2009
We gratefully acknowledge support from the following:
GRANTS
PROJECT GRANTS
Supported through the
Scottish Government’s
Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund
SPONSORS
PRINCIPAL SUPPORTERS
Dunard Fund
Edinburgh International Festival Endowment Fund
PROSCENIUM CLUB MEMBERS
Arup
Baillie Gifford, Investment Managers
BP
Caledonian Hilton
Carillion IT Services
City Inn
CMS
The EDI Group Ltd
Macdonald Holyrood Hotel
Maclay Murray & Spens LLP
The Miller Group Limited
Prudential plc
The Royal Terrace Hotel, Edinburgh
Scottish & Newcastle UK
Sopra Group
Standard Life
FOREIGN GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
Arts Victoria
Australia Council
The Australian Government
Australian High Commission, London
Consulate General of the Federal Republic
of Germany, Edinburgh
Consulate General of Switzerland, Edinburgh
Embassy of Finland, London
The Embassy of the United States
of America, London
The Government of Romania
Government of Victoria, Australia
The Italian Cultural Institute, Edinburgh
The Ministry of Culture, Cults and
National Heritage of Romania
National Arts Council (Singapore)
Pro Helvetia, Swiss Arts Council
The Romanian Cultural Institute
Singapore Arts Festival
The United States Consulate
General, Edinburgh
PRINCIPAL DONORS
American Friends of the Edinburgh
International Festival
Edinburgh International Festival Capital Fund
Edinburgh International Festival Benefactors,
Patrons and Friends
Edinburgh Military Tattoo
DONORS
Adam & Company
Director’s Circle
Edinburgh International
Festival Science Consortium
Johnston Press plc
The Miller Group Limited
TRUSTS & FOUNDATIONS
The Binks Trust
Cruden Foundation Limited
The Peter Diamand Trust
The Evelyn Drysdale Charitable Trust
Gordon Fraser Charitable Trust
The Hamada Edinburgh Festival Foundation
The Inches Carr Trust
The Institute for Advanced Studies
in the Humanities,
The University of Edinburgh
Eda, Lady Jardine Charitable Trust
The Leverhulme Trust
The Morton Charitable Trust
The Negaunee Foundation
Risk Charitable Fund
The Stevenston Charitable Trust
Swiss Cultural Fund in Britain
The Sym Charitable Trust
Thirkleby Trust
Wellcome Trust
IN KIND SUPPORTERS
Alba Water
ALCO Business Consulting –
ICT Strategic Partner
Capital Solutions
Dimensions (Scotland) Ltd
The Glasshouse
Malmaison, Edinburgh
Omni Centre, Edinburgh
Prestige Scotland
Springbank Distillers Ltd
STRATHMORE SPRING WATER
TM Robertson Wine Cellars
(part of the Berkmann Group)
Edinburgh International Festival Society is registered as a company in Scotland (No SC0247660) and as a Scottish Charity (No SC004694)
Registered Address: The Hub, Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2NE
1
WELCOME
TO
FESTIVAL
A visit to Edinburgh in the 18th century
brought one to the source of the ideas
and inventions that lay the foundations
for so much of the modern world.
The Enlightenment was a period of
extraordinary creativity, famous for its
technological developments, philosophical
provocations and scientific discoveries.
It can trace its origins to Scotland and
particularly to Edinburgh.
Not that the impact of Scotland is confined
to the 18th century. Throughout history,
Scottish thinkers and inventors have been
shaping our understanding of the world.
The medieval poetry of Robert Henryson
and the poetic fantasy of J M Barrie are
eloquent testaments to the diversity of
Scottish culture and its universal appeal.
Radical ideas rarely go unchallenged.
In 1727 Janet Horne became the last person
to be burnt as a witch in Scotland. The
tragedy of her life, at a time of ‘endarkenment’
just before the Enlightenment, is the subject
of a new play by Rona Munro.
Flowing from periods of social upheaval,
Scottish migration was often tinged with
tragedy; nevertheless our diaspora continues
to resonate as far away as Singapore and
Australia. Exploring notions of identity, of
home and homecoming is an important
theme running through the programme.
Festival 09 suggests that there are many
ways of appreciating Scottish culture.
Our country has contributed much that is
important to human advancement through
ideas and innovations that continue to inspire.
09
14 August to 6 September
Let’s celebrate those achievements.
Jonathan Mills, Director
Diaspora
The Return
of Ulysses
Actus
tragicus
Il ritorno
d’Ulisse
in patria
Contents
The Opening Concert
03
Opera
04
Dance
14
Theatre
20
Music
30
Visual Arts
42
The Queen’s Hall Series
45
Talks and Discussions
54
Conversations,
Behind the Scenes,
Sharing the Festival,
Connecting to Culture
56
Visiting Edinburgh
58
Map with Venues
59
How to Book
60
Discounts and Ticket Prices 61
Daily Diary
62
2
Thank you for playing a leading role!
A big thank you to all those whose contributions have helped
us to present the 2009 Festival programme. It is only through
your generosity that we are able to bring the very best
of opera, music, theatre, dance and visual art to the widest
possible audience.
There are many ways in which you can make a difference:
•
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Make a donation when you book your tickets – simply round it up
Become a Benefactor, Patron or Friend
Make regular donations
Support a performance
Remember us in your will
Visit eif.co.uk/membership or call 0131 473 2000 for further info.
Edinburgh International Festival Benefactors and Patrons
Benefactor
Ewan and Christine Brown
Frank Hitchman
Donald and Louise MacDonald
David McLellan
Jim and Isobel Stretton
Platinum Reserve
Richard Burns
Joscelyn Fox
Gavin and Kate Gemmell
Aileen and Stephen Nesbitt
Platinum Supporter
Mr and Mrs James Anderson
Geoff and Mary Ball
Mrs Angela E Ballard
Katie Bradford
The Rt. Hon. Lord Clarke
Lord and Lady Coulsfield
Sue and Andy Doig
Sir Gerald and Lady Elliot
Jo and Alison Elliot
Claire Enders
Mr and Mrs Ted W Frison
Raymond and Anita Green
David and Judith Halkerston
Shields and Carol Henderson
André and Rosalie Hoffmann
J Douglas Home
Peter Horvath
Mrs Ann Johnston
Mr Fred Johnston
Norman and Christine Lessels
Duncan and Una McGhie
Jean and Roger Miller
Mr & Mrs R H Mitchell
Mr Derek H Moss
Allan Myers AO QC and Maria Myers AO
Nick and Julie Parker
Garth and Lucy Pollard
Lady Potter
Donald and Brenda Rennie
Principal C Duncan Rice and Mrs Susan Rice
Mr Andrew and Mrs Carolyn Richmond
Ross Roberts
Barnett Serchuk
Richard Simon
Andrea and Keith Skeoch
Charles Smith
Robin and Sheila Wight
Ruth Woodburn
Neil and Philippa Woodcock
Mr Hedley G Wright
And others who prefer to remain anonymous
Legacies
The Estate of Miss Eleanor Hamilton
The Estate of Gilbert Innes
Léan Scully EIF Fund
THE OPENING
CONCERT
HANDEL
JUDAS
MACCABAEUS
SCOTTISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
WILLIAM CHRISTIE CONDUCTOR
Edinburgh Festival Chorus
Christopher Bell Chorus Master
Rosemary Joshua Soprano
Sarah Connolly Mezzo soprano
Reno Troilus Countertenor
William Burden Tenor
Neal Davies Bass
Judas Maccabaeus premiered at
Covent Garden in 1747. At the same time
as being one of Handel’s most enduring
oratorios it is a direct and highly political
statement about the, then, recent Jacobite
uprising and as such remains provocative
to this day. Composed by Handel in his
role as chief propagandist of the House
of Hanover, it has words written by
Thomas Morrell to celebrate the Duke
of Cumberland’s victory over the Scottish
rebels at Culloden, its most famous chorus
being See, the conqu’ring hero comes.
The work has been popular since its first
performances in the Scottish Enlightenment
period, moving audiences with familiar
melodies, high drama and powerful
choruses. With a star line up of soloists
and William Christie conducting the
Scottish Chamber Orchestra, this promises
to open the Festival in style.
Friday 14 August 7.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £45 £40 £38 £32 £30 £20
£17.50 £15 £12.50 £10
3 hours 15 minutes approximately
Maccabees by Antonio Ciseri (Lebrecht)
www.eif.co.uk/opening
Sponsored by
THE OPENING CONCERT
3
OPERA
4
Rinaldo
by George Frideric Handel
Concert performance sung in Italian
Rinaldo Clint van der Linde
Almirena Maki Mori
Armidad Rachel Nicholls
Argante Roderick Williams
Goffredo Robin Blaze
Eustazio Damien Guillon
Mago Cristiano Sumihito Uesugi
Araldo Makoto Sakurada
Image: Lebrecht
Bach Collegium Japan
Masaaki Suzuki Conductor
Macbeth
by Giuseppe Verdi
Concert performance sung in Italian
Macbeth Lado Ataneli
Lady Macbeth Susan Neves
Banquo John Relyea
Macduff Massimo Giordano
Lady in Waiting Katherine Broderick
Malcolm Nicholas Phan
Doctor/Servant Vuyani Mlinde
Murderer/Herald/Apparition Wade Kernot
Edinburgh Festival Chorus
Christopher Bell Chorus Master
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
David Robertson Conductor
The story of thwarted love in a time of war, religious strife
and witchcraft contributed to Rinaldo’s instant success.
It was the first opera Handel produced for London and
the first Italian opera composed specifically for the
London stage. But it was the arias, written to showcase
the virtuosity of a necessarily starry cast, that have ensured
its continuing success. Rinaldo includes some of Handel’s
most popular and famous operatic arias, Lascia ch’io
pianga and Cara sposa.
Bach Collegium Japan: ‘Baroque musicianship at its best.’
THE GUARDIAN
'Musicianship is, to be sure, Mr. Suzuki’s greatest
strength… a subtle ear for color, a keen sense of harmonic
direction, and an ability to make phrases breathe
and rhythms live' THE NEW YORK TIMES
Shakespeare’s Scottish play has been an inspiration for
many artists and Verdi regarded it as ‘one of the greatest
creations of man’. His response was to create a highly
dramatic work, with the music conjuring up bleak heaths,
raging storms and cackling witches and defining the two
tortured souls of Macbeth and his fatally ambitious wife.
Friday 21 August 7.30pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £39 £34 £27 £24 £20 £17 £14 £12 £10
2 hours 45 minutes approximately
Monday 24 August 7.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £39 £34 £27 £24 £20 £17 £14 £12 £10
4 hours approximately
eif.co.uk/macbeth
eif.co.uk/rinaldo
Sponsored by
OPERA
5
Acis &
Galatea
by George Frideric Handel
Version by Felix Mendelssohn
Concert performance sung in English
Acis Christoph Prégardien
Galatea Dominique Labelle
Damon Michael Slattery
Polyphemus Wolf Matthias Friedrich
Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus
FestspielOrchester Göttingen
Nicholas McGegan Conductor
The divine power of love to defeat mortality inspired
Handel to write this pastoral work of great lyricism, telling
the story of Galatea, a semi-divine nymph, and her love
for the shepherd Acis.
Acis and Galatea was Handel’s most widely performed
dramatic work during his lifetime and remains one of his
most popular and enduring, with passion filled arias such
as I rage, I melt, I burn.
Image: Superstock.com
Der Fliegende
Holländer
The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
Concert performance sung in German
‘best of all, at the heart of the performance, was McGegan
himself… with the kind of energy that dazzles and delights.’
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE
Holländer Franz Grundheber
Senta Eva Johansson
Erik Nikolai Schukoff
Daland Diogenes Randes
Steuermann Jun-Sang Han
Mary Deborah Humble
Hamburg State Opera
Simone Young Conductor
A man is condemned to sail the seas until the day
of judgement unless he finds the redeeming power of love.
The sea itself is so integral to the music that it almost
becomes a character in the story, which is based
on Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
Wagner developed many of his ideas, both musical
and dramatic, in writing this opera.
Please note there is no interval in this concert
Sunday 30 August 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £39 £34 £27 £24 £20 £17 £14 £12 £10
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
Tuesday 1 September 7.30pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £39 £34 £27 £24 £20 £17 £15 £12 £10
2 hours 20 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/acis
eif.co.uk/flyingdutchman
Supported by
The Stevenston Charitable Trust
OPERA
6
THE
FAIRY
QUEEN
ST
KILDA
Island of the Birdmen
by Henry Purcell
Concert performance sung in English
Staged production performed in Gaelic,
French and English
The Sixteen
Harry Christophers Conductor
Catriona Alyth McCormack
John Alain Eloy
Gillian Keith Soprano
Elin Manahan Thomas Soprano
Grace Davidson Soprano
Iestyn Davies Alto
James Gilchrist Tenor
Jonathan Best Bass
Ben Davies Bass
Jeremy Budd Tenor
Mark Dobell Tenor
Chœur et acrobates des Hainauts
Ensemble Musiques Nouvelles
Purcell’s version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
offers an extraordinary variety of music fashioning the magic,
mystery, broad comedy and romance of the story of lovers
thwarted, bewitched and reunited. The combined specialist
early music forces of the choir and period instrument ensemble
which are The Sixteen with their conductor Harry Christophers
ensure this evening offers a truly authentic experience.
Jean-Paul Dessy Musical director
Thierry Poquet Director
Lew Bogdan Concept
Iain F Macleod Texts
David P Graham, Jean-Paul Dessy Composers
Iain F Macleod, Thierry Poquet Drama Film
Cie Retouramont, Keith Partridge Dance Film
Norman Chalmers,
Malcolm Maclean Creative Advisers
The Sixteen: ‘a tiny soundbite of Heaven.’ THE TIMES
Harry Christophers: ‘wants to do more than just ravish our ears.
He wants to set us feeling and thinking... all that glorious
vocal euphony just takes your breath away’
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
Friday 4 September 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £39 £34 £27 £24 £20 £17 £14 £12 £10
2 hours 30 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/fairyqueen
Photo: Christian Mathieu
OPERA
7
Scaling the sheer cliffs of their rocky home ‘the Birdmen’ of St Kilda
harvested a living from seabirds and their eggs for more than 3,000
years. The decline and depopulation of their society was a slow
process, accelerated by contagions from the mainland. By the time
the British government evacuated the island in 1930 there were
hardly thirty people left – clinging to their unique way of life and
furious landscape and roped to their customs and language.
St Kilda is the most westerly of Scottish islands and the last
landfall before America. It is the UK’s only dual World Heritage
Site – for both natural and cultural heritage – and the cliffs rise
taller than the Empire State Building. Traditional Gaelic song and
contemporary music are performed against a backdrop of vintage
and modern film as a cast of actors, singers and acrobats tell
the story of the ‘Birdmen’ of St Kilda.
Two large screens frame the stage and show archive film from
1908 to 1930. Interwoven with these highly emotional images
is spectacular contemporary film of the place, its story and
dramatic aerial cliff-dancers.
A co-production between Manège.Mons/Centre
Dramatique/CECN/Musiques Nouvelles in partnership with
Proiseact Nan Ealan – The Gaelic Arts Agency, Eolie Songe
and le Phénix, with the participation of the Académie Fratellini
and the support of INTERREG IV France – Wallonie –
Vlaanderen, and the Conseil Régional Nord-Pas de Calais.
Saturday 15, Sunday 16 & Monday 17 August 8.00pm
Edinburgh Festival Theatre
Tickets £30 £26 £20 £15 £10
1 hour 25 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/stkilda
Sponsored by
OPERA
8
Handspring Puppet Company
Ricercar Consort
Ulisse/L’Humana Fragilità Julian Podger
Penelope Romina Basso
Telemaco/Pisandro Lluís Vilamajó
Nettuno/Antinoo/Tempo Stephan MacLeod
Fortuna/Melanto/Anfinomo Anna Zander
Eumete/Eurimaco/Giove Valerio Contaldo
Amore/Minerva Adriana Fernandez
Puppeteers Busi Zokufa, Adrian Kohler,
Basil Jones, Jason Potgieter, Luc de Wit
William Kentridge
Director, animator and set designer
Philippe Pierlot Musical Director
Adrian Kohler
Puppets, costume and set designer
Luc de Wit Assistant Director
Wesley France Lighting designer
Opera singers, musicians, half life-sized
puppets and animated film come together
to retell the Greek myth of Ulysses.
South African puppet company Handspring
recently enjoyed great success in London
with the National Theatre’s Warhorse. For
this innovative production it has joined forces
with Philippe Pierlot and his Belgium based
ensemble the Ricercar Consort and visual artist
and director William Kentridge, renowned for
his video animations of charcoal drawings.
In Kentridge’s version of Monteverdi’s opera,
Ulysses is no longer in Ithaca. Instead, he lies
reminiscing in a Johannesburg hospital bed.
His romantic return to Penelope has become
an epic dream that evokes not only classical
Greece but also Monteverdi’s Venice
and contemporary South Africa.
‘Ulysses is sick. He lies in bed, in twisted
sheets, breathing shallowly. But Ulysses
is made of wood…and the steady rise
and fall of his breath as he lies racked
by feverish dreams of reuniting with his
wife is quiet testimony to the skill and detail
of the production.’ THE NEW YORK TIMES
Ricercar Consort: ‘simply a marvel
of instrumental finesse, beauty of sound
and perfection.’ BAYERISCHER RUNDFUNK
Original production by the KunstenFestival
des Arts and La Monnaie De Munt, Brussels.
