Simon Biggs, Professor of Interdisciplinary Arts, joins artists and researchers to present interactive media art projects that explore how the ‘glitch’ can be beautiful. Wednesday 28 August 12 noon 4 hours approximately
Lost in Translation: Making Scholarship Accessible Professor of Communication, Arts and Religion Jolyon Mitchell hosts a discussion with historian, broadcaster and author Bettany Hughes and Mona Siddiqui, Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies, on the relationships between research and the media and the demands of addressing different audiences. Thursday 29 August 5.00pm
Synthetic Biology: Where Organic Meets Digital In this lecture demonstration Alan Murray, Head of the School of Design at ECA, shows us how synthetic biologists, designers, artists, engineers and computer scientists can work together. Thursday 29 August 12 noon 2 hours approximately
1 hour approximately
Shaping Things: Artefacts The Edinburgh University Festival and the 3D Printer Lecture: Art, Mind and Machine In this workshop led by Chris Speed, you can Nigel Osborne, composer and former Reid Professor of Music, explores the complexities of music, mind and the application of technology in a therapeutic setting. Chaired by Raymond MacDonald, Professor of Music Psychology and Improvisation, and introduced by Dorothy Miell, Vice Principal and Head of Humanities and Social Science.
play at 3D Chinese whispers, adapting objects and artefacts using time-lapse technology until they no longer resemble their original form. Friday 30 August 12 noon 4 hours approximately
Friday 30 August 2.30pm 1 hour and 30 minutes approximately
August 2012 saw the inaugural Edinburgh International Culture Summit, an event that brought together Culture Ministers and officials from over 30 nations for a series of conversations about forging international dialogue through culture. Initiated by the Edinburgh International Festival in partnership with the British Council, Scottish Government and UK Government and hosted by the Scottish Parliament, the success of this event was a powerful reminder in a fractured world of a belief in the power of culture and the arts to transform individual lives and national ambitions. A panel, including British Council Chief Executive Martin Davidson and Festival Director Jonathan Mills, discusses the role of arts and culture in facilitating international dialogue and understanding. Chaired by broadcaster James Naughtie.
Friday 30 August 5.00pm The Hub Tickets £6
Sculpture Court, Edinburgh College of Art
eif.co.uk/university
Tickets £6
The Hub Tickets £6 1 hour approximately
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Visual Arts
Transmitted Live: Nam June Paik Resounds Exhibition curated by Pat Fisher, Talbot Rice Gallery, University of Edinburgh, Seong Eun Kim and Chaeyoung Lee, Nam June Paik Art Center, Korea Supported by
9 August – 19 October Talbot Rice Gallery Opening hours August: Daily 10.00am – 5.00pm, September & October: Tuesday – Saturday 10.00am – 5.00pm Free eif.co.uk/paik
Visual Arts
Transmitted Live: Nam June Paik Resounds celebrates the 50th anniversary of Paik’s first solo exhibition, Exposition of Music – Electronic Television (Wuppertal 1963), when the artist brought television into the realm of art for the first time, presenting it as a tactile and multisensory medium. As part of the counter-cultural movements of the 1960s, Paik believed that artists should humanise technology, get their ‘fingers in and tear away the walls’ of the establishment. Paik, a trained musician, treated technology as a material part of his repertoire, which later expanded to include video, satellite transmissions, robots and lasers.
For Festival 2013 Talbot Rice Gallery fills with electromagnetic waves and reverberates with the diverse forms of Paik’s broader practice. Drawn primarily from the Nam June Paik Art Center’s collections, the exhibition demonstrates how revolutionary the artist remains for contemporary audiences in encouraging creative engagement with technology. Building on Edinburgh’s philosophical heritage, Transmitted Live embodies a critical engagement with the physical world and Paik’s fluid, kinetic intelligence. The first Nam June Paik exhibition in Scotland, birthplace of electromagnetic theory and television technology, will resound throughout the city and beyond.
Curators Talk Curators from the Nam June Paik Art Center, Tate and Talbot Rice Gallery discuss the work and legacy of Nam June Paik. Saturday 10 August 12 noon Free
Selected by the curators at Nam June Paik Art Center as an integral part of the exhibition, a series of performance art events by international contemporary artists opens the gallery programme. In addition, an accompanying programme of events includes workshops at the gallery, public lectures at Edinburgh College of Art and a conference at the University of Edinburgh in October. Further information is available at www.trg.ed.ac.uk
Still images of Nam June Paik’s various videos, Courtesy of the Nam June Paik Art Center Video Archives © Nam June Paik Estate
No other artist has had greater influence on the use of technology in art than Nam June Paik; he prophesied changes that would shape the contemporary world, exemplified in his pioneering ideas, ‘Participation TV’, ‘Random Access Information’ and ‘Video Commune’.
