The Edinburgh International Festival 2012 programme

Instead, according to Festival Director Jonathan Mills, speaking yesterday at the official launch of the programme, this year’s festival is more about values of peacefulness and sharing cultures. Values which underpin both the Festival and the Summer Olympic Games, which – as Mills put it – “breathe the same air.”

And, as sportsmen and women from across the world gather to compete in London, so performers from across the globe will congregate in Edinburgh in August, where this year’s programme offers a wealth of world-class culture.

Immediately highlighted were the three “great theatrical imaginations” taking place at the Lowland Hall of the Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston. Transformed into an innovative, cutting-edge space, it will play host to productions which would be impossible to stage in traditional theatres. 2008: Macbeth by TR Warszawa is an “unflinching portrait of a killing machine”; whilst Meine faire Dame – ein Sprachlabor is a comic production loosely based on My Fair Lady and set in a language laboratory – “Monty Python goes linguistic,” as Mills puts it.

Third, Les Naufragés du Fol Espoir (Aurores) by Théâtre du Soleil promises to transform the space into an imaginative and fantastical world populated by Charles Darwin, Queen Victoria and commando nuns…

Of course, Edinburgh’s more accustomed theatres also play host to some productions from across the world. At the King’s, Suzuki Company of Toga will perform their “powerful and claustrophobic” staging of Waiting For Orestes: Electra; and Radu Stanca National Theatre of Sibui, last seen in Edinburgh in 2009 with their spectacular version of Faust, bring their interpretation of Gulliver’s Travels.

At the Lyceum, Vanishing Point‘s “edgy and slightly tempting” Wonderland will open the door on the themes in Alice In Wonderland; whilst “cabaret legend” Camille O’Sullivan will perform The Rape of Lucrece as part of the World Shakespeare Festival.

A varied programme of international dance is also on offer, including three works by New York’s Julliard Dance; the “burlesque ballet” of Rio de Janeiro’s Deborah Colker Dance Company‘s Tatyana; New Delhi’s “hypnotising” Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company; and Leigh Warren‘s dance company from Australia, featuring a part-white, part-indigenous ensemble.

A scale model of how the Lowland Hall will be transformed

Orchestras from around the globe take part, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the European Union Youth Orchestra and a rare UK performance from the Emperor of Japan’s Imperial Household musicians with Gagaku, an “exquisite and timeless” performance of traditional music.

More intimate musical performances are on offer at Greyfriars Kirk; whilst in The Queen’s Hall Series, a varied selection of musicians will perform at 11am most days throughout the Festival.

The Festival is opened and closed in spectacular fashion with a performance of Delius’ A Mass of Life by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra on 10 August; and by the ever-popular Virgin Money Fireworks Concert by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra on 2 September.

Encounters is a series of lectures by renowned intellectuals and academics covering topics as diverse as What It Means To Be British? and – appropriately for the Olympic year – Athletes and Ideals. The Conversations programme also offers the chance to hear people speak: this time focusing on the artists and performers themselves, including Nicola Benedetti and Camille O’Sullivan.

Finally, one of the performances which will literally light up the Festival nights is NVA’s Speed of Light, which will see runners and members of the public wearing specially-commissioned light suits and carrying portable light sources illuminate the normally dark volcanic mass of Arthur’s Seat.

In all, despite its lack of overall theme, 2012′s Edinburgh International Festival programme has a feel of positivity, innovation and celebration. And whilst London may be the focus for the Olympic flame in summer; in Edinburgh, the Festival will very much be carrying the cultural torch.

There are many other highlights within 2012′s programme, which can be viewed online at the Edinburgh International Festival website. Priority booking for Festival Friends and Patrons is now open; with public booking opening on 24 March.

Edinburgh Spotlight loves living in ‘Festival City’ and already has all these dates in its calendar – here’s the rundown of 2012′s festivals.

Mary King’s Ghost Fest TBC for 2012

Paranormal investigations, celebrity ghost hunts and other spooky goings on at The Real Mary King’s Close.

