Noticeboard NewsGossipOpinion Visit list.co.uk for daily arts & entertainment news
GAME ON The Edinburgh International Festival reveals its Olympic spirit
THE MOUNTAIN WILL BE ILLUMINATED WITH HUNDREDS OF RUNNERS
H ere at The List, the August festival fever is officially upon is, thanks to the launch of the Edinburgh International Festival’s extensive 2012 programme. With nearly 200 different performances to choose from, 3000 artists and 47 nations being showcased from around the world, the first of many festival launches offered a flavour of the music, theatre, dance and opera that lies ahead – as well as whetting the appetite for the Royal Highland Centre’s Lowland Hall, which has been converted into a theatre space for three of this year’s shows. Below we cherry-pick just some of the highlights you won’t want to miss (see list.co.uk for dates and venues).
NVA’s Speed of Light Arthur’s Seat is the setting for this innovative visual arts exhibition performance. The iconic mountain will be illuminated as hundreds of runners wearing specially designed light suits embark upon the intricate path networks below, resulting in a stunning visual display. M a c b e t h The Scottish Play is relocated to a contemporary Middle Eastern conflict by TR Warszawa, complete with pyrotechnics and immersive video effects.
Wa t t Dublin’s Gate Theatre presents Samuel Beckett’s comedy about a servant struggling to make sense of the world around him, adapted and performed by Barry McGovern.
Deborah Voigt and Brian Zeger Celebrated soprano Voigt delivers a mix of romantic European songs and American vocal works, with accompaniment from regular collaborator, US pianist Zeger.
L o n d o n P h i l h a r m o n i c O rc h e s t r a Four performances that are sure to sell out instantly, with guests including powerhouse conductor Valery 12 THE LIST 29 Mar–26 Apr 2012
Gergiev, Ayrshire-born violinist Nicola Benedetti and tenor Toby Spence. Meine faire Dame – ein Sprachlabor Theatre Basel’s loose adaptation of My Fair Lady is set in a language laboratory, with an eclectic soundtrack featuring Maurice Ravel and Bryan Adams.
And Then One Thousand Years of Peace French choreographer Angelin Preljocal brings his unusual apocalypse-themed ballet to the festival, following rave reviews for its runs in Moscow, Paris, Lyon, Amsterdam and Luxemburg.
James MacMillan Composer MacMillan appears in two capacities at EIF 2012: his new commission with the Hebrides Ensemble will debut at Greyfriars Kirk, and his opera Clemency will have its Scottish premiere at the King’s Theatre. The Rape of Lucrece Provocative interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic narrative poem by Fringe veteran and acclaimed singer Camille O’Sullivan.
Primer for a Failed Superpower Fresh from winning the 2011 EIF Fringe Prize for Mission Drift, TEAM returns with a work-in-progress about the generation that grew up in the 1980s. The Lady from the Sea Scottish Opera’s newest work focuses on a woman who must choose between her desire for freedom and her duty to her family, featuring music from composer Craig Armstrong.
Wonderland Vanishing Point’s latest opus is a darkly adult exploration of fame, stardom and desire in an Alice in Wonderland-inspired setting. Mariinsky Ballet’s Cinderella The legendary Mariinsky Ballet tackles a large scale production of Cinderella, with choreograpy by Alexei Ratmansky and music from the Mariinsky Orchestra.