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70
Visual Arts
Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man A Royal Collection Trust exhibition
2 August – 10 November The Queen’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse Opening hours August 9.30am – 6.00pm, late opening Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays until 8.00pm; September – November 9.30am – 6.00pm; last admission one hour before closing time Tickets Adult £6.25; 60 and over £5.70; under 17 £3.15; family £16.00 eif.co.uk/leonardo
The award-winning Leonardo da Vinci: Anatomy app is available from the iTunes App Store
Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2013
Visual Arts
Image above 3D model built from CT scan images. © Dr Richard Wellings UHCW Trust, Warwick University Medical School and West Midlands Surgical Training Centre 2013.
The artistic content of Leonardo’s anatomical work Leonardo’s early anatomical studies were intended to help his work as a painter, but his researches took on a life of their own, becoming the most important strand of his scientific work. Exhibition curator Martin Clayton examines the relationship between these two major aspects of Leonardo’s activity. Monday 12 August 6.30pm Tickets £10 £8 concessions
He is renowned as one of the finest artists of the Renaissance – but Leonardo da Vinci was also one of the greatest anatomists the world has ever seen. leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man explores the artist’s groundbreaking work in anatomy. His studies of the human body are presented alongside state-of-the-art modern medical imagery, revealing a Renaissance man centuries ahead of his time. This Royal Collection Trust exhibition includes 30 sheets of Leonardo’s work, each crammed with studies and notes made in the artist’s distinctive mirror-writing. Many of the drawings were produced during the winter of 151011, when Leonardo made some 20 human dissections. This work allowed him to illustrate almost every bone in the human body and many of the major muscle groups with astonishing accuracy. On Leonardo’s death, his anatomical studies remained among his personal papers and were lost to the world for hundreds of years. Had they been published at the time, they would have formed the most influential work on the human body ever produced. Five hundred years on, comparisons with CT and MRI scans show that Leonardo’s work is still relevant to scientists today.
50 minutes approximately, followed by refreshments and private view
A 15th-century artist predicts 21st-century radiology Peter Abrahams, Professor of Clinical Anatomy at Warwick University, explores the value of Leonardo’s anatomical drawings as a tool for understanding the human body, and how closely the artist anticipated the range of imagery used by the medical profession today. Monday 19 August 6.30pm Tickets £10 £8 concessions 50 minutes approximately, followed by refreshments and private view
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Art, Science and Performance Leonardo is celebrated as both an inspired artist and anatomist. This special event considers how contemporary artists, performers and scientists are informed by each other’s work in their exploration of the human body. Part of the Clod Ensemble’s Performing Medicine programme in collaboration with Wellcome Trust. Friday 23 August 7.00pm Tickets £15 £12 concessions 1 hour 15 minutes approximately, followed by refreshments and private view
Physical Thinking: A movement course After the crowds have gone home, let yourself be ‘moved’ by Leonardo’s drawings. This gallery-based course is led by Suzy Willson, Artistic Director of acclaimed performance company Clod Ensemble. Monday 26 & Tuesday 27 August 6.15pm Tickets £30 £20 concessions 2 hours 15 minutes approximately
Lecture and Workshop Series in collaboration with
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Visual Arts
Media Skins European Premiere YMAP (Your Media Arts Project) Hyung Su Kim Seeing is believing, but believing what? Experience the spectacular and ask yourself what you believe, especially about the future and your place in that future, as you try to absorb a proliferation of LED images (satellite pictures from Korea Aerospace Research Institute) of both Scottish and Korean cultures in this astonishing transformation of the analogue world to the digital. In Media Skins, photographer and media artist Hyung Su Kim explores new artistic expressions in public spaces by creating media facades using LEDs. Kim’s works transform familiar spaces and public spaces, whether the interior or exterior of buildings, theatres or even mountains into extraordinary places infused with possibilities through memories, history and re-inventions.