Staged production sung in Italian
with English supertitles
Il ritorno
The Return of Ulysses to his Homeland
By Claudio Monteverdi
Sunday 23, Tuesday 25,
Wednesday 26 August 8.00pm
King’s Theatre
Tickets £30 £26 £20 £15 £10
1 hour 40 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/handspring
Sponsor of the
Return of Ulysses productions
Photo: Johan Jacobs
OPERA
9
d’Ulisse
in patria
OPERA
10
We are alive and dead at the same time.
Admeto's classical Greek world is re-imagined as the
world of the Japanese samurai, very formal, with a strict
hierarchy and many rules.
If you go to hell you probably don't come back the same
person. As Alceste returns from Hades to the world of the
living, by her side is her spirit-ghost, played by the famous
Butoh dancer Tadashi Endo. He interprets her conflicting
emotions of love, jealousy and rage until the very end
when Alceste is reunited with Admeto and they leave
to live happily ever after. The spirit-ghost reminds us
in a last dance that we are always accompanied by our
shadow from Hades.
Butoh is the Japanese dance of shadows, the dance
of the dead dreaming of the living.
Admeto Tim Mead
Alceste Kirsten Blaise
Antigona Marie Arnet
Orindo David Bates
Trasimede Andrew Radley
Ercole William Berger
Meraspe Wolf Matthias Friedrich
Solo dancer Tadashi Endo
Dancers MAMU DANCE THEATRE
FestspielOrchester Göttingen
Nicholas McGegan Conductor
Doris Dörrie Director
Bernd Lepel Set and costume designer
Tadashi Endo Choreographer
Linus Fellbom Lighting designer
Award winning film maker, producer and author Doris Dörrie
creates a new production for the International Handel
Festival in Göttingen, Germany. The production comes
direct to the Edinburgh International Festival for its first
performances after the June premiere.
Conductor Nicholas McGegan is Artistic Director of the
Göttingen International Handel Festival which is dedicated
to rediscovering and reviving works by Handel.
ADMETO,
AD M ETO , KIN G O F T HE S S A LY
BY GEOR GE FR IDER IC HAN DEL
Staged production sung in Italian with English supertitles
RE
Friday 28, Saturday 29, Monday 31 August 7.15pm
Edinburgh Festival Theatre
Tickets £64 £56 £50 £42 £40 £36 £27 £25 £14
3 hours 30 minutes approximately
www.eif.co.uk/admeto
Edinburgh International Festival Benefactors,
Patrons and Friends with additional support from the Director's Circle
Supported by
OPERA
11
DI
TESSAGLIA
OPERA
12
STAAT SOPER STUTTGAR T
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
Within the cross-section of a four-storey
building, the minutiae and repetition
of human behaviour is brought to life.
No way out but death seems to be the
message for the community of lonely people
locked in their everyday routine – a danse
macabre. Bach’s music, with its eloquence
and connection to the human spirit,
offers a promise of redemption from the
necessity of repeating, forever and ever,
a mundane existence.
Each of the fifty members of the choir of
the Staatsoper Stuttgart plays an individual
character, building an intricate and detailed
picture of day to day life. The choir
is amongst the most successful in Europe
and won the title of ‘Opernwelt’s Opera
Choir of the Year’ in seven different years.
Herbert Wernicke’s opera directing career
included productions for Salzburg Festival,
Bavarian State Opera and the Met in New
York before he died tragically young in 2002.
He created the visually striking production
Actus tragicus by combining six sacred
cantatas to form one theatrical whole.
Where God the Lord stands with us not
BWV 178, Who knows how near to me
my end is? BWV 27, There is no nought
of soundness within my body BWV 25,
Ah, how fleeting, ah, how empty BWV 26,
Watch with care lest all thy piety be hypocrisy
BWV 179 and God’s own time is the best of
times BWV 106 also known as Actus tragicus.
Friday 4 & Saturday 5 September 7.15pm
Edinburgh Festival Theatre
Tickets £64 £56 £50 £42 £40 £36 £27 £25 £14
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
www.eif.co.uk/actustragicus
Supported by
Dunard Fund
Staatsoper Stuttgart
Soprano I Simone Schneider
Soprano II Heike Beckmann
Soprano III Johannes Grimm
Alto I Kai Wessel
Alto II Cristina Otey
Tenor I Martin Petzold
Tenor II Michael Nowak
Bass I Shigeo Ishino
Bass II Daniel Henriks
Michael Hofstetter Conductor
Herbert Wernicke
Director, set and costume designer
Eva-Mareike Uhlig
Co-designer for costumes
Albrecht Puhlmann Dramaturg
Michael Alber Choir master
Hermann Münzer Light designer
Staged production sung in German
with English supertitles
OPERA
13
Photo: Thilo Nass
DANCE
14
The
Return
of
Ulysses
Royal Ballet of Flanders
Photography: Johan Persson
How do you think you would feel if your
partner went away for 20 years? Do you think
you would be faithful? Or would the temptation
to start a new life be too much?
It’s been two decades since Penelope’s husband,
Ulysses, left to fight in the Trojan Wars and
the intervening years have seen a string of lusty,
power-hungry suitors knocking on her door.
Will the love she has for her husband stand
the test of time?
Christian Spuck’s exhilarating production fills
Penelope’s loneliest years with humour, wit and
the down right weird – Poseidon wears flippers,
goggles and a giant tutu while the goddess
Athena becomes a tour guide equipped with
a megaphone. And as the music of Purcell blends
effortlessly into Doris Day, tightly choreographed
corps-de-ballet becomes revue-style dancing.
‘Spuck’s fascinating combinations are
dazzlingly fast, combining classical fireworks
and some of the most original choreography’
FINANCIAL TIMES
Christian Spuck Choreographer
Henry Purcell Music
Various Songs from the 1940s and '50s
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Benjamin Pope Conductor
Elin Manahan Thomas Soprano
Jens Schroth Dramatist
Emma Ryott
Scenery and costume designer
Peter van Praet Lighting designer
Friday 21- Sunday 23 August 8.00pm
Monday 24 August 2.30pm
The Edinburgh Playhouse
Tickets £42 £36 £32 £28 £24 £18 £12 £10
1 hour 15 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/ulysses
Sponsor of the
Return of Ulysses productions
DANCE
15
16
DANCE
Cesc Gelabert Choreographer and director
Llorenç Corbella Set designer
Lydia Azzopardi Costume designer
Miguel Muñoz Lighting designer
Sense Fi
Conquassabit
Pascal Comelade Music
George Frideric Handel Music
Gelabert’s paradoxical dance work recognises
the uncertainty of the world we live in and identifies
the circles of destiny that lie within us all. Pascal
Comelade’s energetic score blends effortlessly with
Gelabert’s passionate choreographic style and in
doing so, creates a joyful premiere for Festival 09.
Hold on to your hats! Conquassabit represents the
intense power and calm of a hurricane and Gelabert’s
dancers take you on a trip right to the eye of the storm.
Vocal and instrumental fragments of Handel’s music
provide the soundtrack to movement that accelerates
from moments of beauty and tranquility to those
of shattering intensity.
Gelabert
Azzopardi
Companyia de Dansa
Friday 21-Sunday 23 August 8.00pm
Edinburgh Festival Theatre
Tickets £28 £25 £23 £18 £12 £10
1 hour 30 minutes approximately
Co-production between Teatre Lliure
de Barcelona and Gelabert Azzopardi
eif.co.uk/gelabert
Photo: Outumuro
Sponsored by
Scots born Michael Clark returns to
the Edinburgh International Festival for the
first time in 20 years bringing a new work
to Festival 09. In 1988 the memorable
I am curious, Orange featuring live music
by indie legends The Fall wowed audiences.
His creative starting point this time is that
period in the late 1970s when rock’s
holy trinity – David Bowie, Iggy Pop and
Lou Reed – worked in close proximity
producing some of the classic music
of the time.
Inspirational, iconic and rebellious, Clark’s
dance worlds are radical and revolutionary,
blending classicism with contemporary ideas.
His company, formed 25 years ago,
has changed the face of British dance,
collaborating with bands, fashion designers
and visual artists.
With Clark's choreography and his wonderful
company of dancers expect an evening
of exhilarating modern dance.
‘One of Britain’s most important living
creators of dance.’ DAILY TELEGRAPH
MICHAEL
‘British dance’s true iconoclast’
INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
CLARK
NEW WORK
Commissioned by barbicanbite09 and
Dance Umbrella (London), La Biennale
di Venezia and Dansens Hus (Stockholm)
as part of European Network of Performing
Arts (ENPARTS).
MICHAEL CLARK COMPANY
Michael Clark Choreographer
Photo: Richard Haughton
Charles Atlas Lighting designer
Co-production between Edinburgh
International Festival, barbicanbite09,
Dance Umbrella, Michael Clark Company,
Grand Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg
and Maison des Arts de Créteil.
Friday 28- Monday 31 August 8.00pm
The Edinburgh Playhouse
Tickets £28 £23 £20 £18 £15 £12 £9 £8
Running time to be advised
eif.co.uk/michaelclark
DANCE
17
DANCE
18
SCENES DE BALLET
Frederick Ashton Choreographer
Igor Stravinsky Music
Frederick Ashton’s Scènes de Ballet is a direct response to the elegant
sophistication of Stravinsky’s score. It was Ashton’s favourite of his
own works, and together with his Cinderella and Symphonic Variations
formed the bedrock of what was to become the 'English style'.
Steeped in the language of classical ballet, the work's striking designs
feature crisp tutus, black velvet berets and pearl chokers which echo
the Broadway chic of the late 1940s.
WORKWITHINWORK
William Forsythe Choreographer
Luciano Berio Music
Created by William Forsythe, former director of Frankfurt Ballet,
Workwithinwork unites the dancers’ classical discipline and
experimental playfulness using Berio’s haunting Duetti for two
violins. The resulting displays of dance virtuosity shimmer in and
out of the shadows on the beautifully lit Playhouse stage.
SCOTTISH
PETRUSHKA
WORLD PREMIERE
Ian Spink Choreographer
Yannis Thavoris Designer
Igor Stravinsky Music
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Nicolas Kok Conductor
The tragic story of a Russian puppet brought to life by a wizard’s enchanted
flute is given a twenty-first century twist by Australian-British choreographer
and director, Ian Spink and Greek born designer Yannis Thavoris.
Spink has a real knack of breathing new life into classic stories, putting
his own fresh slant onto some of the most well-established works.
He most recently directed Private Lives for The Citizens Theatre,
L’enfant et les Sortileges and L’heure Epagnole for Opera Zuid,
Maastricht and choreographed A Tragedy of Fashion for Rambert Dance
Company. Festival audiences now have the chance to enjoy his creative
take on the tale of Petrushka, choreographed for Scottish Ballet.
Friday 4 September 7.30pm & Saturday 5 September
2.30pm & 7.30pm
The Edinburgh Playhouse
Tickets £42 £36 £32 £28 £24 £18 £12 £10
2 hours 10 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/scottishballet
Supported through the Scottish
Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund
DANCE
19
BALLET
Ashton/Forsythe/Spink
Photo: Merlin Hendy
THEATRE
20
EUROPEAN PREMIERE
Photo: Garth Oriander
OPTIMISM
After Voltaire
Cast: Caroline Craig, Francis Greenslade,
Amber McMahon, Hamish Michael, Barry Otto,
Alison Whyte, Frank Woodley, David Woods
MALTHOUSE MELBOURNE
Music performed live by Iain Grandage
By Tom Wright
‘God is a comedian playing to an audience
too afraid to laugh’ VOLTAIRE (1694 -1778)
Turning a quizzical eye to the woes of the heart and
reeking with scandal and scurrilous vice, Optimism
transforms Voltaire’s classic satire of enlightened insanity,
Candide, into a cutting commentary on the no-worries
bravura of the Australian swagger.
Australian comedian Frank Woodley leads a wonderful
bunch of clowns in this remarkable road trip. Religion, sex,
disease and philosophy all cross our hero’s path as he
travels across five continents through a multitude of moods.
Join the criminally cheerful Candide for an optimistic
journey to Utopia and back.
Michael Kantor Director
Anna Tregloan Set and costume designer
Iain Grandage Composer
Paul Jackson Lighting designer
An Edinburgh International Festival, Malthouse Melbourne
Sydney Theatre Company and Sydney Festival commission.
‘a ravishing piece of theatre’ SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY
ON MALTHOUSE MELBOURNE'S THE TELL TALE HEART
Saturday 15 - Monday 17 August 8.00pm
Sunday 16 August 2.30pm
Royal Lyceum Theatre
Tickets £25 £21 £18 £15 £10
Running time to be advised
eif.co.uk/optimism
Supported by the Government
of Victoria, Australia through
Arts Victoria
Supported by
EUROPEAN PREMIERE
Photo: TheatreWorks (Singapore)
DIASPORA
BY ONG KENG SEN
THEATREWORKS
SINGAPORE CHINESE ORCHESTRA
Ong Keng Sen Director and writer
Tsung Yeh Conductor
Choy Ka Fai Video installation
Toru Yamanaka Electronic composer
Scott Zielinski Lighting designer
Video artists: Rabiya Chaudry, Ariani Darmawan,
Zai Kuning, Dinh Q. Le,
Navin Rawanchaikul, Tintin Wulia
Actors: Koh Boon Pin, Janice Koh, Lim Kay Tong,
Nora Samosir
Saturday 15 & Sunday 16 August 8.00pm
The Edinburgh Playhouse
Tickets £30 £25 £18 £15 £10 £8
1 hour 30 minutes approximately
Diaspora is a sweeping, panoramic performance exploring
memory, migration, assimilation and the triumph of the
human spirit. Ong Keng Sen’s visionary production is an
intricate layering of music, video and live story-telling.
Keng Sen and a group of video artists have searched
for real-life stories of diaspora and displacement.
Through the personal stories of Vietnamese Americans,
Indonesian Chinese, Indians in South East Asia, Orang
Laut (or sea nomads) and Scottish Muslims, Keng Sen
explores notions of home, identity and the dispersion
of peoples through war, through birth and through choice.
This epic panorama of image and sound is underscored
by a timeline of Chinese music spanning 2000 years,
ranging from mountain songs to contemporary compositions,
performed live by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra.
‘Ong Keng Sen is one of Singapore’s cultural jewels.’
THE GUARDIAN
eif.co.uk/diaspora
Ong Keng Sen is Leverhulme Artist in Residence
at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities
at the University of Edinburgh.
Supported by
Supported by
THEATRE
21
THEATRE
22
Photo: LindaPlaisted.com
WORLD PREMIERE
The
Last
By Rona Munro
Dominic Hill
Director
Naomi Wilkinson
Designer
Chris Davey
Lighting designer
TRAVERSE THEATRE COMPANY
Dornoch, northern Scotland, 1727. In the claustrophobic heat of
summer, a woman’s apparent ability to manipulate the power of land
and sea stirs suspicion. Janet Horne can cure beasts, call the wind
and charm fish out of the sea. Or can she? As her refusal to refute their
claims of sorcery incenses the local community, her magnetic allure
continues to captivate and destroy.
The Last Witch is based on the historical account of Janet Horne, the last
woman to be executed for witchcraft in Scotland. She was sentenced to
death by burning in her home town, accused by friends and neighbours
who believed she had made a pact with the devil.
Rona Munro is one of Scotland’s leading playwrights and The Last Witch
has been specially commissioned by the Festival. Munro explores the
psychological rifts that can divide close communities and drive families
apart, and vividly illustrates the destructive potential of fear in a small village.
Rona Munro is Edinburgh International Festival Creative Fellow at
the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University
of Edinburgh.
A co-production between the Edinburgh International Festival and
the Traverse Theatre.
Sunday 23 & Monday 24 August 7.30pm,
Wednesday 26 - Saturday 29 August 7.30pm,
Thursday 27 & Saturday 29 August 2.30pm
Royal Lyceum Theatre
Tickets £25 £21 £18 £15 £10
Running time to be advised
eif.co.uk/thelastwitch
Supported by Edinburgh
International
Festival Science Consortium
THEATRE
23
24
THEATRE
Brian Friel is Ireland’s most popular living playwright.
As much a composer of words as a dramatist, he uses a
poetic and often surreal style that is both wise and earthy.
Dublin’s Gate Theatre has established a unique relationship
with Friel and this Festival residency offers the opportunity
to see three of his masterworks.
‘The Gate Theatre has been an integral part of the success
of modern Irish drama… it offers a peerless tribute
to the work of Brian Friel’ THE AGE
Robin Lefèvre Director (Faith Healer, Afterplay)
Patrick Mason Director (The Yalta Game)
Liz Ascroft Set and costume designer
Jim McConnell Lighting designer
Denis Clohessy Music and sound designer
GATE FRIEL
Photo: Bobby Hanvey
THEATRE
25
Photography: Trent O'Donnell
Faith Healer
The Yalta Game
Afterplay
Arguably Friel’s greatest play, Faith Healer
influenced a generation of Irish writing for
the theatre. Frank Hardy is a faith healer
who has spent a lifetime touring the decayed
villages of Scotland and Wales with his
manager Teddy and his wife/mistress Grace.
An accountant holidays alone, leaving
his wife and family behind in Moscow.
While away he meets a young woman and
they indulge in a brief affair. Back home they
both find themselves obsessed by their
encounter and meet again to embark on
a self destructive path of duplicity, ecstasy
and love.
