Edinburgh Festival Guide

Listings: Before 9pm, International Festival

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First Love

Adaptation of an early Beckett novella about a man, cast out from the family home, who hooks up with a woman, with darkly comic consequences.

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

Sat 25 May

£6–£15.50 / 0131 228 1404

Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh

Wed 28 Aug

£8–£20 / 0131 473 2000

Part of Beckett at the Festival.

Thu 29 Aug

£8–£20 / 0131 473 2000

Part of Beckett at the Festival.

Fri 30 Aug

£8–£20 / 0131 473 2000

Part of Beckett at the Festival.

…and 1 more date

Andreas Scholl, Tamar Halperin

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.

The Queen's Hall, Edinburgh

Thu 29 Aug

£8–£29 / 0131 473 2000

Part of The Queen's Hall Series.

Catastrophe/Rough for Theatre II/Breath

Beckett on Film: Catastrophe: Directed by David Mamet and starring Harold Pinter, Rebecca Pidgeon and John Gielgud. Rough for Theatre II: Directed by Katie Mitchell and starring Jim Norton, Timothy Spall and Hugh B O’Brien. Breath: Directed by Damien †Hirst.

The Hub, Edinburgh

Sat 31 Aug

£4 / 0131 473 2000

Part of Beckett on Film.

Virgin Money Fireworks Concert (Ross Theatre)

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…

Ross Theatre Bandstand, Edinburgh

Sun 1 Sep

£27.50 / 0131 473 2000

Edinburgh: Festival City

Composer Tod Machover, conductor Peter Oundjian and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra take us through the creation of a new piece of music celebrating the City of Edinburgh and its Festival and co-created by members of the public.

Usher Hall, Edinburgh

Tue 27 Aug

£6 / 0131 473 2000

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Interfaces: Unknowable Futures

In the face of today’s ongoing technological revolution, author and journalist Ben Hammersley examines how we must consider today what we do not know for tomorrow. Chaired by journalist Robert Dawson Scott. Speech-to-Text Reported event.

The Hub, Edinburgh

Sat 10 Aug

£6 / 0131 473 2000

Part of Interfaces.

Krapp’s Last Tape

Beckett on Film: Krapp’s Last Tape: Directed by Atom Egoyan and starring John Hurt.

The Hub, Edinburgh

Sat 31 Aug

£4 / 0131 473 2000

Part of Beckett on Film.

Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man

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…

The Queen's Gallery, Edinburgh

Fri 9 Aug

£5.70–£6.25 (£3.15) / 0131 473 2000

Sat 10 Aug

£5.70–£6.25 (£3.15) / 0131 473 2000

Sun 11 Aug

£5.70–£6.25 (£3.15) / 0131 473 2000

…and 21 more dates

Movements: Cybraphon

Cybraphon, the autonomous and emotional robot band, joins the permanent collection of National Museums Scotland, and Alexander Hayward is joined by Professor Simon Kirby of FOUND, Mark Daniels of New Media Scotland, and Alison Taubman of National Museums Scotland to welcome it to its new home.

National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh

Wed 21 Aug

£6 / 0131 473 2000

Part of Movements.

Shaping Things: Artefacts and the 3D Printer

In this workshop led by Chris Speed, you can play at 3D Chinese whispers, adapting objects and artefacts using time-lapse technology until they no longer resemble their original form.

Edinburgh College of Art

Fri 30 Aug

£6 / 0131 473 2000

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To Dream Again

World Premiere: Cellist Peter Gregson’s new work To Dream Again unfolds after a series of interactions between the audience and bespoke data systems. Created especially for this world premiere, these audience interactions mean that each performance develops in an entirely different way in the laboratory venue and…

Inspace, Edinburgh

Mon 19 Aug

£15 / 0131 473 2000

Tue 20 Aug

£15 / 0131 473 2000

Thu 22 Aug

£15 / 0131 473 2000

…and 2 more dates

A 15th Century Artist Predicts 21st Century Radiology

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.

The Queen's Gallery, Edinburgh

Mon 19 Aug

£10 (£8) / 0131 473 2000

20th Century Classics

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…

Usher Hall, Edinburgh

Sat 10 Aug

£12–£42 / 0131 473 2000

All That Fall

‘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…

The Hub, Edinburgh

Sun 25 Aug

£15 / 0131 473 2000

Part of Beckett at the Festival.

Mon 26 Aug

£15 / 0131 473 2000

Part of Beckett at the Festival.

American Lulu

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.

King's Theatre, Edinburgh

Fri 30 Aug

£15–£35 / 0131 473 2000

Sat 31 Aug

£15–£35 / 0131 473 2000

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Andreas Haefliger

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…

The Queen's Hall, Edinburgh

Sat 17 Aug

£8–£29 / 0131 473 2000

Part of The Queen's Hall Series.

Arditti Quartet

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…

The Queen's Hall, Edinburgh

Tue 27 Aug

£8–£29 / 0131 473 2000

Part of The Queen's Hall Series.

Aristo Quartet

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

The Hub, Edinburgh

Thu 22 Aug

£10 / 0131 473 2000

Part of Cafe Concerts.

Art and Technology

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.

The Hub, Edinburgh

Thu 29 Aug

£6 / 0131 473 2000

Part of Edinburgh University Events.

Art, Science and Performance

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.

The Queen's Gallery, Edinburgh

Fri 23 Aug

£15 (£12) / 0131 473 2000

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The Artistic Content of Leonardo's Anatomical Work

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.

The Queen's Gallery, Edinburgh

Mon 12 Aug

£10 (£8) / 0131 473 2000

Bang on a Can All-Stars

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…

Usher Hall, Edinburgh

Fri 23 Aug

£12–£34 / 0131 473 2000

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra: Mahler Symphony No 2

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…

Usher Hall, Edinburgh

Mon 12 Aug

£12–£42 / 0131 473 2000

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra: Tchaikovsky Symphony No 6

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…

Usher Hall, Edinburgh

Sun 11 Aug

£12–£42 / 0131 473 2000

Beckett and Contemporary Art: Make Sense Who May

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.

The Hub, Edinburgh

Wed 28 Aug

£6 / 0131 473 2000

Part of Beckett at the Festival.

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