Opera Scotland

Opera at the Edinburgh International Festival

Posted 1 Aug 2013

Thie 2013 Edinburgh International Festival offers us Beethoven's Fidelio (pictured) as reimagined by contemporary media artist Gary Hill. This production by Opéra de Lyon marks their fourth visit to the Festival.  We can also enjoy a double bill of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas and Bartók's Duke Bluebeard's Castle along with American Lulu, a reworking of Berg's opera. Click through the links to see other images. 

With each of these productions being presented twice, EIF offers us six evenings (eight performances) of opera this year.  Yet over the last three years, the number of opera performances averaged thirteen.  For the last three years of Sir Brian McMaster's management, the equivalent figure was fifteen. 

So although the number of performances has been trimmed on Sir Jonathan Mills's watch, opera seemed fairly well represented until now.  But this year there isn't even a single concert performance. In previous years, the Usher Hall has offered some rarities, and even some Scottish premieres - from recent years Massenet's Thäis comes to mind. What on earth have opera fans done to deserve such short rations?