Listings: International Festival

Philip Glass is joined by Patti Smith to discuss their cross-art form collaboration The Poet Speaks with writer and broadcaster Richard Coles.

He is renowned as one of the finest artists of the Renaissance – but Leonardo da Vinci was also one of the greatest anatomists the world has ever seen. Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man explores the artist’s groundbreaking work in anatomy. His studies of the human body are presented alongside state-of-the-art modern…

Bach to Berio, Lutoslawski to Puttin’ on the Ritz performed by Iain Archibald and Andrew Connell-Smith (trumpet), Martin Murphy (horn), Gordon Seith (trombone) and Fraser Russell (tuba).

Intense and visceral, Christopher Hampson’s vision of The Rite of Spring, created originally for Atlanta Ballet, is presented 100 years after the original production revolutionised the world of dance and music. Set to Stravinsky’s exhilaratingly influential score, Hampson uses three dancers – two men and a woman – to…

Join the city of Edinburgh in a celebration of summer festivals, inspirational music and breathtaking pyrotechnics as the Virgin Money Fireworks Concert brings the Edinburgh International Festival to a resplendent conclusion. Set against the magnificent backdrop of Edinburgh’s iconic Castle, the evening brings together…

Peter Abrahams, Professor of Clinical Anatomy at Warwick University, explores the value of Leonardo’s anatomical drawings as a tool for understanding the human body, and how closely the artist anticipated the range of imagery used by the medical profession today.

An evening of thrilling 20th century classics from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under its chief guest conductor, Ilan Volkov, who is widely renowned for the passion and intensity of his music making. Sinfonia by Luciano Berio is a virtuoso work full of colour and humour that poses profound questions about what a…

‘A life of unending misery in a world devoid of God, now that’s funny.’ Maddy Rooney is in her seventies – unsightly, ungainly and unwell – laboriously to-ing and fro-ing between her home and Boghill Station. This is a landscape whose details are drawn from the suburbs of Foxrock and Leopardstown from Beckett’s youth, but…

Seductress, victim, manipulator: Lulu lives off men as both tortured and torturer, purveyor of ecstasy and angel of death. Caught up in greedy games and seedy schemes, and surrounded by lovers driven to despair, Lulu makes an inexorable rise to the highest levels of power, money and fame. But her descent is just as swift.

Two titans of the piano repertoire are performed by the formidable Swiss pianist Andreas Haefliger, whose combination of luxuriant richness and steely control in his impeccable playing have earnt him worldwide acclaim. Although his earlier works had been conceived for the wooden fortepiano, Beethoven needed the modern…

German singer Andreas Scholl is one of classical music’s superstars, and has introduced countless listeners to the irresistible beauty of his countertenor voice. His acclaimed performances match exquisite grace in his singing with a charismatic stage presence, packed full of passion and an arresting freedom of expression.

Widely celebrated as one of the world’s preeminent contemporary music ensembles, the Arditti Quartet is famed for its spellbinding performances that combine authority and passion. Yet its players are also respected for their perceptive readings of classic repertoire, including Janáček’s First String Quartet, whose…

String quartets by Beethoven, Janáček and Shostakovich performed by Evelien Jaspers and Dmitry Ivanov (violin), Sylvain Dessane (viola) and Otto Bakker (cello).

Professor of Epistemics Jon Oberlander, Professor of Composition and Electroacoustic Composition Peter Nelson, and Chris Speed of the Edinburgh College of Art discuss historical, conceptual and philosophical relationships between the performing arts and technology. Chaired by theatre specialist Olga Taxidou.

Leonardo is celebrated as both an inspired artist and anatomist. This special event considers how contemporary artists, performers and scientists are informed by each other’s work in their exploration of the human body. Part of the Clod Ensemble’s Performing Medicine programme in collaboration with Wellcome Trust.

Leonardo’s early anatomical studies were intended to help his work as a painter, but his researches took on a life of their own, becoming the most important strand of his scientific work. Exhibition curator Martin Clayton examines the relationship between these two major aspects of Leonardo’s activity.

Ghosts of the past and present collide through video and sound technology in this evening-long project from the internationally renowned Brooklyn-based Bang on a Can All-Stars, an electric chamber ensemble that brings together some of the world’s most adventurous musical thinkers. The Field Recordings project looks back…

The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra performs one of the grandest and most moving pieces in the entire orchestral repertoire: Mahler’s Second Symphony. Tracing a journey from funereal despair to the blazing light of rebirth, the Symphony combines moments of hair-raising terror with passages of poignant intimacy. The…

The internationally renowned Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra makes a two-concert visit to the Festival under chief conductor Mariss Jansons, acclaimed for his blistering performances and for his cultured interpretations that shine fresh light on major classical works. Tchaikovsky’s 'Pathétique' Symphony is one of the…

Derval Tubridy, Goldsmiths, University of London, explores the vibrant interplay between Samuel Beckett’s work and contemporary art with a particular focus on bodies and technology. Chaired by Octavian Saiu.

Producer of the Beckett on Film project, Michael Colgan discusses the challenges in creating this extraordinary film collection.

Celebrated Belgian early-music conductor René Jacobs rejects the academic coolness of some period performance in favour of bright colours, dramatic energy and a sometimes unconventional approach. While remaining faithful to his music’s historical roots, Jacobs emphasises emotion and meaning, finding fresh perspectives on…

Minimalist composer Philip Glass’s magical reimagining of Jean Cocteau’s 1946 La Belle et la Bête combines the classic black and white film with live performance in a Šsophisticated work that is at once a touching fairy tale and a meditation on creativity. Removing the film’s original dialogue track and score by Georges…

String quartets by Schubert, Mendelssohn and Dvorák performed by Clemens Flieder and Clemens Gordon (violin), Johanna Zaunschirn (viola) and Gundula Leitner (cello).

Eloquence and elegance characterise Argentinian-born mezzo soprano Bernarda Fink’s raptuorously received recitals. Acclaimed both for her golden-toned voice and for her subtle characterisations, Fink offers vivid, deeply expressive song performances. With her regular recital partner, US-born pianist Anthony Spiri, she…