Friday 9 August – Sunday 1 September Outside Usher Hall, Lothian Road Festival Theatre, Edinburgh Free eif.co.uk/mediaskins
Supported by
Image Hyung Su Kim
Visual Arts 73
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How to Book
How to Book How to Book
Buy Your Tickets at our Venues
Online eif.co.uk
From Monday 25 March you can buy tickets at The Edinburgh Playhouse, Festival Theatre, The Queen’s Hall, Royal Lyceum Theatre and the Usher Hall. During the Festival, any unsold tickets for King’s Theatre, St Cecilia’s Hall, EICC and New Media Scotland will go on sale at those venues an hour before the performance.
Telephone 0131 473 2000 Overseas +44 (0)131 473 2000 Hub Tickets, The Hub, Castlehill, Edinburgh, EH1 2NE Wednesday 13 March Priority booking opens for Festival Friends and Patrons by fax, post and online. Saturday 23 March Public booking opens by telephone, post, in person and online. Please note: a transaction fee of £1 will be added to bookings by phone, post and in person. There is no transaction fee for online bookings.
Hub Tickets Opening Hours Saturday 23 March – Saturday 13 July: Monday to Saturday 10.00am to 5.00pm Monday 15 July – Sunday 28 July: Monday to Sunday 10.00am to 6.00pm Monday 29 July – Saturday 31 August: Monday to Saturday 9.00am to 7.30pm, Sunday 10.00am to 7.30pm
Virgin Money Fireworks Concert Due to the popularity of the concert you can now take advantage of a limited number of special Priority Entry tickets for the Gardens. For only an extra £5 you gain access to the Gardens a full half hour before the gates open. As ever, ticket holders for the Ross Theatre don’t need to rush to secure their spot in the Gardens and so can take their seats once the gates are open. – Princes Street Gardens (standing) tickets are £12.50 and £17.50 with Priority Entry. – Ross Theatre (seated) tickets £27.50 standard entry. – All tickets are on sale from the time booking opens and are limited to ten per booking. Last chance to buy: a limited number of Gardens tickets will be released for sale only at The Hub in person from 10.00am on Saturday 31 August. Visit eif.co.uk/virginmoneyfireworks for all information.
Photo Eoin Carey
Sunday 1 September: 1.00pm to 8.00pm
Ticket Discounts and Special Offers
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Ticket Discounts and Special Offers Young People and Students – Half Price Now! Young people can buy any ticket at 50% off on selected performances when booking opens on Saturday 23 March. For everyone under 18 and all students in full-time education.
Standby – Half Price Photo Claudine Quinn
From Wednesday 31 July 50% off all tickets for selected performances, for senior citizens, unemployed people, Young Scot, Equity and MU card holders.
Are you 26 or under? Tickets for only £8 on the day Pay only £8 on the day for selected performances, for everyone 26 years old and under. Proof of age is required and you have to buy them in person from Hub Tickets or at the venue.
Access Information and Discounts
Group Bookings
Wheelchair users, people with severe mobility difficulties or with visual or hearing impairment can buy seats/spaces in the area of the venue most appropriate to their needs for the lowest (unrestricted view) ticket price for that performance. Your companion’s ticket will be free.
We are delighted to offer great benefits for bookings of 10 or more tickets. – 10% discount on all Festival tickets for selected performances. – The opportunity to make flexible ticket reservations. – Dedicated Group Sales Staff to assist you. Please call +44 (0)131 273 2089 or email groupbookings@eif.co.uk
Our goal is to make the Festival accessible to as many people as possible. Look out for the Touch Tours, Audio Described, and Speech-to-Text Reported icons in this brochure as well as supertitled performances. For even more information go to eif.co.uk/venues or request a printed Venues Guide.
Special Offers
For more information or to claim an access discount please call the Access line +44 (0)131 473 2089 or email access@eif.co.uk. To enable us to determine your requirements and assist you fully we are unable to offer this service online.
Dance Odysseys Buy a Main Theatre ticket for an evening performance, then add a Day ticket for only £18 and save £6! See page 15.
This brochure is available, with a venue and access guide, in audio and Braille formats. Simply call +44 (0)131 473 2089 or go to eif.co.uk/venuesguide for digitally accessible versions.
Beckett On Film Buy for 3 to 6 screenings you save 20% or for 7 to 9 screenings you save 30%! See page 33.
Young Musicians’ Passport
Interfaces Buy for 4 to 6 events you save 20% or for 7 to 10 events you save 30%! See page 65. To redeem a special ticket offer, all tickets must be booked in the same transaction.
