Edinburgh International Festival 2013
The internationally renowned Edinburgh International Festival brings together the finest artists from around the globe.
The three-week opera, music, theatre and dance festival starts on Friday August 9, kicking off with Classic FM’s Orchestra in Scotland - the Royal Scottish National Orchestra - under Valery Gergiev in an all-Prokofiev programme.
The Festival will feature some of the world’s greatest artists, including; the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra with Daniele Gatti; the Festival debut of Oper Frankfurt with director Barrie Kosky in performances of Dido and Aeneas; the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Mariss Jansons performing Mahler’s second symphony; Scottish Ballet; the ‘Voices of Classic FM’, the Sixteen; tenor Andreas Scholl, violinist Midori and pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard.
Exploring themes of art and technology the festival will include Beethoven’s Fidelio set in space; crowd sourced orchestral work being brought together by Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Tod Machover and the ground-breaking anatomical drawings of Leonardo da Vinci juxtaposed with the latest medical technology; a tribute to Frank Zappa focusing on his orchestral music; an exploration of the evolution of instruments such as the clarinet with Nicola Boud, and keyboard instruments with Christophe Rousset.
On this year’s festival, Director Jonathan Mills comments: “It is the role of artists to think differently, to offer us provocations and inspiring contrasts to our everyday lives. Artists’ innovation in everyday materials has played a key role in the evolution of artistic techniques and thinking, and of how we experience the world….Festival 2013 presents a journey inspired by the way technology seizes and shifts our perceptions of the world."
Edinburgh International Festival runs from August 9 – September 1. For further information and ticket details visit eif.co.uk
