https://youtu.be/sznbJ83Y_gU Written & Directed by Hannah Lavery ★★★★★ Scotland is notable for a friendly attitude towards everyone - a land thought of as a home for any. But within a nation in which cities were built on the broken backs of slaves, where the train rides home and its politicians open their mouths and spew … Continue reading Lament for Sheku Bayoh – Edinburgh International Festival
Conducted by Lothar Koenig Accompanied by The Royal Scottish National Orchestra Adapted from Richard Strauss's 1916 Version ★★★★★ The concept of a comedic opera is far from a unique creation, nor is the sort of ballet featuring humorous segments or narrative. However, infusing the two together is refreshingly dynamic in Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos, which sees … Continue reading Ariadne auf Naxos – Edinburgh International Festival
Directed by Frederic Wake-Walker Conducted by John Butt Libretto by Errollyn Wallen ★★★ Billing itself as a sequel of sorts, Errollyn Wallen’s new libretto Dido’s Ghost not only begins where Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas concludes, but also seeks to entwine the two. In doing so, it offers a performance of the original that is intermittently stitched into the new production. Through flashback and … Continue reading Dido’s Ghost – Edinburgh International Festival
Written by Igor Stravinsky ★★★★ Lue, jouée et dansée (to be read, played, and danced) – the only manner in which Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale is to be shared, or so they say. It is a darkly humorous story of Faustian bargains and the value of both simplicity and the heart. Nicola Benedetti’s closing performance as the Edinburgh International Festival’s artist in … Continue reading The Soldier’s Tale – Edinburgh International Festival
Conducted by Dalia Stasevska Accompanied by The BBC Symphony Orchestra ★★★ After a two-year wait, here we are. Open to the elements of Scotland within one of three newly constructed Edinburgh International Festival venues, The Opening Concert is a merit of dedication, adoration, and the intimacy of live, in-person music and performance. Behind the revelry and fanfare, and beneath … Continue reading The Opening Concert – Edinburgh International Festival
Written by Sara Shaarawi Directed by Catrin Evans ★★★ Simultaneously across five Scottish locations, a series of Graphic-Novel stills emerge over the various cities. They’re artwork – striking, sensational and tapping on a reservoir of potential brilliance; created by Gehan Mounir as marker pieces of Sara Shaarawi’s audio-story performance written in reaction to the mob … Continue reading Niqabi Ninja – Edinburgh International Festival
In an expanding world where digital communications progress and develop complexities, and even intimacies, how timely that Scottish Ballet aim to rejuvenate Léo Delibes’ darkly comedic tale of mischief and identity. Evolving from Coppélia origins, UK based creators, Jess & Morgs with JeffJames' dramaturgy intend to ask what precisely it means to be mortal in … Continue reading Scottish Ballet – Coppélia at the Edinburgh International Festival
Music & Libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti Directed by Daisy Evans ★★★★ There’s a reason we’re asked to turn off our phones before a live performance, and The Telephone shows us precisely why. Filmed under lockdown conditions at the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh, Scottish Opera presents a contemporary take on Gian Carlo Menotti’s 1947 piece. Reminding us all of the company’s innovative potential, … Continue reading My Light Shines On – The Telephone
Written by Hope Dickson Leach Direction of Photography by Kate Reid BSC ★★★★★ The streets may teem with life as ‘normality’ restores itself, but for many, this year will always sit as a stark reminder of the time the Festival city doused its lights for the safety of all. Well, we kept a few lights … Continue reading My Light Shines On – Ghost Light
Piano & Conduction by Barrie Kosky Performed by Komische Oper Berlin When it comes to Yiddish culture, it’s true what they say – they made Hollywood. They built Broadway. There is not a composer or lyricist creating today in Western culture who was not, indirectly or otherwise, influenced in some way by Yiddish musicians, singers … Continue reading Forget Me Not – Royal Lyceum Theatre