Ceilidh Culture 16 March – 25 April

Edinburgh’s traditional arts festival, featuring music, dance, storytelling and more.

International Science Festival 31 March- 13 April 2012
The International Science Festival features a host of fun and educational events, lectures and attractions celebrating all things scientific.

Beltane Fire Festival 30 April 2012
Beltane is an ancient Celtic festival and Edinburgh plays host to some colourful and exciting celebrations to mark the date.

Imaginate Festival 7 – 14 May 2012
The Imaginate Festival is Edinburgh’s children’s festival and has loads of plays, activities and fun things to do for youngsters of all ages.

Leith Festival 8 -17 June 2012
Come and celebrate all things Leith at this festival, featuring music, dance, art and other exciting events.

Edinburgh International Film Festival 20 June – 1 July
The Edinburgh Film Festival is an internationally-renowned event on the movie festival circuit and attracts premieres and stars from all over the world.

Edinburgh International Magic Festival 29 June – 6 July 2012

2012 will see Edinburgh host the third International Magic Festival with a range of performers show-casing their magical talents.

Edinburgh Art Festival August 2 – September 2
Edinburgh Art Festival celebrates the visual arts in all its diversity, from world-class exhibitions to strikingly original installations.

Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival 28 July – 6 August 2012
Get your gladrags on and party to the sounds of the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, a popular event which attracts international talent.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 3 - 27 August 2012
Getting bigger, better and – some may say – weirder every year, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the highlight of many a festival-goer’s calendar.

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 3 – 25 August 2012
Selling out months in advance, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is a spectacular event taking place on the Castle Esplanade.

The Edge Music Festival TBC 2012
Adding alternative music to the August festival mix, The Edge Music Festival attracts A-list bands as part of its programme.

Festival of Spirituality and Peace TBC 2012

The Festival of Spirituality and Peace features music, dance, talks and other events highlighting humanitarian issues and causes.

Edinburgh International Festival 10 August – 2 September 2012
The one that started it all, the Edinburgh International Festival is a feast of world-class music, dance and theatrical performances.

Edinburgh International Book Festival 11 - 27 August 2012
This literary event attracts major names in the writing, publishing and political fields to the serene Charlotte Square Gardens setting.

Edinburgh Mela Festival 31 August  - 2nd September 2012

Celebrating the cultural diversity of the city, the Mela Festival brings colour and exotic flair to Edinburgh in August.

Scottish Story Telling Festival 19-28 October
Celebrating the great Scottish oral tradition, the Story Telling Festival showcases the talents of national bards, poets and tale-spinners.

Edinburgh’s Christmas TBC – late November – End Dec 2011
Edinburgh sparkles at Christmas and features events, attractions and shows for all the family to enjoy during the festival season.

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 30 December 2012 – 2 January 2013
End the year with the biggest street party in the world!

Virgin Money Fireworks Concert, Princes Street Gardens

Sunday 4th September 2011

Across the city people wait for the event that will fill the sky above Edinburgh castle, stationed where there are screens and speakers or just a grand view and a radio. In Princes Street Gardens, on a bench near a large screen and a large speaker, with Castle Rock looming promisingly above, a couple from Brazil here especially for this Fireworks Concert that ends the Edinburgh International Festival enthuse about the beauty of Edinburgh and the friendliness and culture of her people. The city’s Scottish Chamber Orchestra tunes up while test flares from the castle mark the concert countdown, already greeted by cheers that punctuate the excited murmurs of the thousands gathered in the gardens.

Now the young girl who won a competition to start the concert, the first to be sponsored by Virgin Money, appears on the screen – you can see her concentration as she stands ready, box with button in hand. Garry Walker raises his hands, ready to conduct and . . .

