The 聽(EIF) opened on the evening of Friday 7聽August with The Harmonium Project聽at Usher Hall.聽The event was attended by approximately聽19,500 viewers and marked the opening of the annual festival, which has been bringing the best international acts to Edinburgh since 1947.
The Harmonium Project, staged in celebration of the 50th聽anniversary of the , engaged聽crowds with a聽recording of聽John Adams鈥檚 enigmatic choral piece听贬补谤尘辞苍颈耻尘,听performed by the . Conducted by Peter Oundijan, and featuring animations from , the highly successful event was an innovative opening for a festival which has always been at the forefront of new and creative showcases of talent.
The programme for 2015 presents聽2,300 artists from 39 countries, and will run until the end of August, offering opera, theatre, classical music and dance from across the globe, bringing them all to the Scottish capital, and reiterating Edinburgh鈥檚 place as one of the leading cultural locations聽in the world.聽This year is the first for the new Director of the Festival, Fergus Linehan, who joins EIF fresh from festivals in Ireland and Australia.
As always, the festival showcases聽groundbreaking works across the board, such as the innovative use of animation to aide a production of Mozart鈥檚 The Magic Flute or the revolutionary works that Israel Galv谩n鈥檚 has brought to the world of Flamenco. Choreographer and theatre maker Alain Platel and les ballets C de la B and NTGent bring a celebration of brass bands in En avant, marche! and, for the first time, the festival will lend its profile as an international showcase to Scottish work, this year presenting Dragon and Paul Bright鈥檚 Confessions of a Justified Sinner.
Heading up EIF’s new theatrical commissions are聽The Encounter by Simon McBurney and Antigone聽by Ivo van Hove starring聽Juliette Binoche. Works celebrating English language theatre from聽Robert Lepage and Ex Machina, Citizens Theatre with David Greig and Graham Eatough are also in the line-up.
A more alternative selection聽can be found in the featuring an array of jazz, folk and alternative music from the likes of Anna Calvi, Sufjan Stevens and more local names such as King Creosote. The Sessions bring a more diverse feel to the festival, and once again bring in an innovative use of music, with many performances combining rock and orchestral music, or digital animation with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
Elsewhere, dance legend Sylvie Guillem performs in her final聽touring production Life in Progress, and聽two major European ballet companies, Ballett Z眉rich and Ballett am Rhein, offer up聽diverse聽contemporary programmes featuring choreography by Wayne McGregor and Christian Spuck.
The festival, now nearly 70聽years old, never ceases to provide the best of performance from around the world, whether it be traditional staples or pioneering new talent. 2015鈥檚 programme is no exception with the festival once again showcasing highlights of Edinburgh鈥檚 summer season.
The Edinburgh International Festival, until 31 August, various venues across Edinburgh, Scotland.
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Credits
1.聽Sylvie Guillem in Mats Ek鈥檚 Bye, part of Life in Progress. Photo: Lesley Leslie-Spinks.