A pilot scheme is being launched for Festival 2013, in partnership with City of Edinburgh Council, offering young Edinburgh musicians free and discounted tickets for all Usher Hall concerts. eif.co.uk/youngmusicianspassport All offers and discounts are subject to availability
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Festival City
Festival City Getting around… The following Lothian Bus services will take you to Festival venues lothianbuses.com Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, The Queen’s Hall, National Museum of Scotland, Talbot Rice Gallery 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 14, 29, 30, 31, 33, 35, 37, 45, 47, 49
Photo Shaiith / Dreamstime
The Edinburgh Playhouse 1, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 19, 22, 25, 26, 34, 44, 45, 49
Edinburgh’s Summer Festivals 2013 Edinburgh International Film Festival 19 – 30 June +44 (0)131 228 4051 edfilmfest.org.uk Edinburgh International Jazz and Blues Festival 19 – 28 July +44 (0)131 467 5200 edinburghjazzfestival.com Edinburgh Art Festival 1 August – 1 September +44 (0)131 226 6558 edinburghartfestival.com
Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2 – 26 August Admin: +44 (0)131 226 0026 Box office: +44 (0)131 226 0000 (from end of May) edfringe.com Edinburgh International Book Festival 10 – 26 August +44 (0)131 718 5666 edbookfest.co.uk Edinburgh Mela 30 August – 1 September +44 (0)131 661 7100 edinburgh-mela.co.uk
edinburghfestivals.co.uk The online one-stop shop for Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Edinburgh’s 12 major festivals. The place to go to find news and 2 – 24 August listings. +44 (0)131 225 1188 edintattoo.co.uk
Visiting the city… VisitScotland For all your accommodation and tourism information needs. +44 (0)845 22 55 121 info@visitscotland.com visitscotland.com Festival Beds Accommodation in private homes in the city and surrounding area. +44 (0)131 225 1101 admin@festivalbeds.co.uk festivalbeds.co.uk Travel Planner travelinescotland.com National Rail Enquiries nationalrail.co.uk
Royal Lyceum Theatre, Usher Hall 1, 10, 11, 15, 16, 24, 34, 47 The Hub 23, 27, 41, 42, 67 (stop on George IV Bridge, 5 minutes’ walk from The Hub) King’s Theatre, Edinburgh 10, 11, 15, 16, 23, 24, 27, 45 St Cecilia’s Hall 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 14, 29, 30, 31, 33, 35, 37, 45, 49 The Queen’s Gallery 35, 36 Edinburgh International Conference Centre 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 24, 25, 26, 31, 33, 34, 44, 47 Edinburgh College of Art 2, 23, 27, 35, 45, 47 New Media Scotland 2, 41, 42, 47, 67
Festival City
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Festival Venues Partner Hotels GR EE NS ID E
PL
on map 1 The Caledonian, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel (A3) Princes Street Edinburgh EH1 2AB +44 (0)131 222 8888 thecaledonianedinburgh.com
Tourist Information Centre
2 The Glasshouse (E1) 2 Greenside Place Edinburgh EH1 3AA +44 (0)131 525 8200 theglasshousehotel.co.uk
Book Festival
ILE
AL M ROY
Ross Theatre
Edinburgh International Conference Centre
Usher Hall Traverse Theatre Royal Lyceum Theatre
National Museum of Scotland
Edinburgh College of Art
GATE
COW
Talbot Rice Gallery
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
New Media Scotland
The Queen’s Hall
King’s Theatre, Edinburgh
5 The Rutland Hotel (A3) 1– 3 Rutland Street Edinburgh EH1 2AE +44 (0)131 229 3402 therutlandhotel.com The Hub Edinburgh’s Festival Centre Royal Mile
C3
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh Nicolson Street D4 The Queen’s Hall Clerk Street
E5
Talbot Rice Gallery The University of Edinburgh, Old College, South Bridge
OW
RR
TTE
MORRISON ST
St Cecilia’s Hall