The first notes punch out – Glinka’s Overture to ‘Ruslan and Ludmila’ – and volleys of colour shoot into the sky against the background of the castle. As the notes soar and waltz, so too do the stars and fans of the fireworks, in glorious pink-reds, gold and silver, with accents of green, in sparkles and whizzes beautifully timed with the music, building to a glorious crescendo of red and orange blooming right over the gardens, reaching down for you. This is real ‘3D‘ viewing!

In keeping with the 2011 EIF theme, the closing concert has an exotic flavour with music inspired by Asia, Arabia and the East. Announcements before each section help place the music, that rousing opening coming from an opera where the hero saves his lady from an evil wizard – especially apt for magic exploding above your head. Next comes Sibelius’ Belshazzar’s Feast, the Oriental Procession piece, where you can feel “the opulence and the foreboding of the writing on the wall”. The first quiet strains start small stars along the castle walls which build in a beautiful continuous flow of “opulent” multi colours, joined by orange and pink lit smoke, with green, red and silver sparks, fountains spraying and golden rain falling, until all too suddenly, “forebodingly” only the smoke is left, drifting silently away.

Now you witness a “caravan crossing the Asian desert and disappearing” as Borodin’s In the Steppes of Central Asia twines its way around the gardens, with gentle flares and fountains, green stars and gold sprinklers above. Fans of the musical ‘Kismet’ can recognise the lilting refrain of this source for Sands of Time playing with stronger notes and rocketing blooms, sparkling streams crossing each other and the repeated soothing flow of those firework fountains. Now the concert’s iconic and glorious waterfall cascades in brilliant light over the rocks before the caravan fades into the green smoked distance, orange fountains against black night the dying embers of its passage.

Time for the dances! Nielsen’s Blackmoor’s Dance from his ‘Aladdin Suite’ brings excitement and long rockets and sprays, busy purples, reds and greens, silver and gold sparks and explosions of green and blue, groupings and golden fans, swirling twists and fireflies in a frenetic canopy of movement. A rather long break follows this, for re-setting after such wonders, perhaps, but then the familiar beauty of Tchaikovsky’s ‘The Nutcracker’ paints a subtly drawn and fascinatingly coloured picture. With coffee from Arabia, fanned flames are thrown from points along the castle’s walls, pulsing in marvellous rhythm to this Arabian Dance against orange-gold smoke, the colours and tambourine rattles practically creating the aroma of rich coffee. The very recognisable trots of the Chinese Dance bring us tea in a delightful multitude of red stars shooting up and across, before another break (and passing train) leads us into the Trepak, the Russian Dance, another favourite for many, here bringing sweet candy canes of red and green sparks and golden rain, very quick, full of leaps and twirls, and very well-synced.

The final piece now (with groans at that announcement), and it’s back to Borodin and more fantastic movement in his Polovtsian Dances from the unfinished ‘Prince Igor‘. Those who know ‘Kismet’ will hear ’A Stranger in Paradise’ in this quiet start, small gold and pink flames and flares leading into flickering smoke. White and green single stars shoot up, fountains flow, sparking across the rocks, green and pink whirls join the strengthening dance (a spot of Kismet’s Not Since Nineveh tantalises) then golden rain and a great smoke canopy, slim fountains, multi colours, fading and returning, teasing and satisfying with great exploding flowers balanced against single stars, criss-crossing and slow dancing, swells and sparkles, silver and gold, white and blue, glittering trails and glorious bursts. Flakes fall, dotting the eager upturned faces and the night sky becomes an explosion of mesmerising light, the booms felt through your very flesh. This is the Edinburgh International Festival Finale.

For such an evening of glorious music and spectacular fireworks (over 100,000), even the Edinburgh weather co-operates, just making sure that you appreciate such generosity by starting the first drops of teasing rain as the last sparks of airborne fire light the city. While you make your way out of the gardens, in communion with the others with whom you have shared this experience, you hear someone say that this was the first time they were in the gardens for the concert – and they would now never see it from anywhere else. You smile and plan for next year.

