'Humdinger' Edinburgh Festival programme announced

Three world premieres and an appearance by acclaimed conductor Sir Simon Rattle will form some of the highlights of this year’s Edinburgh International Festival, it was announced today.

Outgoing festival director Brian McMaster promised this summer’s three-week spectacle, now in its 60th year, would offer “world-class events with a wide appeal”.

Mr McMaster steps down in the autumn after 15 years, to be replaced by Jonathan Mills, one of Australia’s most experienced festival directors.

Mr McMaster said today he believed this year’s programme would send him off on a high note.

He said: “A lot of people have said over recent months that since it is my last year we’d make it a really special humdinger of a festival.

“Actually, we try and put on the best possible festival we can every year and our view was that we’d do that again this year.

“But a number of major artists said that they would like to be part of my last festival and it was an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

The festival, which will run from August 13 to September 3, will include the world premiere of the stage adaptation of Michel Houellebecq’s novel Platform.

The story about a French civil servant who sets up a sex tourism travel agency has been hailed as “one of the most successful and controversial novels of the past decade” by festival bosses.

Anthony Neilson’s play Realism will also enjoy its world premiere.

Elsewhere, the festival will include performances of The Assassin Tree, a world premiere of Scottish composer Stuart MacRae’s first opera.

The opera programme opens and closes with German opera, beginning with Richard Strauss’s Elektra and closing with Richard Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg.

And the festival welcomes two of the world’s greatest conductors – Sir Simon Rattle bringing his Berlin Philharmonic and Italian conductor Claudio Abbado conducting Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

On the stage, director Peter Stein will return to the festival with a production of Shakespeare’s Troilus And Cressida in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Other highlights include the British premiere of George Balanchine’s ballet Don Quixote and hiphop-inspired dance from Brazilian Bruno Beltrao.

The festival will close with the traditional Bank of Scotland fireworks concert.

Mr McMaster added: “There are excellent opportunities for first-timers to choose from a broad range of world-class experiences which I hope will get them hooked and returning to the arts again and again.

“At the same time, I know we have events this year which will have seasoned arts-goers booking flights from around the world.”

Scottish culture minister Patricia Ferguson said: “The Edinburgh International Festival is unique to Scotland, drawing people from across the globe to enjoy artists and performances of world-class calibre.”

Public bookings for this year’s event open on April 8.