Festival Fringe Box Office
The Hub Edinburgh’s Festival Centre
4 Macdonald Holyrood Hotel (E3) 81 Holyrood Road Edinburgh EH8 8AU +44 (0)844 879 9028 macdonaldhotels.co.uk/ holyrood
Look out for exclusive offers from our Festival partners at eif.co.uk/offers
The Queen’s Gallery
Tattoo Office
PO
3 Hotel du Vin, Edinburgh (D4) 11 Bristo Place Edinburgh EH1 1EZ +44 (0)131 247 4900 hotelduvin.com/locations/ edinburgh
The Edinburgh Playhouse
Other Festivals D3
The Queen’s Gallery Palace of Holyroodhouse, Canongate E2
International Book Festival Charlotte Square
A2
Jazz and Blues Festival Box Office The Hub
C3
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Office Market Street
D2
Edinburgh International Conference Centre Morrison Street
A4
D3
Festival Fringe Box Office Royal Mile
D3
Tourist Information Centre Princes Street
D2
The Edinburgh Playhouse Greenside Place
E1
Royal Lyceum Theatre Grindlay Street
B3
National Museum of Scotland Chambers Street
Usher Hall Lothian Road
B3
New Media Scotland Crichton Street
D4
Ross Theatre Princes Street Gardens
B3
Edinburgh College of Art Lauriston Place
C4
King’s Theatre, Edinburgh Leven Street
B5
St Cecilia’s Hall Cowgate
D3
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Festival Diary
Venue
Fri 9 August
The Queen’s Hall
Sat 10 August
Sun 11 August
11.00am Christian Gerhaher Gerold Huber (p52)
Clerk Street R WS T H WC C
The Hub Castlehill LF WS T H WC C
Mon 12 August
Tue 13 August
Wed 14 August
11.00am Chiaroscuro Quartet (p52)
11.00am Bernarda Fink, Anthony Spiri (p53)
11.00am Nicola Boud, Sabine Devieilhe, Jane Gower, Sophie Gent, Kristian Bezuidenhout (p53)
2.30pm Interfaces: Language in a Technological Age (p64)
2.30pm Interfaces: The Internet and Free Will (p64)
2.30pm Conversations: The Wooster Group (p63)
12 noon Conversations: Philip Glass and Patti Smith (p63)
12 noon Conversations: Grid Iron (p63)
5.00pm Interfaces: Unknowable Futures (p64)
5.00pm Interfaces: The Leisure Revolution (p64)
5.00pm Interfaces: Making Sense of the New Unrest (p64)
2.30pm Interfaces: How Art Intersects with Technology in Cinema (p64)
2.30pm Interfaces: Mind Change in the 21st Century (p64)
9.00pm Cafe Concerts: Pure Brass (p62)
5.00pm Interfaces: Is the Internet Making Us Smarter? (p64) 9.00pm Cafe Concerts: Belmonte Quartet (p62)
Other venues
12 noon Wooster Group Archive: Rumstick Road (p23) New Media Scotland
Lecture Theatre, National Museum of Scotland Chambers Street L LF WC T
12 noon Wooster Group Archive: House/Lights (p23) New Media Scotland
12 noon Transmitted Live: Nam June Paik Resounds curators talk (p69) Talbot Rice Gallery, The University of Edinburgh, Old College, South Bridge R LF T
The Queen’s Gallery The Palace of Holyrood House L LF WC C New Media Scotland 1 Crichton Street L WS LF
12 noon Wooster Group Archive: To You, The Birdie! (Phèdre) (p23) New Media Scotland 6.30pm The artistic content of Leonardo’s anatomical work (p71) The Queen’s Gallery
5.00pm Interfaces: Technology and the Soul (p65) 9.00pm Cafe Concerts: Hannah Stone (p62)
12 noon Wooster Group Archive: The Emperor Jones; Today, I Must Sincerely Congratulate You; Rhyme ’Em to Death (p23) New Media Scotland
St Cecilia’s Hall Cowgate R LF WS WC
EICC Morrison Street L LF WC H
8.00pm Leaving Planet Earth (p24) Grid Iron
8.00pm Leaving Planet Earth (p24) Grid Iron
8.00pm Leaving Planet Earth (p24) Grid Iron
8.00pm Metamorphosis (p21) Contemporary Legend Theatre
8.00pm Metamorphosis (p21) Contemporary Legend Theatre
3.00pm Metamorphosis (p21) Contemporary Legend Theatre
8.00pm Leaving Planet Earth (p24) Grid Iron
Edinburgh International Climbing Arena Ratho R WC LF
King’s Theatre, Edinburgh Leven Street R L WS H WC
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