An extraordinary encounter between two
of Chekhov’s lost souls. You may have met
Sonya before in Uncle Vanya and Andrey
in The Three Sisters. Both characters are
now middle-aged, but cannot escape the
baggage of their earlier lives; Andrey is still
confused and living in a remote rural town;
Sonya continues to pine over the local doctor.
The Yalta Game is based on a theme in Anton
Chekhov’s The Lady with the Lapdog.
Friel’s expressive interpretation turns one
of the best short stories ever written into
a provocative piece of modern theatre.
The two characters meet by chance in a
café and as we follow their sometimes stilted
conversation, we slowly discover the fate of
both their families.
The story of their touring and of their fateful
return is told in separate, often contradictory
accounts by Grace, Teddy and Frank himself.
Taken together these narratives create a
mosaic that is both seductive and terrifying.
Cast:
Ingrid Craigie, Kim Durham, Owen Roe
‘Mesmerising... a major work of art’
THE NEW YORK TIMES
‘a beautiful and poetic examination of truth
and reality’ THE AUSTRALIAN STAGE
‘Remarkable... takes us close to the heart
of Chekhov.’ THE GUARDIAN
‘Beautifully performed… superb’
THE AUSTRALIAN
Saturday 15-Tuesday 18 August 7.30pm,
Sunday 16 August 2.00pm, Wednesday 2,
Friday 4 & Saturday 5 September 7.30pm
King's Theatre
Tickets £25 £23 £20 £17 £15 £10
2 hours 40 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/faithhealer
Saturday 29 & Sunday 30 August 9.00pm,
Tuesday 1 September 9.00pm,
Friday 4 September 5.00pm,
Saturday 5 September 2.00pm
King's Theatre
Tickets £25 £23 £20 £17 £15 £10
1 hour approximately
eif.co.uk/theyaltagame
Monday 31 August 9.00pm,
Tuesday 1 September 6.00pm,
Thursday 3 September 7.30pm,
Friday 4 September 2.00pm &
Saturday 5 September 5.00pm
King's Theatre
Tickets £25 £23 £20 £17 £15 £10
1 hours 5 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/afterplay
GATE | FRIEL TICKET OFFER Save 20% when you book for all three plays.
THEATRE
26
NATIONAL THEATRE ’RADU STANCA’ SIBIU
MUSIC PERFORMED BY IMPERIUM BAND
Performed in Romanian with English supertitles
faust
By Silviu Purcarete
Freely adapted after Goethe
What would you do to achieve absolute
enlightenment? Meet the man who makes the
ultimate sacrifice in his search for infinite knowledge.
Meet Faust.
Obsessed by a fear of growing old and driven
by a vampire-like lust for life our protagonist makes
a pact with the mannequin-like Mephistopheles, a bizarre
androgenous creature. In fact, the devil.
Silviu Purcarete’s wild adaptation of this iconic tale is a large
scale work with industrial music, pantomime, remarkable staging
and a huge cast. Prepare to be assaulted by a vision of base instincts
as you’re drawn (literally) into Faust’s apocalyptic nightmare of life
and death. Agony and ecstasy in a land of orgies, torture and murder.
The cast includes Ilie Gheorghe as Faust, Ofelia Popii as Mephistopheles
and over 100 actors and musicians. A section of this production
is promenade.
Macabre theatre on a grand scale.
Silviu Purcarete Director
Helmut Stürmer Set designer
Daniel Raduta Assistant set designer
Vasile Sirli Composer
Lia Mantoc Costumes designer
Andu Dumitrescu Video designer
Please note this performance contains adult content and nudity.
Tuesday 18 - Saturday 22 August 7.30pm
Lowland Hall, Ingliston
Tickets £20
2 hours approximately
eif.co.uk/faust
Photo: Mihaela Marin
Supported by
The Government
of Romania
27
English translation
by Elizabeth Elliot
Adapted for the stage
by David Levin
‘Alas this day! Alas this woeful tide
When I began to quarrel with my gods!’
CRESSEID
In a bleak midwinter, a wise man stops
to recount the haunting story of a woman’s
battle with her own destiny. A lyrical lament
on what might have been and a cautionary
tale on longing, love and loss and the
dangers of reasoning with the divine.
Robert Henryson was a distinctive Scottish
voice in northern renaissance literature at a
time when society was on the cusp between
medieval and renaissance sensibilities.
His 1590 Testament of Cresseid sets out to
complete the story of Cresseid left unfinished
in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde.
Scottish film and theatre star Jimmy Yuill
takes to the stage in the world premiere
of the first staged production of this
epic work commissioned by the Edinburgh
International Festival.
A poignant and starkly beautiful experience.
David Levin Director and designer
Jimmy Yuill Actor
The Testament of Cresseid
Saturday 29-Monday 31 August 8.00pm,
Wednesday 2-Saturday 5 September 8.00pm
The Hub
Tickets £17
1 hour approximately
Photo: Saskia Dimitrijevic
eif.co.uk/cresseid
THEATRE
By Robert Henryson
THEATRE
28
Peter Pan is reimagined by Mabou Mines in this exuberant
and haunting adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s classic tale.
Performer Karen Kandel joins seven skilled puppeteers
to bring a child’s fantastic dream to life – laundry pirouettes
across the sky, a cruel puppet crocodile dances a tango
with Captain Hook and Tinkerbell is conjured up in the
shimmering space between two finger-cymbals. A
bittersweet imaging of childhood.
Johnny Cunningham’s original musical score, played
live on stage in traditional Scottish style by a seven
piece band, makes an emotional connection between
the performance and Barrie’s Scottish homeland.
Photo: Scott Suchman
New York’s Mabou Mines is renowned for producing
multi-disciplinary creations integrating the work
of visual artists, puppeteers and musicians and offering
fresh perspectives on classic works.
Peter
and Wendy
‘a profoundly magical piece…’ THE WASHINGTON TIMES
‘…indisputably among the most influential experimental
ensembles of our time.’ THE NEW YORK TIMES
After J. M. Barrie
MABOU MINES
Liza Lorwin Producer and adapter
Julie Archer Designer
Lee Breuer Director
Johnny Cunningham Composer
Photo: Beatriz Schiller
Wednesday 2 -Saturday 5 September 7.30pm,
Saturday 5 September 2.30pm
Royal Lyceum Theatre
Tickets £25 £21 £18 £15 £10
2 hours 20 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/peterandwendy
THEATRE
29
Tondal’s Vision
DIALOGOS
Sung in Church Slavonic and in Latin with English supertitles
‘For how long a time was I dead?’
Tondal’s Vision was one of the most popular visionary
stories of the 12th century.
In this mysterious text, a medieval knight named Tondal falls
asleep at a banquet. He has a dream where his spirit visits
hell, and through the darkness, is guided back to his body
by the voice of an unknown angel. This journey to the other
side of death, which seems endless to Tondal, lasts for only
the blink of an eye.
In this version vocal ensemble Dialogos presents the
vision in a new context with medieval polyphony producing
a pure and expressive rendition of this ancient story.
‘It is passionate and divinely beautiful from beginning to end.’
CRESCENDO
‘The singing is luminous. Truly. This is music which makes
your soul and your body vibrate’ CLASSICA
Katarina Livljanic Director, musical conception
and text adaptation
Sandra Herzic Staging
Voices: Marie Barenton, Laura Gordiani, Katarina
Livljanic, Lucia Nigohossian, Sandrah Silvio,
Sylvie ŠpeharVucic
Experimentum
Mundi
Giorgio Battistelli Director
Nicola Raffone Percussion
Members of the Edinburgh Royal Choral Union
For voices, percussion, narrator and artisans
Composer Giorgio Battistelli takes sixteen artisans
dressed in overalls and aprons and sets them to work in
the Traverse Theatre producing a compelling and evocative
symphony from your wildest imagination. Demolishing the
barriers between life and art, everyday tools become musical
instruments and the workmen transform into musicians
in this fantastical and memorable performance piece.
Standing to one side, an actor reads extracts
by Enlightenment writers describing in turn the tools
and the work being done on stage. Sparks fly, eggs
crack and hammers pound in this unforgettable blend
human creativity and basic hard work.
Sharing the Festival: Experimentum Mundi is also
performed at The Space, Dundee on Tuesday 8 September
at 2.30pm & 7.30pm. See page 57 for details.
Photo: Corinne Silva
Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 August 9.30pm
Canongate Kirk
Tickets £17
1 hour 10 minutes approximately
Wednesday 2-Saturday 5 September 8.00pm
Traverse Theatre
Tickets £17
1 hour approximately
www.eif.co.uk/tondal
eif.co.uk/mundi
Supported by
The Italian Cultural Institute, Edinburgh
BACH AT GREYFRIARS
30
Bach at
Greyfriars
JS Bach’s cantatas lie at the heart of his musical output; a huge body
of vocal and instrumental music composed to enhance and enrich
religious ceremonies and social occasions. Festival 09 offers the chance
to hear a selection of these ever beautiful, varied and compelling works
alongside music by Michael Praetorius, Dietrich Buxtehude and George
Frideric Handel.
Bach Collegium Japan
Masaaki Suzuki Conductor
Rachel Nicholls Soprano
Robin Blaze Countertenor
Makoto Sakurada Tenor
Bach Ich armer Mensch BWV 55
Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust BWV 170
Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen! BWV 51
Famed for its performance of Bach’s works Masaaki Suzuki’s
Bach Collegium Japan is joined here by three outstanding singers
in a concert of solo cantatas.
Bach Collegium Japan: ‘beautiful, riveting and ferociously intense.’
Huelgas Ensemble
THE WASHINGTON POST
Paul Van Nevel Conductor
Tuesday 25 August 5.45pm
The cantata series begins with a concert of chorales by Bach and
his inspirational predecessor Michael Praetorius. In a feast of harmony,
Huelgas Ensemble performs chorales including Ach Gott, vom Himmel
sieh’ darein and Christe, der du bist Tag und Licht.
‘Their sound has a timeless beauty’ THE SCOTSMAN
Thursday 20 August 5.45pm
eif.co.uk/huelgas
Dunedin Consort
John Butt Director
Susan Hamilton Soprano
Matthew Brook Bass
Bach Liebster Jesu, mein Verlangen BWV 32
Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier BWV 731
Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr BWV 676
Selig ist der Mann BWV 57
eif.co.uk/suzuki
European Union Baroque Orchestra
Lars Ulrik Mortensen Director/Harpsichord
Maria Keohane Soprano
Handel Silete Venti
Bach Concerto for harpsichord in D BWV 1054
Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten BWV 202
Alongside some of Europe’s finest young musicians Swedish soprano
Maria Keohane performs Handel’s solo cantata Silete Venti and
Bach’s life-affirming wedding cantata Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten
while Lars Ulrik Mortensen, one of the finest harpsichord players of
his generation, performs Bach’s virtuosic concerto in D major.
Wednesday 26 August 5.45pm
eif.co.uk/eubocantatas
Ricercar Consort
Winner of a 2008 MIDEM Baroque Award and the 2007 Classic FM
Gramophone Award for Best Baroque Vocal Album, the Dunedin
Consort performs Bach’s Dialogue Cantatas which symbolise the
conversation between the human soul and Jesus Christ along
with two of Bach's chorale preludes for organ.
Philippe Pierlot Director
Katharine Fuge Soprano
Carlos Mena Countertenor
Julian Podger Tenor
Stephan MacLeod Bass
Dunedin Consort: ‘heartfelt and beautiful singing… admirable clarity
and direction.’ THE HERALD
Over two concerts the Ricercar Consort explores some of Bach’s
earliest cantatas with an outstanding line-up of singers. Directed from
the viol by Philippe Pierlot, the concerts feature Bach’s funeral cantata
Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit also known as Actus tragicus and
Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut with soprano soloist Katharine Fuge.
Friday 21 August 5.45pm
eif.co.uk/dunedin
Bach Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut BWV 199
Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich BWV 150
Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir BWV 131
Thursday 27 August 5.45pm
eif.co.uk/ricercar1
Bach Komm, du süsse Todesstunde BWV 161
Christ lag in Todesbanden BWV 4
Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit BWV 106
‘Pierlot is one of today’s more thoughtful Bach interpreters and his
Ricercar Consort respond with ever more intensity.’ GRAMOPHONE
Supported by
Dunard Fund
Friday 28 August 5.45pm
eif.co.uk/ricercar2
LEWIS / GREYFRIARS
31
Cantus Cölln
Konrad Junghänel Director
Bach Der Herr denket an uns BWV 196
Buxtehude Gott hilf mir
Bach Gleich wie der Regen und Schnee vom
Himmel fällt BWV 18
Buxtehude Herzlich lieb hab ich Dich, oh Herr
In 1705 Bach went to Lübeck to study with the great composer
and organist Dietrich Buxtehude. Juxtaposing two cantatas by
Buxtehude with early works Bach completed soon after this Lübeck
visit, this concert promises to illuminate the inspiring influence
Buxtehude had on the young master.
‘Konrad Junghänel gleaned pristine textures from his singers’
THE GUARDIAN
Tuesday 1 September 5.45pm
eif.co.uk/cantus
Retrospect Ensemble
Matthew Halls Director
Carolyn Sampson Soprano
Bach O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit BWV 210
Non sa che sia dolore BWV 209
Matthew Halls directs from the keyboard in a concert featuring
Carolyn Sampson, described by Gramophone Magazine as
‘now the best British early music soprano by quite some distance’.
‘Matthew Halls conducts… gloriously shapely and sensuous melodies
with headstrong enthusiasm’ THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
Wednesday 2 September 5.45pm
eif.co.uk/retrospect
The Sixteen
Harry Christophers Conductor
Bach Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal in das Reich
Gottes eingehen BWV 146
Es ist das Heil uns kommen her BWV 9
Conductor and founder Harry Christophers leads his renowned
choir and period ensemble, bringing vigour and passion to cantatas
written by Bach during his Leipzig years.
‘exultant and agile singing’ THE TIMES
Thursday 3 September 5.45pm
Bach at Greyfriars
Greyfriars Kirk
Tickets £17
Approximately 1 hour
eif.co.uk/sixteen
Lewis Psalm
Singers
The Lewis Psalm Singers represent a unique and extraordinary
congregational vocal music from the Gaelic Presbyterian Church.
First a line of Psalm is intoned by a single precentor before
congregational singers respond, each freely ornamenting the
same melodic line to create an emotive swell of sound.
The singers present a selection from the repertoire of 150 Gaelic
psalms commonly sung in the Western Isles. At times joyful,
at times plaintive, this performance promises to be an intensely
moving experience.
Saturday 15 August 5.45pm
Greyfriars Kirk
Tickets £17
1 hour approximately
eif.co.uk/lewis
MUSIC
32
Photo: BBC
Sir Willard White
Eugene Asti
Piano
An evening with one of the world’s best loved singers
Sir Willard White. The concert includes songs
by Charles Ives, Benjamin Britten and Roger Quilter,
well known spirituals and a selection of Copland’s
Old American Songs.
‘Never any need to wait for the spirituals to find the spirit
in a Willard White recital… even the most sophisticated
art song is turned by the Jamaican bass-baritone into
a full-blown heart song.’ THE TIMES
‘a warm, enveloping voice, excellent musicianship,
great dignity and touching vulnerability’
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Photo: John Batten
Photo: Eric Richmond
Made in Scotland
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Paul Daniel Conductor
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies Symphony No 5
An Orkney Wedding,
with Sunrise
James MacMillan Britannia
The Confession of Isobel Gowdie
Master of the Queen’s Music, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
is a composer long resident in Scotland, with a huge
affection for his adopted country. His rousing depiction
of a wedding on the Orkney islands is his most famous
work. His 5th Symphony was influenced by plainchant
and written at a time when he had been studying the
music of Sibelius.
Written to celebrate the British Orchestra, James MacMillian's
Britannia is an affectionate orchestral fantasy with a Celtic
feel which incorporates martial marches and imperial
themes, an Irish reel and a Cockney drinking song.
The elegiac passages in The Confession of Isobel Gowdie
are interrupted by extreme and violent music reflecting
Isobel’s suffering and representing the murdered innocents
of witch hunts.
‘the work craves absolution and offers Isobel Gowdie
{tried for witchcraft in 1662} the mercy and humanity
that was denied her in the last days of her life…
I have tried to capture the soul of Scotland in music’
JAMES MACMILLAN
Saturday 15 August 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £30 £24 £19 £17 £14 £12 £10 £8
2 hours approximately
Sunday 16 August 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £39 £34 £27 £24 £20 £17 £14 £12 £10
2 hours approximately
eif.co.uk/white
eif.co.uk/madeinscotland
Sponsored by
MUSIC
33
Photo: Jean-Philippe Baltel
Photo: Michel Garnier
Orchestre des
Champs-Élysées
Elias
(Elijah)
Philippe Herreweghe Conductor
Felix Mendelssohn
Alexander Lonquich Piano
Orchestre des Champs-Élysées
Collegium Vocale Gent
Coro dell’Accademia Chigiana
Philippe Herreweghe Conductor
Mendelssohn Overture,
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Chopin Piano Concerto No 2
Mendelssohn Symphony No 3 ‘Scottish’
Romantic German composer Felix Mendelssohn found
inspiration in Scotland and its landscapes. He visited
Scotland in 1829 when he met Sir Walter Scott, sailed
around the Inner Hebrides and visited Holyrood Palace
where the Abbey proved the inspiration for his Scottish
Symphony. Mendelssohn’s rich, colourful and dramatic
music paints a vivid picture of his Scottish experiences.