By Danielle Farrow

Stephen Earnhart and Greg Pierce’s adapatation of Haruki Murakami’s The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a technically-stunning and dreamlike work of theatre; where the worlds of reality, fantasy and memory collide onstage to create something unforgettable.

Toru Okada has lost his cat – and his wife. In his strange and portentous quest to recover both, he finds himself treading the paths of his own memory and dreams, as characters real and imagined accompany him on his journey. As the trail leads to his bullying politician brother-in-law, Toru pieces together the fragments to discover a terrible truth.

Using video projection, puppetry, mood-enhancing lighting and immersive, claustrophobic sound design, Earnhart has created something which at times feels like a new medium: blurring lines between theatre, art and film almost as effectively as Murakami’s tale of loss and identity mixes fantasy and reality.

An accomplished thirteen-strong cast of mostly American Japanese create the multitude of characters in this complex and multilayered work: sharing roles as they portray gameshow hosts, lounge singers and ex-prisoners of war. Complementing the piece, a live soundtrack is provided by experimental musician Bora Yoon, herself resembling an exotic bird in black evening gown and feather headdress as she uses piano and electronic instruments to conjure up a suitably atmospheric score.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is, at its core, an examination of how our lives connect: either through long-held relationships or via chance encounters. And, like these connections, Earnhart and Pierce’s stunning adaptation lingers in the mind long after we return from its creative vision into the reality of our own lives.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle runs until Aug 24 at the King’s Theatre

Director and performer Wu Hsing-kuo finds King Lear has so much personal resonance that he presents the character from three unique and striking angles, in this visually stunning and powerhouse production at the Royal Lyceum Theatre as part of the Edinburgh International Festival.

Having struggled with his own identity and artistic direction, the relevance of the tortured, self-loathing Lear to Wu Hsing-kuo’s own journey is easy to appreciate. Trained in traditional Chinese opera and dance, he first presents the character in the distinctive stylised manner of Peking Opera. Literally shaking with madness, this incarnation of Lear dominates the bleak stage with the exaggerated movements and vocal delivery of the medium. When Wu Hsing-kuo sheds the costume and beard of the King to question his own identity as performer and man, the sense of self-realisation and confession is genuinely moving.

The second act is a spellbinding one-man performance of the dramatic highlights of Shakespeare’s tragedy, with Wu Hsing-kuo flitting from the comic clowning of the fool to the bewitching elegance of Lear’s three daughters, then to the pitiful and blinded Gloucester. Using martial art-inspired movement and several evocative costume changes, he dissects the original text to leave the emotional heart of King Lear beating on stage: raw, bloodied and stark.

The final segment of the piece sees the character of Lear return to literally transcend in a heartfelt and powerful meditation on identity and loss, bringing this operatic tribute to the fatally-flawed character to a dramatic close.

As Wu Hsing-kuo is joined by the performance’s nine offstage musicians in an extended but deserved curtain call, Contemporary Legend Theatre’s King Lear has provided an extraordinary and outstanding interpretation of the original: where the compulsive descent of one man ultimately shows us that, through self-discovery and realisation, hope and redemption are always within our reach.

King Lear runs until 16 Aug at the Royal Lyceum Theatre

In Mokwha Repertory Company‘s adaptation of The Tempest, Shakespeare’s original finds itself caught and torn apart in the eye of a storm; then reassembled with Korean traditional theatrical and music styles to create something unique, fascinating and riotously enjoyable.

The mystery of Shakespeare’s most magical of plays is intact: here, Propsero’s island is populated by the fantastical spirits, faeries and monsters of the original. By applying all the colour, flamboyance and charm of Korean theatre to the text, the comedic aspect of the original is amplified via a loose transalation, in a piece which – to western eyes – most resembles pantomime.

In beautiful traditional costume, the actors therefore treat The Tempest as an accessible piece to be enjoyed. Anthropomorphic creatures join in with a shock-haired Miranda as she discovers Ferdinand washed up on the shores of the island; Caliban is a cojoined comedic creation who provokes laughter more than fear; and the majority of the action is accompanied by music performed live by a quartet of musicians in the boxes of the King’s Theatre.

