Edinburgh International Festival
As the lynchpin of Edinburgh’s festival season the EIF is almost lost these days down the back of the Fringe sofa or out of the Tattoo hole in the pocket. However it consistently presents us with a summer of incredible, if often rather serious, performances. With dance, theatre, music and opera taking place in top Edinburgh venues to interested (and less rowdy than elsewhere) audiences eager to enjoy highbrow entertainment.
The EIF is usually the festival hosting the most talked about and eagerly anticipated shows of the season and consistently produces high quality, critically acclaimed entertainment. This year several shows are already a critical success even before opening.
This year the festival offers a heady mix of artists from Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bosnia and Georgia, who are juxtaposed with work from Lebanon, Turkey, the Palestinian Territories, Israel and Iran. Music from orthodox Christian traditions is heard alongside devotional masterpieces from Islam, whilst the rich traditions of gypsy music, a source of inspiration to composers from Brahms to Bartok, is pitched to festival audiences.
On the surface the EIF seems to be an event strictly for the middle aged middle classes, however it is filled with events which will delight anyone and everyone. It brings modernity and fashion to opera, takes dance well beyond the realms of Swan Lake, makes theatre less bum-numbing and can even bring classical music to life, as is particularly evident during the famous fireworks concert.
Even if you’re convinced that you’d rather stick to stand up comedy and wacky theatre take a look at what the EIF has to offer, there’s a whole world of unexpected laughs, well earned gasps and engaging lessons to be learnt – if anything is going to change your mind about traditional entertainment this is most certainly it.
Edinburgh International Festival
13 August - 5 September 2010
for more information see website
www.eif.co.uk
Read more:
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Edinburgh Art Festival
Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival
Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Edinburgh International Festival
Edinburgh Book Festival
Edinburgh Mela
