Festival flaws

Published on 03/09/2012 00:00

So, ANOTHER Edinburgh International Festival is over. It was my 46th and, on the whole, I have enjoyed it – particularly the wonderful Queen’s Hall and Usher Hall concerts.

However, the opera was yet again a major disappointment and as one national critic has said: “ Edinburgh can no longer claim to be a festival of international repute as far as opera is concerned.”

EIF director Jonathan Mills attempted to tweak our noses in Scotland by reminding us how British we are by opening and closing the festival with English choral works, which were, frankly, underwhelming.

I recall 1978, when the festival opened with what is now acknowledged to be the greatest ever recording of the Verdi Requiem with Claudio Abbado conducting and Jesse Norman, Margaret Price, Jose Carreras and Ruggerio Raimondi singing. Would Mr Mills have put this on – unlikely if you look at his not very memorable opening concerts.

Mr Mills departs in 2014 – the year of the independence referendum. He has displayed little interest in Scottish music, even though the festival is meant to showcase Scottish culture as well as be open to international influences. In the possible year of independence in 2016, let us celebrate the wealth of Scots culture in art, music, theatre, literature and let us begin by appointing the first Scots director of the festival for many years.

Hugh Kerr

Braehead Avenue

Edinburgh