London Philharmonic Orchestra concert cancelled at Edinburgh Festival

15 August 2012, 16:47 | Updated: 15 August 2012, 16:52

A power failure prompted festival organisers to pull the plug on the all-Russian programme at the Usher Hall last night.

A unexplained power failure at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall last night left audience members disappointed after the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s all-Russian concert was called off. The root cause of the problem has still not been found.

The power went off at 7pm, an hour before the concert was due to start. Emergency back-up plans are now being drawn up, so tonight’s performance with the Welsh National Opera can still go ahead.

A Scottish Power spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, once early efforts to fix the problem failed, the performance had to be cancelled. As well as this being the safer option, it is not practical to manage an event without power.”

The concert was due to include Rachmaninov’s choral symphony The Bells, and other Russian works including Myaskovsky's Silentium and Denisov's Bells in the Fog. Festival organisers have apologised for the inconvenience and offered a full refund to any ticket holders.