Yet to dismiss Tae-Suk Oh’s adaptation as broad-brush comedy would be a mistake. The Tempest is visually stunning, particularly in its opening shipwreck sequence, where the ensemble cast use physical movement, costume and fans to conjure up a vision of storm and fire onboard the King of Naples’ ship. And although the strong impact of this is not repeated, the unique style remains throughout, with lighting and set design also combining to create this particular form of Korean magic.

What impresses most however is the charming appeal of the piece as a whole. With its enthusiastic performances; direction which nods to the fourth wall; and its colourfully creative design: Mokwha’s The Tempest casts an irresistible spell over Festival audiences and provides a rare opportunity to see an adaptation of Shakespeare through a very different cultural lens.

The Tempest runs until 16 Aug at the King’s Theatre. More details here.

Described by director Jonathan Mills as “a celebration of ideas from Asia and ideas from Europe connecting with each other”, 2011′s Edinburgh International Festival programme contains a wealth of cultural highlights and artists from across the world.

Drawing inspiration from the Far East, this year’s EIF features the European premiere of the Chinese National Ballet’s The Peony Pavillion, contemporary dance from Korean Eun-Me Ahn Company’s Princess Bari, and Chinese and Korean interpretations of Shakespeare’s King Lear and The Tempest.

Music performances from sitar-player Ravi Shankar, The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe continue the Eastern theme; as do further performances from artists from India, Vietnam, Japan and the Middle East.

Sir Sandy Crombie, Jonathan Mills and Steve Cardownie present highlights from 2011's Edinburgh International Festival

Joined on stage by Chairman of Creative Scotland Sir Sandy Crombie and Councillor Steve Cardownie, Mills was also keen to point out the “tremendous representation of Scottish artists”, highlighting the inclusion in the year’s Festival of the Scottish Ballet, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Artists from across the globe also feature, including St Petersburg’s Mariinsky Opera, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and a Festival debut from legendary composer Philip Glass – all contributing to a truly international programme.

Mills also fielded questions from the media

Running from 12 August – 4 September, Mills hopes audiences will join the EIF on the cultural “bridge” they are trying to build between East and West; in what looks to be a Festival filled with colour, spectacle and world-class talent.

Tickets for all performances are available on Saturday 2 April. Priority booking for Friends of the EIF opens today. Further information – including the downloadable programme – is available on the EIF website.

DADA Ventures is bringing the Festival in the Sky to this years’ Edinburgh Festival which will see residents and tourists in Edinburgh having a meal at the dizzy heights of 100ft at a 22-seat suspended table.  Let the wind rise up your kilt as you are strapped in and gently transported skywards by a large crane in West Princes Street Gardens.   

The Festival in the Sky is making its’ Scottish debut in West Princes Street Gardens and will run from the 1st – 31st August from 8am to 9.30pm.  Check-in and safety briefing begins at the magnificent Sky Gardens where you can relax before and after your flight, or admire those brave enough to venture on board.  The Sky Gardens offer beer, great food and entertainment allowing you to soak up the sun at the luxury bar, where you can also enjoy gourmet barbecue food, world beers and cocktails until the wee small hours.   

What the Festival in the Sky will look like in Edinburgh

Prices start at £25.00 for the early ‘Top O’ the Morning’ flights that take off between 8am and 11am and include a hearty breakfast of salmon and scrambled eggs, porridge and assorted drinks.  The ‘Light Lunch’between 12pm and 4pm sees finger sandwiches and cakes served alongside Pimms.  The evening flights, which give a new meaning to the words  ‘High Tea’ lift off at 5pm and include Scottish favourites such as haggis and a glass of bubbly, or wee dram.   The Festival in the Sky experience is available for group bookings or corporate functions from 9.30pm onwards which enable you to dine at the same time as the Tattoo fireworks explode in the Edinburgh sky.   