Philippe Herreweghe founded the Orchestre des
Champs-Élysées to recreate the brilliance of Romantic
music on original instruments. Their lively and authentic
style has won them acclaim around the world.
Simona Saturova Soprano
Christianne Stotijn Mezzo soprano
Maximilian Schmitt Tenor
Florian Boesch Bass
Mendelssohn’s final oratorio is an extremely dramatic
and vivid portrait of the Biblical prophet Elijah. The energy
in the music, the inspired orchestration and sheer beauty
of many of the arias make it one of classical music’s most
popular works. Although often performed in English it was
originally written in German, as performed here.
Artistic Director of the orchestra and choruses,
Philippe Herreweghe, leads them together with a line-up
of stellar soloists in an evening of stirring music-making.
Orchestre des Champs-Élysées: ‘a strong and highly
skilled band… punchy, bright brass, the lean and
sweet violins, the horns with their bite and lyricism,
are a pleasure in their own right.’ THE INDEPENDENT
‘Never was there a more complete triumph; never a more
thorough and speedy recognition of a great work of art.’
Monday 17 August 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £39 £34 £27 £24 £20 £17 £14 £12 £10
2 hours approximately
Tuesday 18 August 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £39 £34 £27 £24 £20 £17 £14 £12 £10
2 hours 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/champs
eif.co.uk/elias
THE TIMES ON THE 1846 PREMIERE OF ELIJAH
MUSIC
34
Philharmonia
Orchestra
Esa-Pekka Salonen Conductor
Yefim Bronfman Piano
Bartók The Miraculous Mandarin: Suite
Salonen Piano Concerto
Debussy Prélude à l’après-midi d’un Faune
Janácek Sinfonietta
Béla Bartók was fascinated by Menyhért Lengyel’s violent
and erotic fable The Miraculous Mandarin, the story
of a young girl forced to seduce men so her captors could
steal from them. Bartók created one of his most scintillating
scores, dripping with drama and yearning for the redemptive
power of human love.
Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Piano Concerto, with its demanding
and percussive solo piano part is dedicated to the pianist
Yefim Bronfman, the soloist in this performance.
Le Concert
des Nations
Jordi Savall Conductor
Handel Water Music Suites 1 & 2
Music for the Royal Fireworks
Marin Marais Alcione (excerpts)
The shimmering music of Debussy’s Prélude à
l’après-midi d’un Faune evokes the mysterious eroticism
of Mallarmé’s famous poem. Janácek’s Sinfonietta
was intended to express ‘contemporary free man,
his spiritual beauty and joy, his strength, courage and
determination to fight for victory’.
Performed on a barge on the River Thames by an orchestra
of 50, George I liked the Water Music so much he was
said to have demanded it be played three times that night.
Much of the music is now used regularly on TV and radio
and will be very familiar to those who don’t even realise
they know it.
‘The giddy pleasure of hearing Mr Salonen evoking,
appropriating and downright stealing the music he loves…
to produce something excitingly original.’
Handel went on to compose for George II and, to celebrate
victory in the war for Austrian succession, wrote Music
for the Royal Fireworks. The music was a popular hit even
from the dress rehearsal, causing a three hour carriage
jam as 12,000 people flocked to hear it.
THE NEW YORK TIMES ON HIS PIANO CONCERTO
Yefim Bronfman: ‘brawny, powerhouse virtuoso who
appears unruffled by the most demanding works
in the repertoire.’ THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Mixing the familiar with the unfamiliar, discover Marais’s
orchestral music from his opera ballet Alcione. Full of
magic and fantastic journeys, Jordi Savall and
his orchestra Le Concert des Nations are experts
in performing this music.
‘Harpsichord and thrumming theorbos provided the
rhythmic and percussive driving force behind this delightful,
giddy whirl performed, once again, to a completely
full house.’ THE SCOTSMAN FESTIVAL 07
Wednesday 19 August 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £39 £34 £27 £24 £20 £17 £14 £12 £10
2 hours approximately
Thursday 20 August 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £39 £34 £27 £24 £20 £17 £14 £12 £10
2 hours approximately
eif.co.uk/philharmonia
eif.co.uk/leconcertdesnations
MUSIC
35
Orchestra
of the Age of
Enlightenment
Sir Roger Norrington Conductor
David Blackadder Trumpet
Joyce DiDonato Soprano
Haydn Symphony 49 ‘La passione’
Trumpet Concerto
Scena di Berenice
Symphony 48 ‘Maria Theresia’
The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is famous
for its fresh sound, with musicians playing on period
instruments and pouring their passion into the music.
The concert is led by Sir Roger Norrington, a leading
authority in the performance of Haydn.
Although written a year apart these symphonies could
not be more contrasting. La passione is infused with dark
textures and a relentless energetic drive in the opening
and final movements, while Maria Theresia has Haydn’s
characteristic verve and humour.
Scena di Berenice was composed to celebrate
the virtuosity of the dramatic soprano Brigida Banti
and offers a wonderful showcase for its soloist.
Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto was truly a ground breaking
masterpiece at its premiere, written for a friend who
had developed the first valved trumpet. It is a dazzling
illustration of just how virtuosic this brightest of brass
instruments can be.
Bryn Terfel
Malcolm Martineau
Piano
Baritone Bryn Terfel and accompanist Malcolm Martineau
perform a heart-warming selection of favourite songs
including Sea Fever by John Ireland, Songs of Travel
by Vaughan Williams, Now sleeps the crimson petal
by Quilter and rousing traditional songs from the British Isles
including Loch Lomond, Danny Boy and Molly Malone.
‘a voice in a billion’ THE TIMES
‘Terfel himself has the gift to be simple and, in something
almost amounting to genius, the gift of communication.
With him, the words live and become vivid’ GRAMOPHONE
Joyce DiDonato: ‘a mezzo cast in milk chocolate, so
smooth and agile that it can reach up to a diamond-bright
soprano as well as sink to a rich, chesty alto… and always
intelligently shaping the verse and text.’ THE TIMES
OAE: ‘They are spreading the sweetness and light
of period performance… Their brilliance and dedication
attract the most distinguished conductors and soloists
of the day.’ THE SUNDAY TIMES
Saturday 22 August 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £39 £34 £27 £24 £20 £17 £14 £12 £10
1 hour 50 minutes approximately
Sunday 23 August 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £30 £24 £19 £17 £14 £12 £10 £8
1 hour 50 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/oae
eif.co.uk/terfel
MUSIC
36
Scottish Chamber
Orchestra
Sir Charles Mackerras Conductor
Garry Walker Conductor*
Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus
European Union
Baroque Orchestra
Chiara Banchini Director/Violin
Corelli Concerto Grosso Op 6 No 4 in D
Muffat Sonata No 2 in G minor, ‘Armonico Tributo’
Geminiani La Follia (after Corelli Op 5 No 12) in D minor
Handel Sonata a 5
Muffat Sonata No 1 in D, ‘Armonico Tributo’
Corelli Concerto Grosso Op 6 No 8 in G minor
This extraordinary youth orchestra performs with period
instruments and for this concert has tripled its usual size,
boasting 60 players. They are directed from the violin
by Chiara Banchini, one of baroque music’s most
admired interpreters.
Here they perform a programme of music by contemporaries
Corelli, Muffat, Geminiani and Handel who met in Rome in
the late 1600s and early 1700s. Muffat’s music is immediate
and powerful, Corelli’s coolly elegant, while Geminiani’s
La Follia, a reworking of Corelli’s set of virtuoso variations,
highlights his talent as one of the greatest violinists of his time.
This concert also features Handel’s musical tribute
to Corelli, the Italianate Sonata a 5.
Chiara Banchini: ‘a performance of considerable flair
and brilliance.’ THE HERALD FESTIVAL 07
Rebecca Evans Soprano
Christine Rice Mezzo soprano
Robert Murray Tenor
Henry Waddington Bass
Haydn Symphony No 70*
Giorgio Battistelli Fair is foul, foul is fair
(World premiere EIF commission)*
Haydn Die sieben letzten Worte unseres
Erlösers am Kreuze
Haydn is known for sunny and humorous musical works
and his Symphony No 70 is perhaps one of his most
flamboyant pieces. In contrast, his Seven last words
of our saviour on the cross is unique among his works,
being commissioned for a church with the requirement
that all seven movements were slow and dark. And they
are; although his skill as a composor ensured plenty
of contrasts.
The world premiere of a new work by Italian composer
Giorgio Battistelli has been commissioned by the
Edinburgh International Festival for the Scottish Chamber
Orchestra and been made possible by Donald MacDonald.
It is conducted by Scottish conductor Garry Walker.
Battistelli’s compositions often have a great sense
of drama whether for stage or concert hall. His most
established work, Experimentum Mundi, can be seen
in Festival 09 at the Traverse Theatre see page 29.
Sir Charles Mackerras: ‘with simply a flick of the finger
or symbolically carved gesture, could mould this performance
with tightly knit spontaneity and an element of danger that
always felt totally under control.’ THE SCOTSMAN
‘Scintillating is the only word for them – so alert, responsive
and imaginative is their playing… I’d hazard a bet that
EUBO boasts some future superstars’
INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
Tuesday 25 August 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £39 £34 £27 £24 £20 £17 £14 £12 £10
1 hour 50 minutes approximately
Wednesday 26 August 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £39 £34 £27 £24 £20 £17 £14 £12 £10
2 hours 15 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/eubo
eif.co.uk/sco
Supported by Léan
Scully EIF Fund
With support from
Donald and Louise MacDonald
MUSIC
37
Tonhalle-Orchester
Zürich
David Zinman Conductor
Dawn Upshaw Soprano
Brahms Variations on a theme by Haydn
Berio Folksongs
Mahler Symphony No 4
Brahms gained confidence and acclaim as an orchestral
composer through his pioneering Variations on a theme
by Haydn, a bold and diverse work with a phenomenal
triumphant finale.
Berio’s Folksongs are sparkling gems, inspired by
traditions from as far apart as the Appalachian
mountains of the United States and Azerbaijan. Berio’s love
of folk music is clear, creating respectful arrangements
that are beautifully orchestrated.
Mahler’s Fourth Symphony takes the listener through
sleigh bells, folk songs and dances to one of his finest
slow movements, thought by some to be amongst the
most beautiful music ever written, and on to the glorious
final section Heavenly Life.
Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich: ‘Hard, crisp accents, flexible
dynamics and a superb orchestral balance flow from the
alert collective mind of the musicians, a single body full
of musicality, intelligence and motivation.’ DIE WELT
Dawn Upshaw: ‘Leaping effortlessly across language
barriers and chasms of mood, the astounding
Upshaw spanned the full breadth of her vocal and
emotional range... the kind of power, clarity and
pure beauty that can transfix a listener.’
ST PAUL PIONEER PRESS ON BERIO’S FOLKSONGS
Photo: Tom Finnie
Roméo et Juliette
Hector Berlioz
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Stéphane Denève Conductor
Edinburgh Festival Chorus
Christopher Bell Chorus Master
Patricia Bardon Mezzo soprano
Loïc Félix Tenor
Franz Hawlata Bass
Roméo et Juliette is one of Berlioz’s greatest and most
original works. Often reduced to orchestral excerpts
this concert offers a rarer opportunity to hear the full
dramatic work. Berlioz composed this work in homage to
Shakespeare and Beethoven who both inspired him greatly.
The exceptionally virtuosic writing for the orchestra is
appropriate given its dedication to Paganini who helped
fund its composition.
From the fiery opening, introducing the rivalry of the
Montague and Capulet houses, to the finale with massive
choral forces playing out the quarrels between these
families and the tragic consequences, it is a theatrical
and musical tour de force.
RSNO: ‘were off the leash, with stunning playing that
absolutely gripped.’ THE HERALD
Thursday 27 August 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £39 £34 £27 £24 £20 £17 £14 £12 £10
2 hours 30 minutes approximately
Friday 28 August 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £39 £34 £27 £24 £20 £17 £14 £12 £10
2 hours 15 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/tonhalle
eif.co.uk/romeo
With support from David
McLellan
MUSIC
38
BBC Scottish
Symphony
Orchestra
Donald Runnicles Conductor
Baiba Skride Violin
Jan Vogler Cello
Ivo Pogorelich
Webern Im Sommerwind
Brahms Double Concerto
Strauss Don Quixote
Chopin Nocturne Op 55 No 2 in E flat
Chopin Sonata Op 58 in B minor
Liszt Mephisto Waltz No 1
Sibelius Valse Triste
Ravel Gaspard de la Nuit
The highly acclaimed partnership of Donald Runnicles
and the BBC SSO appears at the Festival for the first time
since his appointment as Chief Conductor.
Ivo Pogorelich excites debate and discussion every bit
as much today as he did when he burst on to the scene
at the International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition
in 1980. Described as a genius, he brings his own very
distinct interpretations to well-known piano works such
as Chopin’s Nocturne and Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz and
a huge wealth of colour from the piano in works like
Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit.
This is Ivo Pogorelich’s Festival debut.
‘Sensitive to the music’s shifting moods, Mr Pogorelich
is muscular and virile one moment, delicate and pristine
the next’ THE NEW YORK TIMES
‘technically astounding, deeply personal and unabashedly
eccentric playing.’ THE NEW YORK TIMES
Strauss catches the humour and humanity of Cervantes’s
famous tale Don Quixote. The music so effectively conveys
the adventures of the tragic knight that it is almost visual.
A mix of lush expansiveness and Webern’s more famous
miniature detail, make Im Sommerwind an unusual and
exciting piece. Brahms described his Double Concerto
for violin and cello as a ‘strange flight of fancy’, inspired
by his preoccupation with Baroque music.
‘Skride’s playing is unfailingly intelligent, her virtuosity
is allied to a sure sense of the work’s emotional range.
Her tone is full but beautifully controlled, and her phrasing
throughout has a natural flair that is compelling’
THE INTERNATIONAL RECORD REVIEW
‘shows Vogler to be a heroic interpreter whose way
with the cello is just as astounding as Rostropovich’s.’
THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
‘Runnicles has come home – and already America’s loss
looks like Europe’s gain.’ FINANCIAL TIMES
Saturday 29 August 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £30 £24 £19 £17 £14 £12 £10 £8
1 hour 50 minutes approximately
Monday 31 August 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £39 £34 £27 £24 £20 £17 £14 £12 £10
1 hour 50 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/pogorelich
eif.co.uk/bbcsso
Photo: Mathias Bothur
The Monteverdi
Choir
The English
Baroque Soloists
Sir John Eliot Gardiner Conductor
Deutsches
SymphonieOrchester Berlin
Ingo Metzmacher Conductor
Christian Tetzlaff Violin
Webern Passacaglia
Berg Violin Concerto
Brahms Symphony No 4
The music of JS Bach is central to these diverse pieces
of music. Webern wrote this Passacaglia inspired by Bach,
creating an eerie and powerful work. Berg’s Violin
Concerto draws on one of Bach’s, most famous chorales
Es ist genug. And in the lush and lyrical Symphony No 4
Brahms takes the chaconne from Bach’s Cantata No 150
and makes it his own, writing what some consider his
magnum opus.
JC Bach Es erhub sich ein Streit
Handel Exodus (Part 1 of Israel in Egypt)
JS Bach Herr Gott, dich loben wir BWV 130
Es erhub sich ein Streit BWV 19
Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft BWV 50
Sir John Eliot Gardiner and his Choir and orchestra offer
a fresh and inspiring interpretation of Bach’s cantatas
which has won them acclaim around the world. They reach
right to the heart of this music and guide audiences through
what are some of JS Bach’s most dramatic sacred works.
In these Cantatas, written for the Feast of St Michael
and All Angels, the music ranges from burly to sublime.
‘an evening of immaculate sound from the Monteverdi Choir’
SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY FESTIVAL 08
‘choral singing of impeccable beauty’
THE SCOTSMAN FESTIVAL 08
Christian Tetzlaff: ‘seemed somewhat dazed by the rock
star ovation that erupted after his stunning performance’
NEW YORK TIMES
DSO: ‘Under Metzmacher’s calm, fluid beat the playing
was near-faultless’ INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
Wednesday 2 September 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £39 £34 £27 £24 £20 £17 £14 £12 £10
1 hour 50 minutes approximately
Thursday 3 September 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £39 £34 £27 £24 £20 £17 £14 £12 £10
1 hour 50 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/dso
eif.co.uk/monteverdichoir
Supported by Dunard
Fund
MUSIC
39
MUSIC
40
Bank of Scotland
Fireworks Concert
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Matthew Halls Conductor
Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus
Handel Zadok the Priest
Music for the Royal Fireworks (excerpts)
Hallelujah Chorus, Messiah
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, Solomon
The Dream
of Gerontius
Edward Elgar
Hallé
Sir Mark Elder Conductor
National Youth Choir of Scotland
Edinburgh Festival Chorus
Christopher Bell Chorus Master
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus joins the
Scottish Chamber Orchestra for a rousing night of some
of Handel’s most famous works.
The technical and artistic wizards of Pyrovision once
again choreograph a stunning display to match Handel’s
triumphant, exuberant music composed for royal occasions
or in praise of God.
For lots more information, tips and audio clips visit
www.eif.co.uk/bankofscotlandfireworksconcert
Due to the popularity of this event, please note the special
ticket sales arrangements.