7.15pm Fidelio (p6) Opéra de Lyon
Nicolson Street L R LF WS H WC C
The Edinburgh Playhouse Greenside Place L WS H WC C
Royal Lyceum Theatre Grindlay Street L LF WS T H WC C
Usher Hall Lothian Road L LF WS WC C
7.30pm Alexander Nevsky (p34) Royal Scottish National Orchestra Valery Gergiev conductor
7.15pm Fidelio (p6) Opéra de Lyon
8.00pm La Belle et la Bête (p46) Philip Glass Ensemble
8.00pm La Belle et la Bête (p46) Philip Glass Ensemble
7.30pm Hamlet (p22) The Wooster Group
7.30pm Hamlet (p22) The Wooster Group
7.30pm Hamlet (p22) The Wooster Group
7.30pm Hamlet (p22) The Wooster Group
8.00pm 20th Century Classics (p35) BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Ilan Volkov conductor
7.30pm Tchaikovsky Symphony No 6 Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (p36) Mariss Jansons conductor
8.00pm Mahler Symphony No 2 Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (p36) Mariss Jansons conductor
8.00pm Mitsuko Uchida (p35)
8.30pm The Poet Speaks (p47) Patti Smith, Philip Glass
Access Facilities Key: L Level access R Ramped access LF Lift SL Stair lift WS Wheelchair spaces in auditorium T Induction loop H Infrared system WC Accessible toilets C Accessible catering/bar
7.30pm Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble 01 (p37) Marc Minkowski conductor
Festival Diary Thu 15 August
Fri 16 August
Sat 17 August
11.00am Nikolai Lugansky (p54)
11.00am Werner Güra, Christoph Berner (p54)
11.00am Andreas Haefliger (p55)
12 noon Conversations: Nicola Boud and Kristian Bezuidenhout (p63)
Sun 18 August
10.00pm Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Marco Stroppa (p51)
2.30pm Interfaces: The Moleskine Diaries (p65)
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Mon 19 August
Tue 20 August
Wed 21 August
11.00am Dorothea Röschmann, Malcolm Martineau (p55)
11.00am Nachtmusique (p56)
11.00am Christophe Rousset, Les Talens Lyriques (p56)
1.00pm Conversations: Marco Stroppa and Pierre-Laurent Aimard (p63)
10.00pm Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Marco Stroppa, Samuel Favre (p51)
9.00pm Cafe Concerts: Sax Ecosse (p62)
5.00pm Conversations: Meredith Monk (p63) 9.00pm Cafe Concerts: Duo Servais (p62)
2.30pm Movements: Devices of Wonder (p66) National Museum of Scotland 6.30pm A 15th-century artist predicts 21st-century radiology (p71) The Queen’s Gallery 9.00pm To Dream Again (p50) Peter Gregson New Media Scotland
8.00pm Leaving Planet Earth (p24) Grid Iron
8.00pm Leaving Planet Earth (p24) Grid Iron
8.00pm Leaving Planet Earth (p24) Grid Iron
8.00pm Histoire d’amour (p26) Teatrocinema
8.00pm Histoire d’amour (p26) Teatrocinema
2.00pm Histoire d’amour (p26) Teatrocinema
8.00pm Leaving Planet Earth (p24) Grid Iron
7.30pm Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble 02 (p37) Marc Minkowski conductor
Events Key:
Dance
Dance Odysseys Scottish Ballet events all day – see pages 12–15
Dance Odysseys Scottish Ballet events all day – see pages 12–15
Dance Odysseys Scottish Ballet events all day – see pages 12–15
Dance Odysseys Scottish Ballet events all day – see pages 12–15
8.00pm Édouard Lock: World Premiere (p13) Scottish Ballet
8.00pm Pierrot Lunaire (p13) Scottish Ballet
8.00pm The Rite of Spring (p13) Scottish Ballet
9.45pm SisGO (p14) Scottish Dance Theatre
9.45pm SisGO (p14) Scottish Dance Theatre
8.00pm Im (Goldenen) Schnitt I (p13) Gelabert Azzopardi Companyia de Dansa
8.00pm On Behalf of Nature (p27) Meredith Monk and Vocal Ensemble
2.30pm On Behalf of Nature (p27) Meredith Monk and Vocal Ensemble
8.00pm Chamber Orchestra of Europe 01 (p38) Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor
8.00pm Fauré Requiem (p39) Scottish Chamber Orchestra Robin Ticciati conductor