All of the experiences include your food and drink, so there’s no need to look for money in your pockets whilst 100ft above the ground.  Non-alcoholic drinks are available.    

Coming to Edinburgh in August

All the little questions like ‘what do I do if I need the toilet when I am up there?’ are answered on the Festival in the Sky website.  People of all ages are allowed on board as long as you meet the minimum-height requirement of 1.5metres/4 foot 11 inches.   

Edinburgh Spotlight will be on one of the first flights and will be reporting back on this excellent oppoprtunity to see Edinburgh from a unique viewpoint whilst dining at the same time – what an excellent combination.   

Don’t delay in booking your tickets  as this event is sure to be a sell out.   You can buy your ticket online, on site at the Sky Garden or through the box office on +44 (0)131 226 0000.   

You can follow this exciting adventure on twitter and join their facebook page.  This city-centre experience is set to be the most uplifting venue at the Festival and the ‘steaks’ are sure to be high.  (Sorry!)  

Suitable  for disabled?   Festival in the Sky is suitable for disabled if you are able to transfer onto a seat.  Access to West Princes Street Gardens can be done on level ground via King Stables Road.  You can also access the check in area via Princes Street, but these entrances are very steep and on cobbles.   

Boarding pass

Beautiful building

The Hub is a magnificent building that sits at the top of the Royal Mile. Converted from its previous use as a church by the Edinburgh International Festival, it was opened to the public in 1999.

Today I visited the Cafe Hub for a birthday afternoon tea for my friend and was seriously impressed.  It is open all year round and is completely accessible and pushchair friendly.

We were seated immediately by the staff who were alert and courteous as we ordered our afternoon tea.  The surroundings were pleasant with a mixture of people, young and old – all enjoying refreshments in the warm building on such a cold day.

The current price for for tea for two is £10, and is served between 3pm and 5pm.  I was concerned that the price may influence the quality, but I am pleased to report that this has to be one of the best value and delicious afternoon teas on offer in Edinburgh just now.

We were served a large pot of tea, which gave us two full cups each.   This was served a few minutes before we were presented with two plates of food.  The first one was the savoury selection of sandwiches, which were arranged perfectly and consisted of tuna salad on brown bread and chicken with sweetcorn mayonnaise on white.  There were eight small triangular sandwiches in total, all of which were fresh and left no room for complaint.

Excellent afternoon tea

The sweet plate looked too good to eat when first presented to us and much discussion ensued about how rare Victoria sponge appears in cafes these days.  We wolfed down our sandwiches to get to the stars of the show.

I started with the scone in an effort to fill me up and slow down the speed of eating the other two treats.  It was served with butter, jam and cream and was warm to touch, so had either been freshly baked or heated for serving.  Either way, it tasted incredibly fresh and I devoured every crumb.

Next up was the Victoria sponge, which was light in texture with enough filling to work well with the cake to produce a perfect combination of flavour and consistency.

The brownie was an exquisitely baked slice of chocolate perfection.  I can honestly say that I haven’t tasted a better brownie in Edinburgh.  What made it more of a perfect experience is that my friend had given up chocolate for lent and passed her slice to me.  Not one to leave a plate with half-eaten food, I enjoyed my brownie experience all over again.

It was a calorie-laden hour but since The Hub sits at the top of a big hill, I am sure I burned off enough calories to justify my intake    For the price of £10, I urge you to pay a visit as soon as you can, but even if the price increases in the future, the quality still far outweighs its competitors in the area.

I have dined in The Hub before as part of a function dinner and was equally impressed with their savoury menus.  Sunday 14th March sees the return of their Sunday carvery for Mothers Day.  £12.95 for two courses/£14.95 for three  (reduced prices for children).  Book a table for six and mum eats free!  See all their current promotions on the  offers page.

Suitable for disabled?    Yes, on level access, as are the fully accessible toilets.

Inside The Hub