Alice Coote Mezzo soprano
Paul Groves Tenor
Iain Paterson Bass
Ross Theatre tickets (£25) go on sale with all other Festival
tickets. Princes Street Gardens tickets (£10) are allocated
in three ways:
Huge forces gather to perform Elgar’s masterpiece
The Dream of Gerontius. This intense work, a story
of spiritual discovery told by Elgar with moving personal
faith and conviction is also quintessentially British
from the spine tingling opening to the passionate,
symphonic climax.
By postal ballot, limited to six per customer. Please send
an application and payment made to Hub Tickets,
separate from any other Festival tickets, and remember
to include a stamped addressed envelope. Closing date
for the ballot is Monday 25 May.
Hallé: ‘a classy performance all round… demonstrated
the hushed tone and perfect ensemble that indicate
a world class orchestra.’ THE TIMES
Online – an allocation will be released for sale at 11.00am
on Monday 27 July at www.eif.co.uk These are limited
to four per customer.
The final allocation will go on sale on Sunday 30 August
at 10.00am only from the counter at The Hub. These are
limited to four per customer.
Saturday 5 September 8.00pm
Usher Hall
Tickets £39 £34 £27 £24 £20 £17 £14 £12 £10
2 hours 15 minutes approximately
Sunday 6 September 9.00pm
Princes Street Gardens
Tickets £25 (Ross Theatre, seated), £10 (Gardens)
45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/gerontius
eif.co.uk/bankofscotlandfireworksconcert
Sponsored by
Sponsored by
The Caledonia
Sessions
Concerto Caledonia and guests explore the musical scene
in Scotland in the 18th century and before, as part of the
cultural backdrop to the Scottish Enlightenment and the
entertainment enjoyed by its major figures. These informal
concerts reconnect with some of Scotland’s rarely-performed
or lost musical traditions, reminding us of the wealth and
diversity of the nation’s music, songs and instruments.
Triplepipes, Lust and Spilt Blood
with guests Alasdair Roberts and Patsy Seddon
Robert Burns's
Worldly Friends
with guests Michael Marra and James Gilchrist
Ballads, psalms and songs from the days of Columba
to the present, rub shoulders with medieval and
renaissance dance tunes and an 18th century bagpipe
in this first concert. Tracing the beginnings of some
of Scotland’s great musical traditions are the triplepipe,
seen carved on many a Pictish stone in Scotland but
now surviving only in Sardinia, and music for the original
wire-strung clàrsach, heard along with the gut-strung
instrument familiar today from the Victorian revival.
Thursday 20 August 9.30pm
The very first Edinburgh Festival in 1815 was harshly
criticised for not including Burns’s song Scots Wha Hae.
Here it appears in Pietro Urbani’s musical depiction of the
Battle of Bannockburn, as part of a feast of curiosities
from Enlightenment Edinburgh. There’s chamber music
from Burns’s friend the Scots-German cellist Christoff
Schetky, and Allan Ramsay’s songbook provides proof
that Monty Python wasn’t the first to suspect that the
classical philosophers liked a drop.
Wednesday 26 August 9.30pm
Dance Band Night
Before the fiddle and the strathspey and reel took hold in the
late 18th century, the dances and the tunes that a Scottish
dance band would play were quite different. A meeting point
for a huge variety of music, both native and from further
afield, Concerto Caledonia’s dance band steps back in time
for a colourful evening of dance music.
Saturday 22 August 9.30pm
Scotsmen on the Make
with guest Katharine Fuge
In the 18th century many musicians left Scotland to further
their musical ambitions. They took European art styles
and adapted them, weaving together elements of Scots
song with the new-fangled baroque style coming out
of Italy. John Clerk of Penicuik made the most of Scotland’s
musical connections in Rome, James Oswald capitalised
on London’s passion for Scots tunes, and, on campaign
in North America, General John Reid played his flute.
Monday 24 August 9.30pm
Concerto Caledonia
David McGuinness Director, harpsichord, fortepiano
David Greenberg Violin
Chris Norman Flute, smallpipes
Alison McGillivray Cello, viol
with
Bill Taylor Harps
Barnaby Brown Pipes, triplepipe
Steve Player Guitar, dancing
Elizabeth Kenny Lute
Sarah Bevan-Baker Violin
Alfonso Leal del Ojo Viola
Alan Emslie Percussion
The Hub
Tickets £17
1 hour approximately
eif.co.uk/caledonia
THE CALEDONIA SESSIONS
41
VISUAL ARTS – THE ENLIGHTENMENTS
42
THE ENLIGHTENMENTS
PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DEAN GALLERY, NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND
Juliana Engberg Curator
Anna MacDonald, Charlotte Day Project Coordinators
Edinburgh epitomizes the ideals of the 18th century Scottish Enlightenment
with its neo-classical beauty and places of learning, law and finance.
Against this backdrop of the city and its philosophical history
the artworks that make up The Enlightenments offer contemporary
observations on subjects including religion, philosophy, superstition,
architecture, literature, natural history, the cosmos, scepticism,
stoicism and social manners.
Edinburgh also exists as a series of warrens and darker places.
The city’s enlightenment edifice is built upon a maze of intriguing
geological fissures, labyrinthine architecture and iniquitous underworlds.
Tacita Dean
Presentation Sisters
Acclaimed British artist Tacita Dean films the daily routines and
rituals of the last remaining members of this small ecclesiastical
community. With a patient and gentle regard for the rhythm of the day,
plotted through the ethereal light that travels through the lives and
rooms of this order, Dean emphasizes the aspects of quiet devotion,
internal contemplation and external dedication that define the Sisters’
spiritual and earthly existence. Running time 60 minutes.
Greg Creek
Edinburgh Drawing:
Chatter Shapes
NEW COMMISSION
Edinburgh, city of the Enlightenment, is combined with its darker
underbelly in Greg Creek’s epic drawings and water colours, a form
of city panorama. Detailed drawings of Edinburgh’s architecture and
notable landmarks are interspersed with more scatological notations,
doodles, scenes, dreams and invented prose that build a delicate
filigree of place. Creek’s drawing encourages a visual journey that
maps both place and time, with references to historical, contemporary
and fictional events, people and subjects.
Joshua Mosley
dread
Joshua Mosley’s digital film of animated clay figures presents
a fictional encounter between two of history’s most important
philosophical and theological thinkers, Jean-Jacques Rousseau
and Blaise Pascal. Rousseau and Pascal meet whilst on a journey
through woodland as they contemplate creation, question the
nature of truth and pose central philosophical questions. Is God
divined or secularly evolved? Is man inherently good, contradicting
the accepted doctrine of original sin?
Sponsored by
Supported by
Supported by the Government
of Victoria, Australia through
Arts Victoria
Lee Mingwei
Elevation
NEW COMMISSION
Sitting high up and looking down on others can offer different
perspectives, the sensation of being above a place, a situation
or an idea gives an “overview” which can create a larger mental
space within which to consider what one sees.
For the Festival Lee Mingwei creates an installation, filling one side
of the gallery and elevating viewers much like Edinburgh’s physical
situation, perched above and observing the surrounding terrain or
indeed the gargoyles on Edinburgh’s buildings. Gallery visitors at floor
level will likewise see people above them without knowing what they
are thinking or how they see those below.
Gabrielle de Vietri
Hark!
NEW COMMISSION
The I Don’t Know Show: Philosophy for Kids
Gabrielle de Vietri engages the public in acts of communication.
Hark!, greets you as you arrive at the portico of the Dean Gallery.
Singers relate the news, horoscopes, stock exchange information
and other current affairs of the day, recalling the way information
was delivered to people prior to the Enlightenment and mass literacy.
For The I Don’t Know Show: Philosophy for Kids, children have been
asked to answer some of the fundamental philosophical questions
concerning art and aesthetics. These interrogations offer humorous
and engagingly honest responses in a video record.
Nathan Coley
NEW COMMISSION
Nathan Coley questions belief systems and investigates the
architectural structures that are inhabited by, and invested with
faith. Homes, churches, sanctuaries and various prop edifices,
such as illuminated signs, façade architecture and models, form
Coley’s three-dimensional practice. Coley creates a new project
for The Enlightenments in the Dean Gallery.
Images: Tacita Dean Presentation Sisters; Greg Creek Edinburgh Drawing: Chatter Shapes;
Joshua Mosley dread; Lee Mingwei Elevation; Nathan Coley Palace; Gabrielle de Vietri Songs
to People Saying Things I Couldn't Otherwise Say
Free
Friday 7 August - Sunday 27 September
Open daily 10.00am - 5.00pm
Dean Gallery, Belford Road
eif.co.uk/theenlightenments
VISUAL ARTS – THE ENLIGHTENMENTS
43
VISUAL ARTS – THE ENLIGHTENMENTS
44
THE ENLIGHTENMENTS
Joseph Kosuth
The Reference Room (
)
NEW COMMISSION
PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TALBOT RICE GALLERY, THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
In this 150th anniversary year celebrating the work of Charles Darwin, conceptualist
Joseph Kosuth creates a new commission in the library where Darwin was inspired
to pursue his revolutionary, evolutionary theory.
Kosuth has consistently explored the production and role of language and meaning
within art. The Reference Room (
) is a poetic installation evoking the presence
and absence of the material and conceptual in this most historic of Edinburgh rooms.
Free
Friday 7 August-Saturday 26 September
Opening hours August Monday - Saturday 10.00am-5.00pm, Sunday 2.00pm-5.00pm
September Tuesday-Saturday 10.00am- 5.00pm
Georgian Gallery, Talbot Rice Gallery
The University of Edinburgh, Old College, South Bridge
Susan Norrie
Enola
SHOT NEW COMMISSION
PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COLLECTIVE GALLERY
Susan Norrie’s practice is concerned with the future of our planet. Her key interest,
examined through fictional film and video combined with real events, is the
environment and various catastrophes that are a consequence of humankind’s
push for military supremacy and industrial power. Norrie’s acclaimed video project
Enola pictures a world that has become mummified as a result of nuclear trauma.
Norrie’s new project SHOT explores aspects of outer space and our quest for
enlightenment beyond our fragile, precarious world – a quest necessary not just
for the sake of knowledge, but possibly for survival.
Free
Friday 7 August - Saturday 26 September
Opening hours August Tuesday - Sunday 11.00am- 6.00pm;
September Tuesday-Saturday 12 noon - 5.00pm
Collective Gallery, 22-28 Cockburn Street
Juan Cruz
Mensch Bluetooth-delivered stories
NEW COMMISSION
Juan Cruz is known for his projects involving story telling, translation and fictional
navigations of urban space. In Mensch he evolves a number of interconnected
narratives that circulate around the old city of Edinburgh. Using the definition of Mensch
as ‘someone to admire and emulate, someone of noble character, with rectitude,
dignity and a sense of what is right’, Cruz examines the shifting status of professional
men such as the shepherd, priest and artist in stories that amble through social change.
Images: Joseph Kosuth Terra Ultra Incognita; Susan Norrie
Enola; Juan Cruz Mensch
Free
Friday 7 August -Saturday 26 September
Location: Please check the Festival website in August for the Bluetooth locations
eif.co.uk/theenlightenments
Sponsored by
Supported by
Supported by the Government
of Victoria, Australia through
Arts Victoria
Photo: Michel Garnier
Collegium
Vocale Gent
Kristian
Bezuidenhout
Piano
The Haydn Songbook
A concert of rarely performed part and solo songs
by Haydn performed by the exquisite voices of Collegium
Vocale Gent accompanied by rising young star
Kristian Bezuidenhout. These songs are among Haydn’s
most tender and harmonious works.
‘The singing of the Collegium Vocale Gent is clean,
beautifully blended and rich.’ THE SUNDAY TIMES
Kristian Bezuidenhout: ‘A vigorously intelligent
musician, well equipped with the technique to back
up some extraordinary new ideas about old music.’
THE BOSTON GLOBE
Photo: Phiz Photography
Lisa Milne
Soprano
Malcolm Martineau
Piano
In this recital Scotland’s own internationally acclaimed
soprano Lisa Milne, with renowned accompanist
Malcolm Martineau, sings of subjects as diverse as love,
Mary Queen of Scots and monkeys. These are songs
inspired by Scotland with Schubert, Schumann,
Mendelssohn and Francis George Scott setting texts
by famous literary figures Sir Walter Scott and
Robert Burns among others.
‘She is a superlative musician, gloriously mature in her
voice, and comprehensively insightful in her interpretations.’
THE HERALD
‘Ms. Milne’s line is faultless, pure in sound and
beautifully phrased’ THE NEW YORK TIMES
‘vocally beautiful and technically staggering’ THE GUARDIAN
Saturday 15 August 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £26.50 £24 £19.50 £16 £10 £7
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
Monday 17 August 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £26.50 £24 £19.50 £16 £10 £7
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/collegium
eif.co.uk/milne
THE QUEEN’S HALL
45
THE QUEEN’S HALL
46
Alexei Ogrintchouk Bejun Mehta
Oboe
Countertenor
Boris Brovtsyn
Julius Drake
Violin
Piano
Maxim Rysanov
Sensational countertenor Bejun Mehta returns to the
Festival with long term collaborator Julius Drake for this
concert of works by Purcell, Haydn, Beethoven’s only song
cycle An die ferne Geliebte and a host of romantic English
songs by Vaughan Williams, Berkeley, Warlock, Howells
and Gurney.
Viola
Boris Andrianov
Cello
Britten Phantasy Quartet
Mozart Duo No 2 in B flat for violin and viola K424
Haydn Quartet in B flat Hob II B:4
Ravel Sonata for violin and cello
Mozart Oboe Quartet
‘A ballsy, risk-taking singer, he flings coloratura about like
weaponry and pushes himself to his limits in his quest
for musical and dramatic expression. You are conscious
of being in the presence of greatness.’ THE GUARDIAN
‘what of the voice? …with a rich, bright, voluptuous tone,
and a brilliant breath control; it’s big too,
capable of thrilling power’ OPERA
An elegant programme featuring works for oboe alongside
duos for strings by Ravel and Mozart. Alexei Ogrintchouk,
a young oboist blazing a trail around the world with
performances that have people reaching for superlatives,
makes his Festival debut. He plays regularly with this group
of string soloists who set time aside from their individual
careers to enjoy playing together.
Alexei Ogrintchouk: ‘exactly the quality which an oboe
deserves but seldom has: colourful, agile... for the expression
of the greatest variety of emotions.’ DE TELEGRAAF
Tuesday 18 August 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £26.50 £24 £19.50 £16 £10 £7
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
Wednesday 19 August 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £26.50 £24 £19.50 £16 £10 £7
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/ogrintchouk
eif.co.uk/mehta
Supported by Léan
Scully EIF Fund
Photo: Levon Biss
Hebrides Ensemble Hespèrion XXI
Christopher Maltman Jordi Savall
Baritone
Viola da Gamba/Director
Debussy Prélude à l’après midi d’un faune
(arr Sachs under the supervision of Schoenberg)
Berg Adagio from the Chamber Concerto (arr Berg)
Mahler Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (arr Schoenberg)
Schoenberg Chamber Symphony No1 (arr Webern)
Johann Strauss II Rosen aus dem Süden (arr Schoenberg)
Taking the soulful aires and elegant dances of Dowland
and Gibbons as a starting point, Jordi Savall and Hespèrion
XXI take their audience on a fascinating journey across
Europe from Venice to England and Spain in an exploration
of the glories of a Golden Age of music written for consort
of viols. Works by Brade, del Milà, Cabezon, Guerrero and
Samuel Scheidt contribute to a rich and varied programme
of early chamber music.
For his song cycle Songs of a Wayfarer, said to have
been inspired by the end of an unhappy love affair,
Mahler was both composer and poet. Lyrical and beautiful
with moments of intense light and shade, these gems
are among the most inspiring of the vocal repertoire.
Christopher Maltman is renowned for the intensity,
character and emotion of his singing.
‘an enchanting evening of passionate and lucid musical
time travel’ THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
‘high-gloss precision and ultramodern clarity... ravishing’
NEW YORK MAGAZINE
The Hebrides Ensemble is fast becoming a Festival favourite.
This concert brings together arrangements by Schoenberg
himself and by his students including Berg’s arrangement
of his own Chamber Concerto which is dedicated to his
teacher and mentor.
Christopher Maltman: ‘may have the world’s most perfect
baritone voice’ THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
‘The Hebrides Ensemble confirmed its reputation
as Scotland’s finest contemporary music group... Fluency,
technical brilliance and a sense of the personal and the
epic characterised the performance.’ THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
Thursday 20 August 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £26.50 £24 £19.50 £16 £10 £7
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
Friday 21 August 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £26.50 £24 £19.50 £16 £10 £7
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/hebrides
eif.co.uk/savall
THE QUEEN’S HALL
47
THE QUEEN’S HALL
48
Elisabeth Leonskaja Quatuor Mosaïques
Piano
Chopin Two Nocturnes Op 55
Sonata No 2
Ballades Nos 2 and 3
Two Nocturnes Op 48
Polonaise-Fantasie
Haydn String Quartet Op 33 No 6 in D
The Seven Last Words of our Saviour
on the Cross
Haydn is often credited with inventing the string quartet.
His works in this form demonstrate an extraordinary
technical and emotional range as well as great humour
and wit.
Chopin played one of his last ever concerts in a house
on Queen Street in Edinburgh in 1848. Here virtuoso pianist
Elisabeth Leonskaja recreates that special occasion,
performing music from Chopin’s Edinburgh programme.
Originally written for orchestra, his Seven Last Words
of our Saviour on the Cross for string quartet is an
empassioned, poignant contrast to the usual verve and
energy of his string quartets.
