2011-09-04
Edinburgh International Festival
The Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) - now programmed by Jonathan Mills - is the original centerpiece of Edinburgh's hotbed of artistic excellence every August. Around it cluster the Fringe, Military Tattoo, Jazz and Blues, Book and Edge festivals.
First held in 1947, to unite war-torn Europe by bringing together all
that was best in the performing arts to the "Athens of the North", the
EIF has helped shape the artistic life of the country over six decades.
There have only been nine artistic directors (Rudolf Bing, Ian Hunter,
Robert Ponsonby, the 7th Earl of Harewood, Peter Diamond, John Drummond,
Frank Dunlop, Brian McMaster and, since 2007, Jonathan Mills) who have
programmed the world's top classical, dance and drama performers and
developed the artistic infrastructure of the Scottish capital.
Giulini,
Karajan, Menuhin and Shostakovich filled the Usher Hall in the
festival's early days, as their counterparts like Gergiev and Rattle do,
in the newly refurbished hall in the 21st century. Mark Morris and
late, lamented Pina Bausch were notable in the dance programme, while
Peter Stein directed a number of productions (plays and opera) under
McMaster's directorship.
Mills' first festivals have been equally
eclectic, especially bringing period instrument music to the fore and
investigating broad themes - "artists without borders" in 2008, the
Scottish Enlightenment in 2009 and a focus on the Pacific in 2010.
From
airy Queen's Hall's late-morning recitals, Edinburgh International
Festival (EIF) days are packed with orchestral concerts in the (newly
refurbished) Usher Hall and dance, opera and drama in the Edinburgh
Festival, King's, Playhouse and Royal Lyceum Theatres. The festival ends
with the Bank of Scotland Fireworks Concert in Princes' Street Gardens
also, spectacularly, visible from across the city. In addition, the
Festival's home is The Hub - underneath the Castle at the top of the
High Street - which also boasts a 400-seat venue in use constantly
during each festival.
When: 12 Aug - 4 Sep 2011
Where: Edinburgh, Scotland
From: whatsonwhen.com
last modification: 2011-08-02
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