7.30pm Chamber Orchestra of Europe 02 (p38) Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor
Theatre
Opera
Music
Discussions
Visual Arts
7.30pm Russian National Orchestra 01 (p40) Mikhail Pletnev conductor
2.30pm Movements: Cybraphon (p66) National Museum of Scotland
9.00pm To Dream Again (p50) Peter Gregson New Media Scotland
8.00pm Leaving Planet Earth (p24) Grid Iron
8.00pm Histoire d’amour (p26) Teatrocinema
8.00pm On Behalf of Nature (p27) Meredith Monk and Vocal Ensemble
2.30pm Movements: Wind Instruments in Period Performance (p66) National Museum of Scotland
8.00pm Leaving Planet Earth (p24) Grid Iron
8.00pm Madame Freedom (p20) YMAP (Your Media Arts Project)
8.00pm Madame Freedom (p20) YMAP (Your Media Arts Project)
7.30pm The Tragedy of Coriolanus (p28) Beijing People’s Art Theatre
7.30pm The Tragedy of Coriolanus (p28) Beijing People’s Art Theatre
7.30pm Russian National Orchestra 02 (p40) Mikhail Pletnev conductor
7.30pm The Sixteen (p39) Harry Christophers conductor
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Festival Diary
Venue
Thu 22 August
Fri 23 August
Sat 24 August
The Queen’s Hall
11.00am Midori (p57)
11.00am Pierre-Laurent Aimard (p57)
11.00am Midori (p58)
9.00pm Cafe Concerts: Aristo Quartet (p62)
1.00pm Conversations: Bang on a Can All-Stars (p63)
Clerk Street R WS T H WC C
The Hub Castlehill LF WS T H WC C
9.00pm Cafe Concerts: Trio Nielsen (p62)
Other venues Lecture Theatre, National Museum of Scotland Chambers Street L LF WC T The Queen’s Gallery The Palace of Holyrood House L LF WC C New Media Scotland 1 Crichton Street L WS LF
2.30pm Movements: The New Leonardos (p66) National Museum of Scotland
2.30pm Movements: Brian Eno (p66) National Museum of Scotland
5.45pm Christophe Rousset (p61) St Cecilia’s Hall
5.45pm Christophe Rousset (p61) St Cecilia’s Hall
9.00pm To Dream Again (p50) Peter Gregson New Media Scotland
7.00pm Art, Science and Performance (p71) The Queen’s Gallery
Morrison Street L LF WC H
Mon 26 August
Tue 27 August
11.00am Hebrides Ensemble, Thomas Bloch (p58)
11.00am Arditti Quartet (p59)
11.00am, 2.30pm, 5.00pm and 7.30pm All That Fall Pan Pan Theatre (p33)
11.00am, 2.30pm, 5.00pm and 7.30pm All That Fall Pan Pan Theatre (p33)
2.30pm Quad (p65)
9.30pm Cafe Concerts: Nemtsov Duo (p62)
9.30pm Cafe Concerts: Jacquin Trio (p62)
2.30pm Movements: From Stein to Steinway: 300 Years of the Piano (p66) National Museum of Scotland
6.15pm Physical Thinking: A movement course (p71) The Queen’s Gallery
9.00pm Cafe Concerts: Olga Jegunova (p62)
2.30pm Movements: Irvine Arditti and Margaret Faultless (p66) National Museum of Scotland 6.15pm Physical Thinking: A movement course (p71) The Queen’s Gallery
9.00pm To Dream Again (p50) Peter Gregson New Media Scotland
9.00pm To Dream Again (p50) Peter Gregson New Media Scotland
St Cecilia’s Hall Cowgate R LF WS WC
EICC
Sun 25 August
8.00pm Leaving Planet Earth (p24) Grid Iron
8.00pm Leaving Planet Earth (p24) Grid Iron
8.00pm Leaving Planet Earth (p24) Grid Iron
Edinburgh International Climbing Arena Ratho R WC LF
King’s Theatre, Edinburgh
7.00pm Embers (p32) Pan Pan Theatre
Leven Street R L WS H WC
2.00pm Embers (p32) Pan Pan Theatre 7.00pm Embers (p32) Pan Pan Theatre
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh Nicolson Street L R LF WS H WC C
The Edinburgh Playhouse
7.15pm Dido and Aeneas / Bluebeard’s Castle (p8) Oper Frankfurt
7.15pm Dido and Aeneas / Bluebeard’s Castle (p8) Oper Frankfurt
7.30pm L.A. Dance Project (p16)
7.30pm L.A. Dance Project (p16)
7.30pm L.A. Dance Project (p16)
9.00pm I’ll Go On (p31) Gate Theatre Dublin
9.00pm I’ll Go On (p31) Gate Theatre Dublin
9.00 pm Eh Joe (p31) Gate Theatre Dublin
7.30pm Beethoven Prometheus (p41) Scottish Chamber Orchestra René Jacobs conductor