‘never a dull moment. If the word mercurial did not exist,
it would have to be invented for this remarkable musician.’
Performing on period instruments, Quatuor Mosaïques
are respected throughout the world for their thoughtful
and authentic interpretations of Haydn’s chamber music.
THE HERALD
‘A powerful heroine of the pianoforte’ TAGES AUZEIGER
‘chamber-music playing of the highest quality.’
‘one of the most ingenious players among the
international pianists of our age’ BERN SAMSTAG
THE GUARDIAN
Saturday 22 August 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £26.50 £24 £19.50 £16 £10 £7
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
Monday 24 August 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £26.50 £24 £19.50 £16 £10 £7
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/leonskaja
eif.co.uk/quatuor
‘always set the spine tingling.’ THE TIMES
Photo:
Challenge Records/Marco Borggreve
Photo: Renzo Mazzolin
Christoph Prégardien Scottish Ensemble
Tenor
Tenebrae
Andreas Staier
Ravel Petite Symphonie à Cordes
(from the Quartet in F arr Barshai)
Fortepiano
Among the world’s foremost lyric tenors, Christoph
Prégardien joins fortepianist Andreas Staier to perform
a concert of songs by Chopin, Schubert, Schumann and
a selection of rarely performed gems by Norbert Burgmüller.
‘stops you in your tracks right away, and won’t let you get
back to your life until well after silence returns… captures
every nuance both in text and music.’
THE TORONTO STAR
‘extraordinarily flawless singing… such a complete
experience that the temptation was to take away
and treasure, untainted, its spellbinding effect.’
THE SCOTSMAN
James MacMillan Seven Last Words from the Cross
The Scottish Ensemble performs two acclaimed works
written specially for the group. James MacMillan’s cantata
for choir and strings has become one of the composer’s
most loved works, for which the Ensemble is joined by
chamber choir Tenebrae. The Petite Symphonie à Cordes
is a realisation for string ensemble of Ravel’s popular
and colourful quartet re-worked by master-orchestrator
Rudolf Barshai.
‘probably MacMillan’s masterpiece... astounding…
an inexorable sense of the drama’ THE GUARDIAN
Tenebrae: ‘impeccable intonation and stylistic
authority… one of the country’s most outstanding
vocal ensembles.’ EVENING STANDARD
Scottish Ensemble: ‘vital, questing string outfit.’
THE INDEPENDENT
Tuesday 25 August 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £26.50 £24 £19.50 £16 £10 £7
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
Wednesday 26 August 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £26.50 £24 £19.50 £16 £10 £7
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/pregardien
eif.co.uk/scottishensemble
THE QUEEN’S HALL
49
THE QUEEN’S HALL
50
Photo: Alvaro Yanez
Photo: Naoya Ikegami
Andreas Staier
Hopkinson Smith
Fortepiano
Lute and Baroque Guitar
Exceptional fortepianist Andreas Staier performs
a selection of pieces by Clementi, Schubert, Schumann
and the Irish composer and pianist John Field including
his arrangement of Twas Within a Mile o’ Edinburgh Town
and a selection of Nocturnes, a form which Field
is credited with inventing.
Celestial Musings and Diabolical Delights
‘relish the beautiful sound of the fortepiano he uses,
his exquisite phrasing and nifty finger work and overall
sensitivity to the works. These are outstanding
performances.’ BBC RADIO 3
‘one of the most important pianists of our times…
with an agility and wit that make hearing him
a constant delight.’ THE INDEPENDENT
This concert features extrovert and poetic music from
contrasting musical climates: the clearly structured lyricism
and virtuosity of the high baroque in Central Europe, the
improvisatory flair of French lute music, and the evocative
tunes and driving rhythms of 17th century Spain.
Composers include Gaultier, JS Bach, Weiss, Sanz,
Guerau and Santa Cruz.
‘without doubt the finest lute player in the world today’
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
‘the supreme ‘poet’ of the lute.’ GRAMOPHONE
Thursday 27 August 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £26.50 £24 £19.50 £16 £10 £7
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
Friday 28 August 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £26.50 £24 £19.50 £16 £10 £7
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/staier
eif.co.uk/smith
Arditti Quartet
Beethoven String Quartet Op 95 in F minor
Berg String Quartet Op 3
Nigel Osborne Tiree (World premiere EIF commission)
Ligeti String Quartet No 2
Michael Volle
Baritone
Franz Hawlata
Bass
Helmut Deutsch
Piano
A great opportunity to experience two wonderful singers
performing songs separately and together in the intimate
setting of The Queen’s Hall, with renowned pianist
Helmut Deutsch.
This concert features songs by Schumann, Loewe,
Reger, Wolf and duets based on texts of Walter
de la Mare by Benjamin Britten alongside songs from
Mendelssohn’s opus 63.
'The appearance of Michael Volle and Franz Hawlata
with their accompanist Helmut Deutsh was fascinating...
it seemed the applause would never end.'
STUTTGARTER NACHRICHTEN
The Arditti Quartet has been at the forefront of the
development of string quartets in contemporary music for
over thirty years. In two programmes the Quartet embarks
on a musical journey from Beethoven through seminal
works by Webern and Schoenberg to contemporary
masterpieces by Ligeti and Dutilleux.
Inspired by the Ringing Stone of Tiree, a new work
from Scottish-based composer Nigel Osborne has
been commissioned for the Quartet by the Edinburgh
International Festival.
Monday 31 August 11.00am
Arditti Quartet
Barbara Hannigan
Soprano
Beethoven String Quartet Op 133 in B flat ‘Grosse Fuge’
Dutilleux String Quartet ‘Ainsi la nuit’
Webern Six Bagatelles for String Quartet Op 9
Schoenberg String Quartet No 2
Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge is one of the towering
achievements of European culture. The concert also
includes Webern’s delightful Bagatelles opus 9 and
Schoenberg’s expressionistic String Quartet No 2 for
which they are joined by soprano Barbara Hannigan.
Barbara Hannigan: ‘the 8 minute theatrical tour-de-force
left her spent and the audience roaring. Who said the
avant-garde can’t be fun?’ NEW YORK NEWSDAY
‘Irvine Arditti, a god in contemporary virtuoso
performance.’ THE HERALD
‘The world’s pre-eminent contemporary music quartet.’
THE GUARDIAN
Tuesday 1 September 11.00am
Saturday 29 August 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £26.50 £24 £19.50 £16 £10 £7
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/volle
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £26.50 £24 £19.50 £16 £10 £7
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/arditti1
eif.co.uk/arditti2
THE QUEEN’S HALL
51
THE QUEEN’S HALL
52
Photo: Marco Borggreve
for Harmonia Mundi
Photo: Marc Vanappelghem
Bernarda Fink
Christian Zacharias
Mezzo soprano
Piano
Anthony Spiri
Haydn Piano Sonata in D Hob XVI/24
Piano Sonata in F Hob XVI/29
Piano Sonata in B minor Hob XVI/32
Piano
Mezzo soprano Bernarda Fink and pianist Anthony Spiri
perform Dvorák’s Biblical Songs and Gypsy Songs
alongside a selection of songs by Schubert.
‘Sometimes it takes a great performer to make you
hear music you thought you knew with fresh ears…
selection of Schubert songs included some of his greatest
hits, but she revealed anew the richness of his settings’
THE GUARDIAN
Brahms Four Ballades Op 10
Scarlatti Eight Sonatas
Perenial Festival favourite Christian Zacharias is completely
at home showing the full range of his virtuosity and
expressivity in this programme. The rarely played Brahms
opus 10 Ballades are some of his most lyrical piano works.
The spine-tingling first is famously inspired by the Scottish
ballad Edward, a gruesome tale of patricide.
‘his intellect and musicianship shone through’ THE GUARDIAN
‘Fink’s tender tone and perfect diction reflect every nuance
of emotion’ THE INDEPENDENT
Wednesday 2 September 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £26.50 £24 £19.50 £16 £10 £7
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
Thursday 3 September 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £26.50 £24 £19.50 £16 £10 £7
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/fink
eif.co.uk/zacharias
Alexis Kossenko
Baroque Flute
John Holloway
Photo: Mitch Jenkins
Violin
Jaap ter Linden
Emerson
String Quartet
Mendelssohn String Quartet Op 12 in E flat
Beethoven String Quartet Op 74 in E flat ‘The Harp’
Mendelssohn String Quartet Op 80 in F minor
The multi-Grammy award-winning Emerson Quartet
is particularly acclaimed for interpretations
of Mendelssohn’s string quartets. This concert features
the transparent beauty of Beethoven’s Harp quartet with
Mendelssohn’s earliest and last works in this genre.
‘superb ensemble: technically resourceful, musically
insightful, cohesive, full of character and always interesting.’
Cello
Lars Ulrik Mortensen
Harpsichord
JS Bach Trio for Flute, Violin, and Continuo in G BWV 1038
CPE Bach Trio Sonata in C H573
JS Bach The Musical Offering
Four great musicians come together to bring Festival
audiences music by Johann Sebastian Bach and his son
Carl Philipp Emanuel. Bach’s Musical Offering was the
result of a challenge to improvise on a chromatic melody
conceived by Frederick II of Prussia an Enlightenment
monarch, his son’s employer.
THE NEW YORK TIMES
‘high-powered performances with at times terrifying attack
and explosive accenting... mightily impressive.’
‘phenomenal flautist Alexis Kossenko… bewitched us by
his warm, dark and delicate way of playing… clear, light
as well as beautiful and gentle.’ GAZETA WYBORCZA
GRAMOPHONE
‘Three of the finest early music specialists on the scene’
THE WASHINGTON POST ON JOHN HOLLOWAY, JAAP TER LINDEN,
LARS ULRIK MORTENSEN
Friday 4 September 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £26.50 £24 £19.50 £16 £10 £7
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
Saturday 5 September 11.00am
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets £26.50 £24 £19.50 £16 £10 £7
1 hour 45 minutes approximately
eif.co.uk/emerson
eif.co.uk/kossenko
THE QUEEN’S HALL
53
DISCUSSIONS AND TALKS
54
Royal Society of Edinburgh
Diaspora TheatreWorks (Singapore)
T HE ENLIG
An 18th Century revolution of thought
Scotland Exports the Enlightenment
Tom Devine, Professor of Scottish History, University of Edinburgh
PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ROYAL SOCIETY
OF EDINBURGH, NATURE AND THE WELLCOME TRUST
There were two great visions of the 18th century Enlightenment:
the intellectual virtue of thinking for oneself rather than simply
accepting the authority of others, and the moral virtue of tolerance
as demonstrated in the willingness of those in power to permit people
to express their ideas without fear of repression. Such freedom led
to an extraordinary burst of creativity across the whole gamut of the
arts, humanities and sciences.
Nowhere was the Enlightenment more spectacular than in Scotland
with figures such as David Hume, Adam Smith, Joseph Black,
James Hutton, Henry Raeburn and Robert Burns working in Edinburgh.
Learned Academies became popular ways to encourage Enlightenment
principles and practices, and Scotland’s first National Academy,
the Royal Society of Edinburgh founded in 1783, continues to maintain
the spirit and the values of the Scottish Enlightenment today.
Arthur L Herman, author of How the Scots Invented the Modern World
Ong Keng Sen, Artistic Director, TheatreWorks, Singapore
Sunday 16 August 2.30pm
Islam and the Enlightenment
Ibrahim Kalin, Georgetown University, Washington DC
and SETA Foundation, Ankara, Turkey
Sunday 16 August 5.00pm
The Ages of Optimism and Pessimism:
Utopian and Dystopian Ideas
Maggie Gee, novelist
Knud Haakonssen, Professor of Intellectual History,
University of Sussex
Michael Kantor, Artistic Director, Malthouse Melbourne
Visual Art and the Enlightenment
Tom Wright, playwright of the Malthouse Melbourne
production Optimism
Alexander Broadie, Professor of Logic and Rhetoric,
University of Glasgow
Monday 17 August 2.30pm
Sir Timothy Clifford, former Director-General,
National Galleries of Scotland
Science and Tolerance
Juliana Engberg, curator of The Enlightenments exhibition
Duncan Macmillan, art critic for The Scotsman
John V Pickstone, Wellcome Research Professor of History of Medicine,
University of Manchester
Saturday 15 August 2.30pm
Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal
Onora O’Neill, philosopher and President of the British Academy
Friday 21 August 2.30pm
Sponsored by
The International Weekly
Journal of Science
Supported by
Dolly
Photo: Gustoimages/Science
Photo Library
David Hume Photo: Chris Robson/Scottish Viewpoint
HTENMENT
Music and the Enlightenment:
Classical and Vernacular Traditions
The Face of the Enlightenment
Sir Roger Norrington, conductor and academic
Lee Breuer, Co-Artistic Director of Mabou Mines
John Purser, Research Fellow, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Skye
Roger L Emerson, Em Prof, University of Western Ontario, Canada
Marjorie Rycroft, Professor of Music, University of Glasgow
Paul Goring, Senior Lecturer, Norwegian University
of Science and Technology, Trondheim
Sunday 23 August 2.30pm
Anne Bogart, Artistic Director SITI Company
Sunday 30 August 2.30pm
On the Dark Side: Witchcraft and the Theatre
Ruth Little, dramaturg and Literary Manager of Royal Court Theatre
Moral Universals and Moral Progress:
the New Science of Good and Evil
Rona Munro, playwright of The Last Witch
Paul Bloom, Professor of Psychology, Yale University
Julian Goodare, Reader Scottish History, University of Edinburgh
Adrienne Scullion, Professor of Drama, University of Glasgow
Monday 31 August 5.00pm
Tuesday 25 August 2.30pm
The Enlightenment and the Academies
Science and the Enlightenment
Stewart Sutherland, former Principal, University of Edinburgh
Geoffrey Boulton, Professor of Geology and Mineralogy,
University of Edinburgh
Paul Wood, Professor of History, University of Victoria, Canada
Charles Withers, Professor of Historical Geography,
University of Edinburgh
Political Economy: Adam Smith and Others
Wednesday 26 August 2.30pm
James Buchan, author of Adam Smith and the Pursuit of
Perfect Liberty
Tuesday 1 September 2.30pm
Andrew S Skinner, Professor of Economics, University of Glasgow
Thursday 3 September 2.30pm
The Hub £6
1 hour approximately
eif.co.uk/discussions
DISCUSSIONS AND TALKS
55
BEHIND THE SCENES / CONVERSATIONS
56
Behind the Scenes
A series of practical workshops and demonstrations revealing
the creative processes behind the 2009 programme.
Malthouse Melbourne
The creative team of Optimism discuss the process
undertaken to create a 21st century take on
Voltaire's Candide.
Monday 17 August 12 noon
45 minutes
Edinburgh International Festival
Fringe Prize 2008 Winners
Belt Up
Léasspell
Theatre company Belt Up presents an intimate workshop
placing the audience at the centre of the performance.
Léasspell, based on an ancient word for a false story, draws
on archetypal fable centuries old to create an unique style
of immersive theatre.
Tuesday 18 August
Performance workshop 2.30pm & 5.30pm 30 minutes
Performance workshop and audience feedback
3.30pm & 6.30pm 1 hour
Wednesday 19 August
Performance workshop 5.30pm 30 minutes
Performance workshop and audience feedback
6.30pm 1 hour
The Discovery of Breath
Basil Jones, Adrian Kohler and performers from
Handspring Puppet Company’s production of Il ritorno
d’Ulisse in patria reveal some of the secrets of bringing
life to the art of puppetry.
Monday 24 August 2.30pm
1 hour
Dance with Charles
Learn some rhythm from the master of movement.
Dance specialist Charles McNeal presents a physical
movement workshop suitable for everyone.
Good fun with some serious steps!
Monday 31 August 2.30pm
1 hour 30 minutes
Mabou Mines
Liza Lorwin, producer and adaptor of Peter and Wendy,
presents a demonstration workshop with puppeteers
and performers.
Friday 4 September 2.30pm
1 hour
Experimentum Mundi
Accompanist Malcolm Martineau holds a public masterclass
with four young singers and their accompanists.
Composer Giorgio Battistelli discusses the integration
and transformation of sounds associated with traditional
working environments into music in his extraordinary
Experimentum Mundi.
Wednesday 19 August 2.30pm
2 hours
Saturday 5 September 2.30pm
45 minutes
Royal Ballet of Flanders
The Hub £6
Malcolm Martineau Masterclass
Choreographer Christian Spuck and conductor
Benjamin Pope, with dancers from Royal Ballet of Flanders,
discuss and demonstrate the processes through which
they created The Return of Ulysses.
Saturday 22 August 2.30pm
1 hour
eif.co.uk/behindthescenes
Andreas Staier
Virtuoso fortepianist Andreas Staier gives a lecture/
demonstration on the music of Muzio Clementi.
Thursday 27 August 5.00pm
1 hour
St Cecilia’s Music Hall £6
eif.co.uk/behindthescenes
Conversations
with Artists
The Enlightenments
Edinburgh International Festival
2009 Exhibition
Mabou Mines
Lee Breuer, director and Liza Lorwin, adapter,
talk about their production Peter and Wendy.
Thursday 3 September 5.00pm
The Hub
£6
1 hour approximately
eif.co.uk/conversations
Curator Juliana Engberg in conversation with artists
Gabrielle de Vietri, Nathan Coley and Greg Creek.
Supported by Gordon
Saturday 15 August 5.00pm
Sharing the Festival
TheatreWorks, Singapore
Ong Keng Sen, director, discusses his production Diaspora.
