Edinburgh festival: Time to go out with a bang

THE Fringe may be over for another year, but as everyone knows, the Capital’s annual Festival doesn’t end until the skies have exploded in a kaleidoscope of colour, courtesy of the Edinburgh International Festival fireworks concert.
By LIAM RUDDEN
Published 30th Aug 2012, 15:13 BST

This year will be no different with a volley of fireworks travelling at 200 miles an hour, rising 750 feet above Edinburgh Castle as the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Garry Walker, play a selection of music celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

This year’s programme includes Orb & Sceptre, written for the coronation in 1953, and the ever popular Greensleeves.

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One piece to listen out for is Prokofiev’s ballet score for Romeo and Juliet, which is now better known as the music from The Apprentice on BBC 1.

The concert closes with music from Laurence Olivier’s 1944 film, Henry V.

For those without tickets, recommended viewing areas for the fireworks include Waverley Bridge, which will be closed to traffic, and another north of Princes Street, between Castle Street and Frederick Street, for families and people with disabilities.

Due to recent wet weather, Inverleith Park is waterlogged, and will not operate as a viewing area this year.

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Before the fireworks, however, there is still a full EIF programme to enjoy, two highlights of which are the Mariinsky Ballet’s Cinderella (pictured above) and Wonderland, by Vanishing Point Theatre Company (pictured, right).

St Petersburg’s legendary Mariinsky Ballet checks into the Festival Theatre tonight for the first of four performances of Charles Perrault’s classic fairy tale.

Choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky, the corps de ballet performs to a score conducted by Valery Gergiev.

Created by experimental theatre company Vanishing Point, Matthew Lenton’s Wonderland finds Lewis Carroll’s classic given a dark and subversive twist, at the Royal Lyceum.

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A tale for today, the piece begins as a young woman sets out from home on a dangerous journey, which examines the attraction of fame and stardom, the allure of the erotic and the “invasion of pornography into modern popular culture”.

A story of curiosity, temptation and power, it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea - it comes with a warning of adult themes and unsuitability for children - but should certainly be on the list to see of anyone who likes their theatre challenging.

• Cinderella, Festival Theatre, Nicolson Street, until Sat, 7.30pm (mat 2.30pm), £12-£46

• Wonderland, Lyceum, Grindlay Street, until Sat, 7.30pm,£10-£30

• Virgin Money Fireworks Concert, Princes Street Gardens, Sun, 9pm, £12.50-£27.50, www.eif.co.uk

Related topics:EdinburghEdinburgh Castle