8.00pm Brahms Requiem (p42) Tonhalle Orchestra David Zinman conductor
5.00pm Movements: Edinburgh: Festival City Lecture demonstration (p66)
Greenside Place L WS H WC C
Royal Lyceum Theatre
9.00pm Eh Joe (p31) Gate Theatre Dublin
Grindlay Street L LF WS T H WC C
Usher Hall Lothian Road L LF WS WC C
5.00pm Movements: How a Pipe Organ Works (p66) 8.00pm Ian Bostridge, Lars Vogt (p41)
8.00pm Bang on a Can All-Stars (p48)
8.00pm Brahms Violin Concerto (p42) Tonhalle Orchestra David Zinman conductor
Access Facilities Key: L Level access R Ramped access LF Lift SL Stair lift WS Wheelchair spaces in auditorium T Induction loop H Infrared system WC Accessible toilets C Accessible catering/bar
8.00pm City Noir (p43) Royal Scottish National Orchestra Peter Oundjian conductor
Festival Diary Wed 28 August
Thu 29 August
Fri 30 August
Sat 31 August
11.00am Zukerman Chamber Players (p59)
11.00am Andreas Scholl, Tamar Halperin (p60)
11.00am Véronique Gens, Susan Manoff (p60)
11.00am Quatuor Ébène (p61)
12 noon Conversations: Andreas Scholl (p63)
12 noon Conversations: musikFabrik (p63)
12 noon Beckett on Film (p65)
10.00am – 10.30pm Beckett on Film (p33)
2.30pm Beckett and Contemporary Art: Make Sense Who May (p65)
2.30pm Art and Technology (p67)
5.00pm Infinite Possibilities: Drama on the Radio (p65) 9.00pm Cafe Concerts: Zuzana Zaimlová and Veronica Böhmova (p62) 12 noon Glitch’d: Purposeful Mistakes (p67) Sculpture Court, Edinburgh College of Art Lauriston Place R LF WC
5.00pm Lost in Translation (p67) 8.00pm Cafe Concerts: Live Music Now talk (p62)
2.30pm The Edinburgh University Festival Lecture: Art, Mind and Machine (p67)
Sun 1 September
Other events Talbot Rice Gallery, The University of Edinburgh, Old College, South Bridge R LF T Wed 7 Aug – Sat 19 Oct August Open Daily 10.00am to 5.00pm; September – October Tues – Sat 10.00am – 5.00pm Transmitted Live: Nam June Paik Resounds (p68)
5.00pm Cultural Dialogue (p67)
The Queen’s Gallery, Palace of Holyrood House
9.00pm Cafe Concerts: Flercussion (p62) 12 noon Synthetic Biology: Where Organic Meets Digital (p67) Sculpture Court, Edinburgh College of Art Lauriston Place R LF WC
81
Princes Street Gardens
12 noon Shaping Things: Artefacts and the 3D Printer (p67) Sculpture Court, Edinburgh College of Art Lauriston Place R LF WC
L WS WC 9.00pm Virgin Money Fireworks Concert (p45) Scottish Chamber Orchestra Garry Walker conductor
L LF WC C Fri 2 Aug – Sun 10 Nov Open Daily 9.30am – 6.00pm (last admission 5.00pm) Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man (p70)
Outside Usher Hall & Festival Theatre Fri 9 Aug – Sun 1 Sep Media Skins (p72)
National Museum of Scotland L LF WC T Chambers Street Open daily 10.00am – 5.00pm Cybraphon (p50)
7.15pm American Lulu (p10) Scottish Opera and The Opera Group
7.15pm American Lulu (p10) Scottish Opera and The Opera Group
7.30pm Don Quichotte du Trocadéro (p18) José Montalvo
7.30pm Don Quichotte du Trocadéro (p18) José Montalvo
7.30pm Don Quichotte du Trocadéro (p18) José Montalvo
7.00pm First Love (p32) Gate Theatre Dublin
7.00pm Eh Joe (p31) Gate Theatre Dublin
9.00pm First Love (p32) Gate Theatre Dublin
5.00pm Eh Joe (p31) Gate Theatre Dublin
9.00pm I’ll Go On (p31) Gate Theatre Dublin
9.00pm First Love (p32) Gate Theatre Dublin
8.00pm musikFabrik (p49)
8.00pm Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (p43) Daniel Reuss conductor
Events Key:
Dance
Theatre
Opera
7.00pm First Love (p32) Gate Theatre Dublin 9.00pm I’ll Go On (p31) Gate Theatre Dublin 8.00pm Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (p44) Daniele Gatti conductor
Music
Discussions
8.00pm Verdi Requiem (p44) BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Donald Runnicles conductor
Visual Arts
PEFC/16-33-630