Monday 17 August 5.00pm
National Theatre ‘Radu Stanca’ Sibiu
Fraser Charitable Trust
After its performances at the Traverse Theatre,
Giorgio Battistelli’s engaging performance piece,
Experimentum Mundi, travels across the Forth and
the Tay to Dundee, the City of Discovery.
See page 29 for further information on the show.
Silviu Purcarete, director, discusses his production of Faust.
Friday 21 August 5.00pm
Gelabert Azzopardi Companyia de Dansa
Cesc Gelabert and Lydia Azzopardi talk about their work
as creators of dance theatre.
Saturday 22 August 5.00pm
William Kentridge
William Kentridge, artist, discusses his work including
his collaboration with Handspring Puppet Company.
Monday 24 August 5.00pm
The Last Witch
Rona Munro, playwright, and Dominic Hill, director,
discuss the creation of a world premiere.
Tuesday 25 August 5.00pm
Handel Festspiele Gottingen
Doris Dörrie, author, filmmaker and director
of the opera Admeto in conversation.
Sunday 30 August 5.00pm
The Testament of Cresseid
David Levin, director and Elizabeth Elliot, translator,
discuss The Testament of Cresseid.
Tuesday 1 September 5.00pm
Scottish Ballet
Ashley Page, Artistic Director, and Ian Spink,
choreographer, in conversation.
Wednesday 2 September 5.00pm
Tuesday 8 September 2.30pm & 7.30pm
The Space, Dundee
£10 Concessions £6
To book call 01382 834 934
Bank of Scotland
Connecting to Culture
Bank of Scotland Connecting to Culture explores themes
of the 2009 Festival in a year-round multidisciplinary
programme of projects working with 40 Scottish primary
and secondary schools.
Inspired by the TheatreWorks production Diaspora artists
are working in two primary schools creating a multicultural
garden of reflection and a permanent mural. These artists
are supported by the National Lottery through the Scottish
Arts Council.
In August a project exploring ideas from The Enlightenments
exhibition, culminates in an exhibition of students’ work at
The Hub. In the Glasshouses of the Royal Botanic Gardens
Edinburgh an interactive installation offers adults and young
people alike the chance to experience the transformational
effects of letter writing.
Dance workshops in schools with Scottish Ballet form part
of a wider arts education programme with leading teaching
artists Charles McNeal, Anne Bogart and Heiner Goebbels
working in Edinburgh. In the autumn music workshops
at The Hub are designed to encourage engagement with
classical music by developing listening skills, concluding
with live performance.
eif.co.uk/bankofscotlandc2c
Sponsored by
SHARING THE FESTIVAL / BANK OF SCOTLAND CONNECTING TO CULTURE
57
VISITING EDINBURGH / PARTNERS
58
Summer Festivals
EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
17- 28 June
Tel: +44 (0)131 228 4051
edfilmfest.org.uk
EDINBURGH JAZZ AND
BLUES FESTIVAL
31 July- 9 August
Tel: +44 (0)131 467 5200
edinburghjazzfestival.co.uk
EDINBURGH ART FESTIVAL
5 August - 5 September
Tel: +44 (0)782 533 6782
edinburghartfestival.org
EDINBURGH MILITARY TATTOO
7- 29 August
Tel: +44 (0)131 225 1188
edintattoo.co.uk
EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE
7- 31 August
Box Office: +44 (0)131 226 0000
Admin: +44 (0)131 226 0026
edfringe.com
EDINBURGH MELA
7- 9 August
Tel: +44 (0)131 347 2600
edinburgh-mela.co.uk
FESTIVAL OF SPIRITUALITY
AND PEACE
9 - 31 August
Tel: +44 (0)131 221 2273
festivalofspirituality.co.uk
EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL
BOOK FESTIVAL
15 - 31 August
Tel: +44 (0)131 718 5666
Tel: +44 (0)845 373 5888
[email protected]
edbookfest.co.uk
FESTIVAL OF POLITICS
18 - 22 August
Tel: +44 (0)131 348 5000
festivalofpolitics.co.uk
NATIONAL GALLERIES
OF SCOTLAND
Tel: +44 (0)131 624 6200
nationalgalleries.org
HOMECOMING SCOTLAND
Programme of events taking
place throughout Scotland
in 2009 celebrating Scotland’s
great contributions to the world.
homecomingscotland2009.com
Once you’re here...
edinburghfestivals.co.uk
Competitions, news, video
and listings across all Edinburgh’s
Festivals. Sign up for emails and
keep your finger on the Festival
City’s pulse.
EDINBURGH FESTIVALS
DAILY GUIDE
All the events, every day, in one
handy guide. You’ll find the
official Festivals listings guide
at all Edinburgh International
Festival venues.
OFFICIAL EDINBURGH
FESTIVALS MAP
Need some help finding your
way round Edinburgh in August?
Pick up a copy of the official
Festivals map, available at most
venues around town.
Partners
We work in partnership with BBC Radio 3 to open up new worlds
of music and the arts to the widest possible audience. Radio 3
presents extensive live coverage of the Festival and many concerts
are recorded for broadcast at a later date, so you can hear the ones
you missed, or re-live the ones you loved.
bbc.co.uk/radio3
The Herald and Sunday Herald are media partners for 2009.
Founded in 1783, The Herald continues to influence modern-day
Scotland and along with its 10-year-old sister paper, the Sunday Herald,
represent key contemporary voices. Together we explore Scotland’s
rich past and the continuing impact of Enlightenment thinking.
theherald.co.uk
sundayherald.com
Supports
eif.co.uk
We have commissioned Scottish design company Timorous
Beasties to create an Edinburgh toile in celebration of our exploration
of the Scottish Enlightenment. Known for creating provocative
textiles and wallpapers Timorous Beasties has added an affectionate,
frank and bold vision of modern Edinburgh to their portfolio for the
2009 Festival.
timorousbeasties.com
Visit us online at eif.co.uk for booking, our interactive brochure and
calendar. This year sees Passionato, the world’s most comprehensive
online classical resource, bringing you extracts of most of the music
in our concerts.
Sign up for our regular e-bulletins with competitions, special offers
and updates on all Festival goings-on and register for our RSS feeds
to be the first to find out about latest Festival news.
blonde.net
A
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59
BR
1
OU
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TO
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ST
HOW
EET
STR
ITH
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Festival
of Politics
St Cecilia’s
Music Hall
ET
CH
BER
SS
Talbot Rice Gallery
NIC
EET
N
SO
OL
STR
LAURISTON PLACE
E
NC
Edinburgh
Festival
Theatre
THI
AN
YFRIARS PLACE
Greyfriars
Kirk
AM
ET
TRE
PL E A S A
RK
GR E
Royal
Lyceum
Theatre
MA
DGE
GR
S
AS
RI
IV B
Traverse
Theatre
EET
RGE
Edinburgh
Castle
Usher
Hall
STR
Collective Gallery
E
L MIL
A
Y
Festival
RO
Fringe
Box Office
G EO
OAD
IAN R
4
The Hub
Edinburgh
Festival Centre
KET
Canongate
Kirk
GE
N
W
RID
TH B
MO U
ND
E
LOTH
A
SH
K
IC
AC
MAR
D
PRINCES STREET
GARDENS
PL
Tattoo
Office
THE
T TE
RE
SQUA
3
Y
ERLE
WAV IDGE
BR
RLO
ET
TRE
SS
NCE
PRI
Ross
Theatre
CALTON
HILL
Tourist Information
Centre
T
LO
EE
STR
THE HUB
Edinburgh Festival Centre, Royal Mile C3
NOR
RGE
EET
CHA
GEO
EET
STR
R
N ST
UEE
DAS
T
W
T RO
2
Book
Festival
DUN
REE
E ST
IO
HER
Q
The Edinburgh
Playhouse
ET
ST R E
The
Queen’s Hall
THE MEADOWS
ET
MELV
RE
LEV
EN
King’s
Theatre
ST
S TR E ET
K
ER
PL
CL
GI
RE
LMO
ILLE
DRIV
LOWLAND HALL, INGLISTON
Adjacent to Edinburgh International Airport. Access from A8 dual carriageway,
and sign-posted Royal Highland Centre.
• Free parking available to Faust ticket holders.
• First Bus: No.10/10A/X10; No.12/X12; No.16/216/X16
(Drop off outside the Royal Highland Centre).
• Lothian Buses: No. 35; Airport Express No.100; Ingliston Park & Ride Service –
No. 48/X48 (Drop off just off at A8/Airport junction, beside Eastfield Road)
VISITSCOTLAND
For all your accommodation needs.
Tel: +44 (0)845 2255 121 Tel: +44 (0)1506 832 121 (overseas)
[email protected] visitscotland.com
THE QUEEN’S HALL
Clerk Street
E5
THE EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE
Greenside Place
E1
ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE
Grindlay Street
B3
USHER HALL
Lothian Road
B3
ROSS THEATRE
Princes Street Gardens
B3
KING’S THEATRE
Leven Street
GREYFRIARS KIRK
Greyfriars Place
D4
TALBOT RICE GALLERY
Old College, South Bridge
D3
COLLECTIVE GALLERY
Cockburn Street
D3
TRAVERSE THEATRE
Cambridge Street
B3
CANONGATE KIRK
Canongate
E2
ST CECILIAS MUSIC HALL
Cowgate
D3
JAZZ FESTIVAL BOX OFFICE
The Hub
C3
TATTOO OFFICE
D2
FESTIVAL FRINGE BOX OFFICE
D3
BOOK FESTIVAL
A2
FESTIVAL OF POLITICS
Scottish Parliament
E3
TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE
Princes Street
D2
E
THE DEAN GALLERY,
BELFORD ROAD
Free parking for gallery visitors; 10 minutes
walk from Haymarket Train Station.
• Lothian Buses: No.13
(Drop off outside Dean Gallery)
FESTIVAL BEDS
Accommodation in private homes in the city and surrounding area.
Tel: +44 (0)131 225 1101
[email protected] festivalbeds.co.uk
Getting here...
EDINBURGH AIRPORT
Tel:
+44 (0)870 040 0007
edinburghairport.com
NATIONAL RAIL ENQUIRIES
Tel:
+44 (0)845 748 4950
nationalrail.co.uk
B5
OTHER FESTIVALS
5
ACE
EDINBURGH FESTIVAL THEATRE
Nicolson Street
D4
TRAVELINE
Tel:
+44 (0)871 200 22 33
traveline.org.uk
SCOTRAIL
Tel:
+44 (0)845 755 0033
scotrail.co.uk
NATIONAL EXPRESS
Tel:
+44 (0)8717 818181
nationalexpress.com
LOTHIAN BUSES
Tel:
+44 (0)131 555 6363
lothianbuses.com
HOW TO BOOK AND ACCESS
60
How to book
Tickets for Bank of Scotland Fireworks Concert
ONLINE
www.eif.co.uk
TELEPHONE
0131 473 2000
OVERSEAS
+44 (0)131 473 2000
Hub Tickets, The Hub, Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2NE
Wednesday 25 March
Priority booking opens for Festival Patrons and Friends by fax, post
and online.
Saturday 4 April
Public booking opens by telephone, post, in person and online.
Hub Tickets opening hours
Saturday 4 April- Thursday 30 July
Monday to Saturday 10.00am to 5.00pm
Friday 31 July-Saturday 5 September
Monday to Saturday 9.00am to 7.30pm
Sunday 10.00am to 7.30pm
For special arrangements see page 40.
Access information and discounts
The Edinburgh International Festival welcomes disabled visitors.
An Access Guide with full details of all facilities for disabled visitors
is available on request and both the Access Guide and the Festival
brochure are available in Braille, audio and large print formats.
Wheelchair users, people with severe mobility difficulties or with
visual or hearing impairment will be sold seats/spaces at £10
in the area of the venue most appropriate to their needs (dress circle
normally excluded). This discount also applies to a companion.
To claim an access discount, to request information or for advice on
any aspect of your Festival experience, please call the access line
+44 (0)131 473 2089 or email [email protected]
British sign language interpreted performances
The Last Witch Thursday 27 August 2.30pm
Peter and Wendy Friday 4 September 7.30pm
Sunday 6 September 1.00pm to 6.00pm
Audio described performances with touch tours
Ticket sales at venues
You can buy tickets for any Festival events from The Edinburgh
Playhouse and The Queen’s Hall from 6 April and from the Edinburgh
Festival Theatre from 1 May.
During the Festival, tickets are available during the day to personal
callers at Festival venues except King’s Theatre, Greyfriars Kirk,
Canongate Kirk, Traverse Theatre, St Cecilia’s Music Hall and
Lowland Hall, Ingliston. Any unsold tickets go on sale at those
venues an hour before the performance.
Ticket collection
If you do not ask for your tickets to be posted to you, or if you book
close to the performance date, you can collect them from the venue
from one hour before the performance starts. Prior to that, tickets
are held at Hub Tickets until lunchtime on the performance day,
or the evening before for morning or afternoon events.
Photo: William Reynolds
The Last Witch Friday 28 August 7.30pm
Peter and Wendy Friday 4 September 7.30pm
Touch Tours begin at 6.15pm. Please call the access line to book
your free place.
Performances with English supertitles
Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria (page 8), Admeto, re di Tessaglia
(page 10), Actus tragicus (page 12), Faust (page 26),
Tondal’s Vision (page 29).
Ticket discounts
Young People – Half Price from Saturday 4 April
50% discount on selected performances from 4 April for all young
people under the age of 18 and students in full time education.
Standby – Half Price from Wednesday 5 August
50% discount for senior citizens, unemployed people,
Young Scot, Equity and MU card holders in addition to all young
people as above from 5 August.
Gelabert-Azzopardi Companyia de Dansa Dress circle £28 £25 £18†
£10† Centre stalls £28 £23 Front/side stalls £18 £12 Rear stalls £18 £12
Admeto, Actus tragicus Dress circle £64 £56 £42† £36† £14†
Centre stalls £56 £50† Front/side stalls £40, £25† Rear stalls £36* £25*
Upper circle £40 £36 £27 £14
THE EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE
The Return of Ulysses, Scottish Ballet Circle £42 £36 £28 £24
Stalls £36 £32 £24 £18 £12 £10
Michael Clark Company Circle £28 £23 £18 £12
Stalls £23 £20 £15 £12 £9 £8
Youth Tickets
£6 Youth Tickets for selected performances on the day
of performance only. Available to all people aged 26 and under.
Proof of age required.
Diaspora Circle £30 £25 £15 £10 Stalls £30 £25 £18 £15 £10 £8
KING’S THEATRE
Group Bookings
We are delighted to offer the following benefits on group bookings
for the Edinburgh International Festival.
• 10% discount on Festival tickets for groups of 10 or more
on selected performances
Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria Grand circle £30 £26 £10†
Stalls £30 £26 £20 £15
Faith Healer, The Yalta Game, Afterplay Grand circle £25 £23 £17†
Stalls £25 £20 £15 £10
ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE
• The opportunity to make flexible ticket reservations
• Dedicated Group Sales Staff to assist you with your ticket order
Please call +44 (0)131 473 2089 or email [email protected]
Optimism, The Last Witch, Peter and Wendy Grand circle £25
£21† £15† £10† Stalls £25 £21 £15† Upper circle £18 £15† £10†
LOWLAND HALL, INGLISTON
Faust All tickets £20
Series discounts
CANONGATE KIRK
BACH AT GREYFRIARS
Tondal’s Vision All tickets £17
Book all 10 concerts for £140 – a saving of £3 per concert.
See page 31.
ST. CECILIA’S MUSIC HALL
Behind the Scenes All tickets £6
GATE I FRIEL
Save 20% when you book all 3 plays (Faith Healer, The Yalta Game
and Afterplay) see page 25.
TRAVERSE THEATRE
Experimentum Mundi All tickets £17
THE USHER HALL
Ticket prices
The Opening Concert Circle £45 £40† Stalls £45 £38 £32
Upper circle £20 £17.50 £15 £12.50 £10 Organ Gallery n/a
THE QUEEN’S HALL
Centre stalls £26.50 Rear stalls £24 Side stalls £19.50 £16
Centre gallery £24 Side gallery £19.50 Limited view £10†
No view seats £7†
Orchestral concerts, opera in concert Circle £39 £34†
Stalls £39 £34 £27 £24 £17† Upper circle £20 £17 £14 £12 £10
Organ gallery £10 (NB not available on 18, 21, 26, 28, 30 August
& 1, 3, 5 September)
THE HUB
Caledonia Sessions, The Testament of Cresseid All tickets £17
Discussions and Talks, Conversations with Artists, Behind the
Scenes All tickets £6
GREYFRIARS KIRK
Recitals Circle £30 £24† Stalls £30 £24 £19 £17
Upper circle £17 £14 £12 £10 £8
BANK OF SCOTLAND FIREWORKS CONCERT
Ross Theatre seated £25 Princes Street Gardens Standing £10
All seats £17
* Supertitles not visible from these seats
EDINBURGH FESTIVAL THEATRE
†
†
St Kilda, The Island of Birdmen Dress circle £30 £26 £15 £10
Centre stalls £30 £26 Front/side stalls £20 £10 Rear stalls £20 £15 £10†
†
60 seats or fewer please give an alternative where possible
DISCOUNTS AND TICKET PRICES
61
62
DIARY FESTIVAL 09
DATES
VENUES
14
Friday
August
15
Saturday
August
16
Sunday
August
11.00am
Collegium Vocale Gent,
Kristian Bezuidenhout (p45)
THE QUEEN’S
HALL SERIES
Clerk Street
R WS T H WC C
2.30pm
Discussion: Visual Art and
the Enlightenment (p54)
THE HUB
Castlehill
R LF WS T H WC C
2.30pm
Discussion: Scotland
Exports the Enlightenment
(p54)
5.00pm
Conversations with Artists: 5.00pm
The Enlightenments (p57)
Talk: Islam and the
Enlightenment (p54)
17
18
Monday
August
Tuesday
August
19
Wednesday
August
11.00am
Lisa Milne,
Malcolm Martineau (p45)
11.00am
Alexei Ogrintchouk,
Boris Brovtsyn,
Maxim Rysanov,
Boris Andrianov (p46)
11.00am
Bejun Mehta,
Julius Drake (p46)
12 noon
Behind theScenes:
Malthouse Melbourne (p56)
2.30pm, 3.30pm,
5.30pm, 6.30pm
Behind the Scenes:
Léasspell (p56)
Belt Up
2.30pm
Behind the Scenes:
Malcolm Martineau
Masterclass (p56)
2.30pm Discussion:
The Ages of Optimism
and Pessimism (p54)
5.30pm & 6.30pm
Behind the Scenes:
Léasspell (p56)
Belt Up
5.00pm Conversations
with Artists: TheatreWorks,
Singapore (p57)
5.45pm
Lewis Psalm Singers (p30)
GREYFRIARS
KIRK
Greyfriars Place
P L WS WC
7.30pm
Faith Healer (p25)
Gate Theatre
KING’S THEATRE
Leven Street
R WS H WC
2.00pm & 7.30pm
Faith Healer (p25)
Gate Theatre
7.30pm
Faith Healer (p25)
Gate Theatre
7.30pm
Faith Healer (p25)
Gate Theatre
OTHER VENUES
(see entry for
access details)
EDINBURGH
FESTIVAL
THEATRE
8.00pm
St Kilda, Island
of the Birdmen (p6)
8.00pm
St Kilda, Island
of the Birdmen (p6)
8.00pm
Diaspora (p21)
TheatreWorks, Singapore
Chinese Orchestra
8.00pm
Diaspora (p21)
TheatreWorks, Singapore
Chinese Orchestra
8.00pm
Optimism (p20)
Malthouse Melbourne
2.30pm & 8.00pm
Optimism (p20)
Malthouse Melbourne
8.00pm
Optimism (p20)
Malthouse Melbourne
8.00pm
Sir Willard White,
Eugene Asti (p32)
8.00pm
Made in Scotland (p32)
Royal Scottish National
Orchestra
Paul Daniel
Conductor
8.00pm
Orchestre des
Champs-Élysées (p33)
Philippe Herreweghe
Conductor
Alexander Lonquich
Piano
7.30pm
Faust (p26)
National Theatre
'Radu Stanca' Sibiu
Lowland Hall, Ingliston
7.30pm
Faust (p26)
National Theatre
'Radu Stanca' Sibiu
Lowland Hall, Ingliston
P L WS WC C
P L WS WC C
8.00pm
Elias (p33) Orchestre des
Champs-Élysées
Philippe Herreweghe
Conductor
8.00pm
Philharmonia Orchestra
(p34)
Esa-Pekka
Salonen Conductor
Yefim Bronfman Piano
8.00pm
St Kilda, Island
of the Birdmen (p6)
Nicolson Street
L R LF WS H T WC C
THE EDINBURGH
PLAYHOUSE
Greenside Place
R WS H WC C
ROYAL LYCEUM
THEATRE
Grindlay Street
L LF WS T H WC C
THE USHER HALL
Lothian Road
L WS WC
7.00pm
Judas Maccabaeus (p3)
Scottish Chamber
Orchestra
William Christie
Conductor
ACCESS FACILITIES KEY:
P Designated Parking
L Level Access
R Ramped Access
LF Lift
WS Wheelchair Spaces in Auditorium
DIARY FESTIVAL 09
DATES
VENUES
20
THE QUEEN’S
HALL SERIES
11.00am
Hebrides Ensemble,
Christopher Maltman (p47)
11.00am
Hespèrion XXI,
Jordi Savall (p47)
11.00am
Elisabeth Leonskaja (p48)
9.30pm
The Caledonia Sessions:
Triplepipes, Lust and Spilt
Blood (p41)
2.30pm
Discussion: Science
and Tolerance (p54)
2.30pm Behind the Scenes:
Royal Ballet of Flanders
(p56)
5.00pm
Conversations with Artists:
National Theatre
‘Radu Stanca’ Sibiu (p57)
5.00pm Conversations with
Artists: Gelabert-Azzopardi
Companyia de Dansa (p57)
Clerk Street
R WS T H WC C
THE HUB
Castlehill
R LF WS T H WC C
GREYFRIARS
KIRK
Thursday
August
5.45pm
Huelgas Ensemble (p30)
21
Friday
August
22
23
Saturday
August
Sunday
August
24
Monday
August
11.00am
Quatuor Mosaïques (p48)
2.30pm
Discussion: Music and
the Enlightenment (p55)
11.00am
Christoph Prégardien,
Andreas Staier (p49)
Conversations with Artists: 5.00pm
William Kentridge (p57)
Conversations with Artists:
The Last Witch (p57)
9.30pm The Caledonia
9.30pm
The Caledonia Sessions:
Dance Band Night (p41)
Sessions: Scotsmen
on the Make (p41)
5.45pm
Dunedin Consort (p30)
5.45pm
Bach Collegium Japan
(p30)
8.00pm
Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria
(p8) Handspring Puppet
Company, Ricercar Consort
KING’S THEATRE
Leven Street
R WS H WC
(see entry for
access details)
Tuesday
August
2.30pm Behind the Scenes: 2.30pm
The Discovery of Breath (p56) Discussion: On the Dark
Handspring Puppet Company Side, Witchcraft and the
Theatre (p55)
5.00pm
Greyfriars Place
P L WS WC
OTHER VENUES
25
7.30pm
Faust (p26)
National Theatre
'Radu Stanca' Sibiu
Lowland Hall, Ingliston
7.30pm
Faust (p26)
National Theatre
'Radu Stanca' Sibiu
Lowland Hall, Ingliston
7.30pm
Faust (p26)
National Theatre
'Radu Stanca' Sibiu
Lowland Hall, Ingliston
P L WS WC C
P L WS WC C
P L WS WC C
8.00pm
Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria
(p8) Handspring Puppet
Company, Ricercar Consort
9.30pm
Tondal’s Vision (p29)
Dialogos
Canongate Kirk
9.30pm
Tondal’s Vision (p29)
Dialogos
Canongate Kirk
L WS WC T
L WS WC T
8.00pm
8.00pm
8.00pm
Gelabert-Azzopardi
Gelabert-Azzopardi
Gelabert-Azzopardi
Companiya de Dansa (p16) Companiya de Dansa (p16) Companiya de Dansa (p16)
EDINBURGH
FESTIVAL
THEATRE
Nicolson Street
L R LF WS H T WC C
8.00pm
The Return of Ulysses (p14)
Royal Ballet of Flanders
Scottish Chamber
Orchestra
THE EDINBURGH
PLAYHOUSE
Greenside Place
R WS H WC C
8.00pm
The Return of Ulysses (p14)
Royal Ballet of Flanders
Scottish Chamber
Orchestra
Grindlay Street
L LF WS T H WC C
THE USHER HALL
T Induction Loop
2.30pm
The Return of Ulysses (p14)
Royal Ballet of Flanders
Scottish Chamber
Orchestra
7.30pm
7.30pm
The Last Witch (p22)
The Last Witch (p22)
Traverse Theatre Company Traverse Theatre Company
ROYAL LYCEUM
THEATRE
Lothian Road
L WS WC
8.00pm
The Return of Ulysses (p14)
Royal Ballet of Flanders
Scottish Chamber
Orchestra
8.00pm
Le Concert des Nations
(p34) Jordi Savall
Conductor
H Infra Red System
7.30pm
Macbeth (p4)
BBC Scottish Symphony
Orchestra
David Robertson
Conductor
8.00pm
Orchestra of the Age
of Enlightenment (p35)
Sir Roger Norrington
Conductor
David Blackadder Trumpet
Joyce DiDonato Soprano
WC Accessible Toilets
8.00pm
Bryn Terfel,
Malcolm Martineau (p35)
C Accessible Catering/Bar
7.00pm
Rinaldo (p4)
Bach Collegium Japan
Masaaki Suzuki
Conductor
8.00pm
European Union Baroque
Orchestra (p36)
Chiara Banchini
Director/Violin
63
64
DIARY FESTIVAL 09
DATES
VENUES
26
THE QUEEN’S
HALL SERIES
11.00am
Scottish Ensemble,
Tenebrae (p49)
Clerk Street
R WS T H WC C
THE HUB
Castlehill
R LF WS T H WC C
Wednesday
August
27
Thursday
August
11.00am
Andreas Staier (p50)
28
29
Friday
August
11.00am
Hopkinson Smith (p50)
2.30pm
Discussion: Science and
the Enlightenment (p55)
30
Saturday
August
Sunday
August
11.00am
Michael Volle,
Franz Hawlata,
Helmut Deutsch (p51)
31
Monday
August
11.00am
Arditti Quartet (p51)
8.00pm
The Testament of Cresseid
(p27)
9.30pm
The Caledonia Sessions:
Robert Burns’s Worldly
Friends (p41)
2.30pm Discussion: The
Face of the Enlightenment
(p55)
2.30pm
Behind the Scenes:
Dance with Charles (p56)
5.00pm Conversations with 5.00pm
Artists: Handel Festspiele
Talk: Moral Universals and
Göttingen (p57)
Moral Progress (p55)
8.00pm
The Testament of Cresseid
(p27)
8.00pm
The Testament of Cresseid
(p27)
9.00pm
The Yalta Game (p25)
Gate Theatre
9.00pm
Afterplay (p25)
Gate Theatre
5.00pm
Behind the Scenes:
Andreas Staier (p56)
St Cecilia’s Music Hall
OTHER VENUES
(see entry for
access details)
R LF WS WC
GREYFRIARS
KIRK
Greyfriars Place
P L WS WC
KING’S THEATRE
Leven Street
R WS H WC
5.45pm
European Union Baroque
Orchestra (p30)
5.45pm
Ricercar Consort I (p31)
5.45pm
Ricercar Consort II (p31)
8.00pm
Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria
(p8) Handspring Puppet
Company, Ricercar Consort
9.00pm
The Yalta Game (p25)
Gate Theatre
EDINBURGH
FESTIVAL
THEATRE
7.15pm
Admeto, re di Tessaglia
(p10) Handel Festspiele
Göttingen
7.15pm
Admeto, re di Tessaglia
(p10) Handel Festspiele
Göttingen
8.00pm
New Work (p17)
Michael Clark Company
8.00pm
New Work (p17)
Michael Clark Company
7.15pm
Admeto, re di Tessaglia
(p10) Handel Festspiele
Göttingen
Nicolson Street
L R LF WS H T WC C
THE EDINBURGH
PLAYHOUSE
Greenside Place
R WS H WC C
ROYAL LYCEUM
THEATRE
Grindlay Street
L LF WS T H WC C
THE USHER HALL
Lothian Road
L WS WC
8.00pm
New Work (p17)
Michael Clark Company
8.00pm
New Work (p17)
Michael Clark Company
8.00pm
Acis and Galatea (p5)
FestspielOrchester
Göttingen
Nicholas McGegan
Conductor
8.00pm
BBC Scottish Symphony
Orchestra (p38)
Donald Runnicles
Conductor
Baiba Skride Violin
Jan Vogler Cello
7.30pm
2.30pm & 7.30pm
7.30pm
2.30pm & 7.30pm
The Last Witch (p22)
The Last Witch (p22)
The Last Witch (p22)
The Last Witch (p22)
Traverse Theatre Company Traverse Theatre Company Traverse Theatre Company Traverse Theatre Company
8.00pm
Scottish Chamber
Orchestra (p36)
Sir Charles Mackerras
Conductor
Garry Walker
Conductor
ACCESS FACILITIES KEY:
8.00pm
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
(p37) David Zinman
Conductor
Dawn Upshaw Soprano
P Designated Parking
8.00pm
Roméo et Juliette (p37)
Royal Scottish National
Orchestra
Stéphane Denève
Conductor
L Level Access
8.00pm
Ivo Pogorelich (p38)
R Ramped Access
LF Lift
WS Wheelchair Spaces in Auditorium
DIARY FESTIVAL 09
DATES
VENUES
1
THE QUEEN’S
HALL SERIES
11.00am
Arditti Quartet, Barbara
Hannigan (p51)
11.00am
Bernarda Fink, Anthony
Spiri (p52)
2.30pm
Discussion:
The Enlightenment and
the Academies (p55)
5.00pm
2.30pm
Conversations with Artists: Discussion: Political
Scottish Ballet (p56)
Economy (p55)
Clerk Street
R WS T H WC C
THE HUB
Castlehill
R LF WS T H WC C
Tuesday
September
(see entry for
access details)
5.45pm
Cantus Cölln (p31)
Greyfriars Place
P L WS WC
KING’S THEATRE
Leven Street
R WS H WC
Wednesday
September
8.00pm
5.00pm
The Testament of Cresseid
Conversations with Artists: (p27)
The Testament of Cresseid
(p57)
OTHER VENUES
GREYFRIARS
KIRK
2
6.00pm
Afterplay (p25)
Gate Theatre
3
4
Thursday
September
11.00am
Christian Zacharias (p52)
Friday
September
5
Saturday
September
11.00am
Emerson String Quartet
(p53)
11.00am
Alexis Kossenko,
John Holloway,
Jaap ter Linden,
Lars Ulrik Mortensen (p53)
2.30pm
Behind the Scenes:
Mabou Mines (p56)
2.30pm
Behind the Scenes:
Experimentum Mundi (p56) Tuesday 8 September
2.30pm & 7.30pm
8.00pm
The Testament of Cresseid Sharing The Festival [p57]
Experimentum Mundi
(p27)
The Space, Dundee
5.00pm
8.00pm
Conversations with Artists: The Testament of Cresseid
Mabou Mines (p57)
(p27)
8.00pm
The Testament of Cresseid
(p27)
8.00pm
8.00pm
8.00pm
8.00pm
The Enlightenments
Experimentum Mundi (p29) Experimentum Mundi (p29) Experimentum Mundi (p29) Experimentum Mundi (p29)
(p42-44)
Traverse Theatre
Traverse Theatre
Traverse Theatre
Traverse Theatre
Friday 7 August –
L LF H WC C
L LF H WC C
L LF H WC C
L LF H WC C
Saturday 26 September
Georgian Gallery,
Talbot Rice Gallery
The University of
Edinburgh, Old College,
South Bridge
5.45pm
5.45pm
Retrospect Ensemble (p31) The Sixteen
The Enlightenments
(p31)
Friday 7 August –
Saturday 26 September
Collective Gallery,
22 - 28 Cockburn Street
7.30pm
Faith Healer (p25)
Gate Theatre
7.30pm
Afterplay (p25)
Gate Theatre
9.00pm
The Yalta Game (p25)
Gate Theatre
EDINBURGH
FESTIVAL
THEATRE
2.00pm
Afterplay (p25)
Gate Theatre
2.00pm
The Yalta Game (p25)
Gate Theatre
5.00pm
The Yalta Game (p25)
Gate Theatre
5.00pm
Afterplay (p25)
Gate Theatre
7.30pm
Faith Healer (p25)
Gate Theatre
7.15pm
Actus tragicus (p12)
Staatsoper Stuttgart
7.30pm
Faith Healer (p25)
Gate Theatre
7.15pm
Actus tragicus (p12)
Staatsoper Stuttgart
7.30pm
Scottish Ballet (p18)
2.30pm & 7.30pm
Scottish Ballet (p18)
Nicolson Street
L R LF WS H T WC C
THE EDINBURGH
PLAYHOUSE
Greenside Place
R WS H WC C
ROYAL LYCEUM
THEATRE
Grindlay Street
L LF WS T H WC C
THE USHER HALL
Lothian Road
L WS WC
T Induction Loop
7.30pm
Der Fliegende Holländer
(p5) Hamburg State Opera
Simone Young
Conductor
H Infra Red System
Sunday 6 September
9.00pm Bank of Scotland
Fireworks Concert (p40)
Scottish Chamber
Orchestra
Matthew Halls Conductor
Princes Street Gardens
L WS WC
7.30pm
Peter and Wendy (p28)
Mabou Mines
7.30pm
Peter and Wendy (p28)
Mabou Mines
7.30pm
Peter and Wendy (p28)
Mabou Mines
2.30pm & 7.30pm
Peter and Wendy (p28)
Mabou Mines
8.00pm
Deutsches
Symphonie-Orchester
Berlin (p39)
Ingo Metzmacher
Conductor
Christian Tetzlaff Violin
8.00pm
The Monteverdi Choir,
The English Baroque
Soloists (p39)
Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Conductor
8.00pm
The Fairy Queen (p6)
The Sixteen
Harry Christophers
Conductor
8.00pm
The Dream of Gerontius
(p40) Hallé
Sir Mark Elder Conductor
WC Accessible Toilets
C Accessible Catering/Bar
The Enlightenments
Friday 7 August –
Sunday 27 September
Dean Gallery, Belford Road
65
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